Do YOU believe in Harvey Dent?

Article originally published 03/04/2008 at popculturezoo.com

Well, its that time folks. The site (ibelieveinharveydent.com) has been updated with all manner of opportunities to allow you to immerse yourself in Harvey’s bid for Gotham District Attorney. Click on the ‘What To Do’ button for a few examples, but be prepared to spread the Word of Harvey to your hometown. There are banners and posters to download at the moment with promises of more to come. There’s even a Dentmobile that will be making its way around the country! It looks like Portland, OR will be one of its stops, so you can bet yer bottom double-sided dollar coin that PCZ will be there when it arrives!

~original post~

When Heath Ledger tragically passed away in January, fans were skeptic as to whether Warner Brothers and 42 Entertainment would continue their Joker-centric viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight. The ARG (Alternate Reality Game) had Bat-Fans scurrying around both the interwebs and their home towns searching for clues and solving puzzles left by Mr J. In light of Ledger’s passing, it only made sense that the marketing would shift its focus to another character. Or, maybe that was just ‘all part of the plan’?

Enter the site ibelieveinharveydent.com. This site isn’t unknown to players of the Dark Knight ARG. Originally launched last summer, this page was the catalyst to the eventual first look of Ledger as the Joker. Since then, it has remained as a largely dormant campaign advertisement for Harvey Dent’s bid for Gotham District Attorney. Of course, that all changed last Friday when the site received an update.

The site now claims that ‘We have the power to change Gotham City. Soon you’ll find out how’. It has been updated with fields allowing you to submit your email address and phone number (which is optional). Once submitted, you receive an email asking to confirm your address and saying that something will happen ‘in a few days’.

So, what are you waiting for? Join the fight to take back Gotham City!

www.ibelieveinharveydent.com

The Joker Returns to The Dark Knight ARG

Article originally published 05/30/2008 at popculturezoo.com

2ND UPDATE - 4/1

Well, the game is over. 28 ‘packages’ were found across the globe that included an engraved bowling ball, Joker playing card and a pre-paid cell phone. There was one in Portland, OR (home of PCZ HQ) but SoniaTheRed, our intrepid Publicity Dominatrix was thwarted from claiming it by what appears to be an inside job.

Once all 28 balls were recovered, fans were pointed to a new website (www.acmesecuritysystems.com/delos) where they were prompted for a name, phone number and email address. When entered, the given phone number would ring and would eventually reveal that the entire day’s events were an elaborate sting operation, courtesy of Jim Gordan and the Gotham PD!

What’s next for The Dark Knight ARG? Stay tuned to PCZ for all the breaking news as it happens!

UPDATE -4/1

A new game is afoot! At precisely 6:00 AM PST, clowntravelagency.com was updated with a list of 28 cities. Instructions on the site state that a package is being held at each of the locations, with actual addresses being posted every hour so far. According to reports, the package includes a leather bag, bowling ball and an evidence bag containing a new Joker cell phone. Once the cell phone is activated, the city’s listing on the site receives a passport stamp.

We will update this story with pics of the package once they are received.

What are you waiting for? Head on over to clowntravelagency.com!!!

UPDATE - 3/30

What’s in the case?

After a flurry of activity today, fans tracking The Dark Knight viral marketing campaign were rewarded with the promise of a new element of the game… to launch on April Fools Day!

Early this morning, 17 of the Joker cake cell phones (included the one currently residing at PCZ HQ) began ringing. The voice on the other end of the line told the ‘clowns’ that they had been narrowed down to 17 (from the original 22 phones that were scattered throughout the US) and that we were assigned a letter to ’share with the rest of the clowns’.

As fans scurried to determine what the letters meant, reports were filed by the rest of the Joker phone holders. Each phone-holder received a letter and when all 17 letters were finally placed in the correct order, a new website was unveiled:

www.clowntravelagency.com

In addition to the Joker’s return, Harvey Dent contacted supporters via phone and his website to address the ’slanderous charges’ that have been made against Dent by a new group. This led to a host of new in-game websites that feature additional phone numbers to call and email addresses to contact.

Josephcandoloro.com - Joseph Candolro is a lawyer and founder of ‘Concerned Citizens for a Better Gotham’

Trustgarcetti.com - Roger Garcetti is running against Harvey Dent for Gotham City District Attourney

So, now the waiting continues. The envelope on the Clown Travel Agency clearly states a ‘departure date’ of 4/1. What will April Fools Day bring? A new challenge that will send fans scurrying across the country for more clues? Stay tuned to Pop Culture Zoo as we provide extensive coverage of this next chapter in The Dark Knight viral campaign!

For a complete rundown of new and updated in-game websites, check The Dark Knight ARG Wiki.

Original Story - 3/27

After what seems like an eon of waiting, today Batman fans were treated to a flood of new content for The Dark Knight ARG (Alternate Reality Game). The game, a viral marketing campaign for the upcoming Batman film, had appeared to be on a quasi-hiatus after the tragic passing of Heath Ledger, who portrays the the Joker in the film.

The game had originally appeared to be Joker-centric, involving a number of tasks (both online and real-world) that sent fans scurrying about and ‘auditioning’ to be in the villain’s gang. The culmination of this was an epic challenge early last December that involved the recovery of 22 specially baked cakes scattered across the country. The lucky few who were able to retrieve one of these cakes received a cell phone (hidden inside the cake) for their troubles. After the phone was activated, the ‘clown’ was told to await further instructions.

Fast forward three months…

Now, after a cross-country tour involving faux campaign rallys for Harvey Dent’s impending bid as Gotham City’s District Attourney, the Joker appears to have returned. This morning, all 22 Joker phones received the following text message…

“Hey clown! Long time, no crime spree! Well, put on your floppy shoes and answer this question: are you ready to get to work? (ReplyY/N)”

After sending a reply of YES and waiting a few minutes, another message followed…

“Glad to see you’re still alive and kicking. I’ll be in touch before Poisson d’Avril.”

So, April Fools Day certainly seems appropriate timing. Pop Culture Zoo is lucky enough to have in our posesion one of the 22 Joker cell phones, so we will be updating the site will all developments as Mr. J’s plans unfold next week!

Other developments discovered by fans today:

• A new edition of The Gotham Times has been received in the mail by a number of fans. The newspaper’s website has also been updated with the new issue.
• A number of Gotham-related viral websites have been uncovered, including Danaworthington.com, Maidenavenuereport.com and Citizensforbatman.org.
• A number of existing confirmed in-game viral websites have been updated with new content, including gpdiad.com and gothamusd.net.

If that isn’t enough, Harvey Dent was also in touch with fans via email, announcing that he had made his decision to run for Gotham City District Attourney…

(from email)
We did it! Harvey Dent has officially announced he’s running for Gotham District Attorney! And it’s all because of you — your support.

Your rallies, your petition drives, your videos, your enthusiasm. The Dentmobile brought our message of change for Gotham City to every neighborhood. But it was your energy that brought a message of support to Harvey Dent himself.

And he heard you. Harvey Dent heard the fierce desire all of you have for change in Gotham. And that’s why, today, Harvey Dent announced that he’s running for Gotham DA.

Now, the real battle begins. We all must join together to make sure that Harvey Dent gets the chance to take back Gotham City from crime and corruption.

Talk to your neighbors, your friends, your coworkers. Tell them why Harvey Dent is the one man who can save Gotham.

And keep on checking www.ibelieveinharveydent.com for news of the race.

Harvey Dent thanks you all. With your help, we can take back Gotham.

Sincerely

Allan Cypes
Media Manager, Harvey Dent for Gotham DA

Want to learn more about how to get involved with The Dark Knight ARG? Check out this wiki, which has an extremely well-organized rundown of all developments within the game.

Exclusive Interview With Action Figure Sculptor Jean St. Jean

Article originally published 04/15/2008 at popculturezoo.com

If you dig action figures, chances are you own something that was created by Jean St. Jean Studios. The sculpting house, founded by St. Jean himself, has grown since its creation in 2005 and now boasts clients such as NECA, Diamond Select and DC Direct. Jean began his career making dolls and preschool toys for Appollo-Juno, Inc but soon moved to McFarlane Toys, where he eventually rose through the ranks to become Sculpting Supervisor. A few years later, Jean ventured out on his own and eventually founded Jean St. Jean Studios, which has become one of the most popular and highly-regarded sculpting houses in the industry.

Jean was kind enough to answer a few questions about his career, what influences him and what may lie on the horizon for Jean St. Jean Studios.

PCZ: You’ve been in the sculpting industry for a number of years. After all the work you have done, what stands out as your favorite, or the project that you are most proud of?

Jean: There are two actually; The Tomb of Dracula Marvel Milestones for Diamond Select Toys and the 18” Pumpkinhead for SOTA. The Dracula in particular was something I had wanted for someone to make, let alone get the chance to design and sculpt it myself. The Marvel Dracula had been ignored for years and I’m very glad it was me that got to do the first statue. I put a lot of time into rereading the whole series and studying Gene Colan’s art, especially the face and body language.

Production issues aside, I love the Pumpkinhead; partly because I never thought any company would be nuts enough to do an 18″ action figure. Also because typically, I’m not the guy folks come to with monster jobs. Generally, I’ve been typecast as a realism and portrait sculptor, so when something like Pumpkinhead or the Day of the Dead figures for Amok Time come up, it’s a nice change.

PCZ: In the Diamond Select Stargate series, you were able to incorporate ‘build-a-figures’ such as the Stargate and MALP. How does your approach to sculpting these large-scale devices/accessories differ from a standard action figure? Do you prefer working on action figures or accessories?

Jean: The ‘build-an-accessory’ idea was Diamond’s and I think it is awesome. From a fan standpoint it allows us to make oversize accessories that are iconic elements of the shows. It also adds a buying incentive for collector’s to pick up the whole set. Having said that, they have to be sized and decorated within certain cost parameters to make them a reasonable addition to each of the blisters. These things are very expensive to produce so in order to get them out to fans, compromises have to be made.

There are plenty of examples of companies promising the moon on some insanely expensive product and then having it slip below the radar because of unrealistic costing for production. Within my team of artists I have guys that specialize in fabrication (or, a more mechanical form of sculpting) for vehicles, weapons and architectural elements. I’ve begun doing more of it myself, for instance the (DC Direct) World of Warcraft Gnome Mechanostryder as well as the weapons for my Warcraft figures. Figural and accessory sculpting each have elements which I enjoy doing, again because I prefer to have variety in my workload.

PCZ: Has there been an instance where the final packaged product has drastically differed from your original sculpt? What is your reaction to this and how much control do you have over the finished product?

Jean: Rarely does a final PVC toy look like a hand painted prototype. In fact, never does the final product nail the prototype. Concessions have to be made for cost and for practicality of reproduction. Because I understand this, I generally expect to be underwhelmed, though I’m mostly pleasantly surprised. That’s not negativity, it’s just practicality. However, McFarlane has made some amazing innovations in the production process that have completely changed the look of the average action figure. They have forced everyone else to pick up their game. The average collector is much more discriminating and savvy of the production process.

PCZ: Not many fans know that you are also an accomplished musician with a degree in classical piano. To what extent does music influence your sculpting work (or vice versa)?

Jean: Over the last ten years I’ve traded one obsession for another. Where I used to practice (music) 16 hours a day, now I work those hours making toys and statues. I’ve gotten to sculpt a few of the musicians I listened to like the Kiss Alive Gene Simmons, Alice Cooper and the ‘Roid Rage’ Ozzy Osbourne for McFarlane. I also worked on the (Iron Maiden) Phantom of the Opera Eddie and Freddie Mercury in the yellow jacket. Both of these were for NECA.

PCZ: Can you tell us a little about what some of your upcoming projects are? Anything new with Diamond Select or are you working with other companies?

Jean: As far as I know (Diamond Select) is still rolling ahead with Stargate: SG-1, Stargate: Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica. On other fronts I’m working on Mezco’s Cinema of Fear (wave three was my first line), DC Direct AmiComi (Poison Ivy was the first) and Day of the Dead and other cool properties coming up for Amok Time.

PCZ: Have you ever worked on a project that required you to work with source material that you were unfamiliar with? Have any of your projects made turned you into a fan of a show/book/movie that you were previously unexposed to?

Jean: Actually, Stargate was a property I had only passing knowledge of before the Diamond gig came up. I started cramming to become immersed in the show, and thank God I ending up really liking it. I’m more of a horror guy than a sci-fi enthusiast but (Stargate) is a fun show with really well written characters and great casts. Plus… there are some cool aliens!

PCZ: You have mentioned in previous interviews that you got started in this business as a toy collector. What new toys keep you hunting shelves to add new items to your collection?

Jean: Indeed. An addiction worse than crack, I’d wager. Super Powers started it for me in my ‘20’s and I just can’t get clean! Right now I collect mostly anime figures and PVC statues. Just this weekend I picked up two of the Hasbro Iron Man movie figures and two of the Gentle Giant Hellboy figures.

PCZ: Have you ever worked on a line that didn’t make it though final approval with the licensor (for whatever reason)? Anything that you wish you had a second chance with?

Jean: The only thing that comes to mind is Samara from The Ring for NECA, but that had nothing to do with the sculpt; it was an issue of international versus domestic licensing rights. I’d love to attack that and other Japanese horror properties at some point.

PCZ: What’s on your short-list of musicians that you would want to turn into an action figure?

Jean: I think a Diamond Dogs, Aladdin Sane and Ziggy Stardust Bowie would be cool. Also, guitarists like Ritchie Blackmore and Michael Schenker or a line of metal screamers like Rob Halford, Tate Dickinson… and especially Ronnie James Dio.

PCZ: What are your long term goals in the sculpting industry? You are already the owner of your own company… where do you see yourself a few years down the road?

Jean: More of the same but with more capacity and efficiency. I’m constantly trying to improve on my own abilities. Maybe, eventually doing some of my own manufacturing.

PCZ: We here at PCZ are big fans of your work on NECA’s Highlander box set. What future do you see in kilted action figures? Do you think that it’s high time that Scotsmen were given their due in the toy industry?

Jean: I think the irrepressible engineer Scotty from Star Trek and Connor MacLeod are forced to carry the banner of the Scots alone. However, the kilted action figure allows for more range of motion for the ball joints (Nyuk! Nyuk!) and easy access for long wedgie-prone car rides. Personally, it took me eons to get out of black jeans and into shorts , so unless I’m an immortal like MacLeod and his ilk, it’s unlikely I’ll ever make the bold fashion statement of the kilt, where junk roams free and wedgies are a thing of the dark and distant past.

We want to thank Jean St. Jean for the time and patience (especially with that last question) he took in this interview. You can see more of Jean’s work over on his MySpace page. Or, run down to your local toy shop and pick up one of the many amazing figures sculpted by Jean St. Jean Studios!

The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories

Article originally published 04/30/2008 at popculturezoo.com

by Wes Cowan

While I like the accessibility of web comics, there is just something delightfully visceral about print. The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories is a collection of comic strips from The Perry Bible Fellowship is a wonder to behold, bright and colorful with a red ribbon bound to the spine. While the cover is reminiscent of the children’s board game Candy Land, the scene of a candy character about to be burned at the stake by a candy mob is a dead give away that something is not quite right.

It has been said that the line between madness and genius is narrow. Nicholas Gurewitch is erasing that line with The Perry Bible Fellowship. An important question remains… can this delicate balance of two minds produce something that is actually funny? After reading The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories, I must admit that I am the type of person who ‘laughs on the inside’. Thankfully, The Perry Bible Fellowship makes me giggle like a school boy peeking at naughty pictures.

Artistically both adept and dynamic, Gurewitch is sheer genius. His parodies of other famous comics are stylistically precise, delivering punchlines that on many levels are hauntingly familiar. You always knew you wanted to see in these types of jokes in some of the more mainstream comic strips that have gotten tired and boring over the years. Ironically, Gurewitch’s own signature style usually involves wonderfully expressive ‘blank’ humanoid characters. The beauty (and once again, madness) is in the simplicity of these characters. They are not important… but the ideas and thoughts that they represent ring through loud and clear. These are not your father’s funny pages.

A bonus for those who buy the book is a section at the back called ‘Lost Strips’, including commentary by the author. Run, do not walk, and get this very funny and irreverent collection!

The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories: A Collection of the Comic Strips of the Perry Bible Fellowship is available via the PBF website.

ECCC ‘08 - A Report From the ‘Mondo Marvel’ Panel

Article originally published 05/10/2008 at popculturezoo.com

Marvel Comics brought a few familiar faces to Seattle with their ‘Mondo Marvel’ panel at this year’s Emerald City Comic Con. Members of the current Marvel brain trust in attendance were Ed Brubaker (Captain America), Skottie Young (Cable & Deadpool), Robert Kirkman (Ultimate X-Men) and Jeff Parker (Agents of Atlas). The panel was moderated by Jennfier Grunwald, an associate editor with Marvel. This rambunctious group of comic gurus spent close to an hour trading barbs, sharing stories and fielding questions from a roomful of fans.

Robert Kirkman will be reviving the Golden Age character (and one of Stan Lee’s first creations), Destroyer for a five issue series under the Marvel Max line. The series, which does not currently have a release date, will begin with Destroyer learning that he has been diagnosed with a terminal disease and has only five days to live. The series will document these final five days as Destroyer embarks on a vendetta to kill all of his enemies before he dies. Artwork will be provided by Corey Walker (Invincible). Kirkman also squashed the rumors of a possible new Marvel crossover with his Image Comics creation ‘Invincible’. There is nothing new planned for a future crossover but he did mention that he would be open to one in the future if Marvel is on board.

Ed Brubaker spoke a bit about the decision to kill off Steve Rogers as a culmination of the ‘Civil War’ event. According to Brubaker, the death of Rogers was always one of the options that Marvel looked at when addressing the character. However, when faced with the choice of either forcing Cap into retirement, sending him to jail or killing him off, Brubaker felt that the latter (and ultimate) choice was the best one. “We wanted America to find Cap, and this seemed like the best way” he noted. According to Brubaker, the new Captain America (Bucky Barnes) will make an appearance in the current ‘Secret Invasion’ story arc. Not much information was shared, but Ed did tell fans that “There will be play… but not forced play.”

Not much new Marvel information was revealed at the panel as most of the 50 minutes was spent with the creators heckling each other and making fun of Skrulls. However, here are a few additional highlights from today’s ECCC ‘Mondo Marvel’ panel:

• Skottie Young addressed his involvement with the upcoming Marvel version of The Wizard of Oz, saying that it will be a faithful adaptation of the novel.
• When asked if the Ultimate Universe would be ending, all panel participants responded with a resounding “No!”
• Jeff Parker hinted that characters from his ‘Agents of Atlas’ book would be making an appearance in ‘Secret Invasion’.
• Ed Brubaker made the somewhat-ambiguous statement that he would like to see Uncanny X-Men “Put out a little more often.”

Towards the end of the panel, a fan asked the creators which Marvel character they would want a chance at writing. Ed Brubaker lamented that one of the characters he’d like a shot at is Destroyer, but Robert Kirkman already beat him to it. Brubaker also mentioned that he would love a chance at writing Patriot. Kirkman put Sleepwalker (for a second time) and Darkhawk on his list while Skottie Young said that Chamber from Gen X would be his pick. Jeff Parker rounded out the conversation by hinting that he is currently working on a project involving a character he has always wanted to write… though he couldn’t elaborate with any details.

ECCC ‘08 - Image Comics Panel Wrap-Up

Article originally published 05/11/2008 at popculturezoo.com

Image Comics gave fans a glimpse into the the coming months with their panel at this year’s Emerald City Comicon in Seattle, Washington. On hand were a few creators working on projects for Image comics, including Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead), Richard Starkings (Elephantmen) and Jay Faerber (Dynamo 5). These creators discussed their history in comics including their influences and experiences with working on various titles for Image.

The panel was largely more of a casual discussion about the comics industry between the creators and fans. Kirkman, Starkings and Faerber spent most of the time chatting nostalgically about the history of the characters and stories that they have each brought to the Image universes. That said, we were able to glean a few bits new info on upcoming projects at Image from the panel, including the following:

Spawn
As has been previously rumored, it was confirmed that two Image founders would be returning to Spawn. No word yet on which two this would be, but it was promised that full details would be unveiled at San Diego Comic Con in July.

Dynamo 5
With the approach of issue 16, fans should expect a lineup change within the team.

Invincible
Invincible will be sporting a new costume soon to commemorate the series reaching 50 issues… though the change won’t be permanent according to Kirkman. on upcoming crossover issue of Noble Causes will feature an appearance by Robert Kirkman’s Invincible. Invincible will also be appearing in Savage Dragon… which prompted a joke by Kirkman that the character would eventually “End up in every Image comic.” In movie news, the film rights option for Invincible (which were previously acquired by Paramount) have expired. There is no additional news on the rights being renewed or picked up by another studio.

Wolf-Man
A ‘Monster Pile-Up’ issue featuring a number of Image Comics monster characters will be released in late July, likely in time for SDCC. The comic will include 4-5 page stories.

War Heroes
This new title from the team Mark Millar and Tony Harris will be what Millar would have wanted from Ultimates 3 had he stayed with the title at Marvel. War Heroes will include a number of alternate covers, including one (#3) that will be fan-designed as part of an Image Comics sponsored contest.

Battle Pope
The animated series which was based on Robert Kirkman’s first comic creation (which was subsequently reprinted by Image) will be distributed on DVD by Spike TV at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. No word yet on if the show will return with new episodes.

Exclusive Interview With Kip Winger

Article originally published 05/15/2008 at popculturezoo.com

He has perhaps one of the most recognizable last names in rock & roll. Kip Winger is a testament to the belief that rock & roll doesn’t die… it just lies dormant for a short time, only to return in a new and unexpected form. Winger’s latest incarnation comes in the release of his newest solo album From the Moon to the Sun, which continues to explores the musician/composer’s venture into more melodic and diverse sounds. We caught up with Kip and asked him a few questions about both his experiences with Winger and the evolution of his musical career…

PCZ: Working both with Winger and as a solo artist, you have incorporated a wide range of musical styles. How do you respond to those who are still quick to dismiss you as a ‘hair metal’ musician?

KW: Ignorance is bliss!

PCZ: How was the decision made to select comic book artist Ethan Van Sciver to create the album art for Winger IV? Were you previously aware of Sciver’s work before he started on the artwork for your album?

KW: A friend who is really into comics knew him and turned me on to him. Ethan is really cool and wanted to contribute to the cause.

PCZ: Describe the differences and challenges you face when working on developing a film score. Was this something that you had always aspired to do? Have you any ambitions to write your own screenplay?

KW: No, I’m about the music. Film scores are very creative. The main difference is that when writing to a scene, you’re trying to musically describe the emotion rather then being free to write whatever you are feeling.

PCZ: How do you approach producing another musician? Is there ever an impulse to take too much control or is it easier to just sit back and guide the music?

KW: I focus on getting good performances out of musicians and bringing out the best in the song. The song is everything. Then, the performances.

PCZ: Now that Winger has done a bit of touring this year, can fans assume that the band is back for the foreseeable future? If so, will you also continue with your other projects (solo work, music producing, etc.)?

KW: Winger is what it is. We continue to write new stuff for people who are listening and when we play live, we enjoy performing the old stuff. But everyone in the band has moved on. I’m working on classical music at the moment and a three piece power trio I have called Blackwood Creek. I’m also promoting my solo record. Reb (Beach) is off in Whitesnake, Rod (Morgenstein) is Teaching at Berkley and John (Roth) is playing and teaching.

PCZ: You co-wrote a fantastic (and very creepy) song called ‘Gail’ with Alice Cooper. What was the experience like writing, playing and touring with Alice Cooper?

KW: (Working with) Alice Cooper was an amazing experience for me. I went from waiter to rock star overnight. I was with Alice for a few years and learned a lot about touring, recording, etc. It was the perfect platform to springboard me into my own band.

“I am an artist and I find it detestable to write the same song over and over again.”

- Kip Winger

PCZ: Years later, do you feel at all awkward about playing or talking about the song ‘Seventeen’? Has the resurgence that the song has received by its inclusion in the Guitar Hero video game made it more accessible to a new generation of music fans?

KW: Yes and it’s paying quite well! ‘Seventeen’ was a big hit song, who can complain about that. It’s awesome, but now “she’s only 35″.

PCZ: Pull was a significant departure from what many considered to be ‘the Winger sound’. It contained political themes and drew more from your personal prog-rock influences then the previous two albums. Is Pull still your favorite Winger album and how do you feel it holds up fifteen years later?

KW: Pull was a career-defining record for us. At a time when grunge was hitting big we released our best record and it did pretty well considering the climate of the business at the time. More importantly, it proved that we weren’t musically bankrupt like some of our many contemporaries. After that, no one was coming to the shows and we all wanted to do something else, so I went off to do other stuff. In 2006 came Winger IV which is FAR more sophisticated then anything we have done lyrically and melodically.

PCZ: After working on a couple of independent labels, what advantages do you think signing with Frontiers Records gives you?

KW: You go where people support you. In this business the ‘flavor of the month’ is really short now. The big companies are really good at marketing and it all about ‘hits’. Success is based off of how much bread you make them. I’ve been there… but in the end I am an artist and I find it detestable to write the same song over and over again. It’s like asking a painter to paint the same thing time and time again…. I can’t grow that way.

PCZ: What new music are you currently listening to?

KW: I listen to a bit of everything, It’s hard to find things that move you emotionally. I don’t listen to much, usually 20th century orchestral music.

We’d like to thank Kip Winger for taking the time to answer our questions. Formore information about Kip’s ongoing projects (both solo and collaborations) visit kipwinger.com. Or, you can check out the official Kip Winger and Blackwood Creek MySpace pages to hear samples of their music and become their friend!

Special thanks go out to Chrisopher Morris from Nicodemus and Rick Emerson for helping us out with this interview!

ECCC ‘08 - Catching Up With Robert Kirkman

Article originally published 05/19/2008 at popculturezoo.com

If Robert Kirkman knows one thing, its how to stay busy. These days the ‘Marvel Zombies’ scribe is firing on all cylinders with his comics being produced by both Image and Marvel. ‘Walking Dead’ and ‘Invincible’ are hitting issue #50, ‘Astonishing Wolf-Man’ is going monthly, he just finished up a successful run with ‘Ultimate X-Men’… and then there’s that little Killraven side-project with Rob Liefeld. Despite this multitude of projects, Kirkman was able to take a bit of time to make an appearance at the Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, Washington. We caught up with him for a brief Q & A session about all the current happenings in Kirkmania.

PCZ: First off, let me say that I’m a huge fan of ‘Wolf-Man’. I picked up the Free Comic Book Day issue and saw your name on it and initially, I didn’t know what to think. The art seemed very… Saturday-morning-cartoonish. But I read the first few pages and was just blown away. How has the reception been to ‘Wolf-Man’?

RK: It’s been received very well. It was a Free Comic Book Day comic, there were hundreds of thousands of copies of (the first issue). So, the book has been very well received. I think it was issue one or two that had more fan mail than I’ve ever gotten for a series. I’m having a lot of fun doing the book. We’re going monthly starting with issue eight in July. We’re going to ramp up production and put it out more often.

PCZ: Are you looking to maybe add more monsters into the ‘Astounding Wolf-Man’ series? You’ve already included vampires and werewolves…

RK: I don’t know. I don’t think we’re going to include like, Frankenstein’s Monster… it’s not going to be like Van Helsing. But it is a universe where that kind of stuff exists and we’ll be showing more of it as we go on. It could be a lot of fun.

PCZ: So, Wolf-Man will be involved in the ‘Monster Pile-Up’ issue coming up this summer, right?

RK: Yeah, he’ll be in it. There will be a new story that takes place between issues seven and eight that will appear in the ‘Monster Pile-Up’, which is shipping in August.

“The first page shows the main character punching a hole through somebody’s head. Whenever that can be your first page, it’s a pretty good sign.”

- Robert Kirkman on the upcoming Marvel Max ‘Destroyer’ series

PCZ: With ‘Waking Dead’ and ‘Invincible’, which are two of your longest running books, there are quite a few changes happening right now. A number of characters in ‘Walking Dead’ have been killed, Invincible is getting a new costume… what’s driving all these changes?

RK: Well, you’ve got to shake things up… you’ve got to keep it fresh. People who read the book like the book for what it is. If you don’t change things then after a while things start to get kind of boring. You can’t just do the same things over and over and over again. So, when I reached issue 50 (for both books) I stepped back and took a look at things and said “what can I do that’s different?” But not too different, you know? Because I don’t want to drive people away by changing the book too much. The book is obviously working as it is or it wouldn’t have lasted as long as it has. But I don’t want to feel like I’m sitting on my ass, letting the book just sell itself. It’s hard to look at both books and decide what I can do now that’s still cool. Being able to have the books last that long and have that much back story does allow me to do things that I couldn’t do when I was starting out. I think that, going forward, both books after issue 50 will be much richer and have more depth. I’ve got some very cool stuff planned for both series so I’m really excited to see them last for as long as they have. I think we’ll make it to issue 100 pretty quickly.

PCZ: In the Marvel panel yesterday, you talked a bit about the upcoming Marvel Max series you are writing which features Destroyer. It sounds like you are bringing back one of Stan Lee’s first characters with this five-issue series.

RK: Yeah, according to Wikipedia he’s one of Stan’s first characters. I haven’t asked Stan though.

PCZ: Is this book something that you pitched or did Marvel come to you with the idea?

RK: That started with my editor who worked with me on ‘Ant-Man’. He said had read ‘Brit’ and said “Brit is a real kickass book about an old man. Would you like to something else about an old man kicking ass?” I thought about it… and I said “yeah, I do!” Mainly, to work with Cory Walker again, because he had done some issues of ‘Ant-Man’ and I was looking forward to working with him again… it would be fun. So, I came up with some really cool ideas for it and I brainstormed a lot with Cory… we’ve got a lot of cool stuff planned. It’s going to be a really dark, dramatic series. It’s about a superhero at the end of his life. He’s in his 90’s and finds out that his heart is about to fail. So his villains aren’t left to take over the world when he’s gone, he decides that he’s going to hunt them all down and murder them. So, it’s five issues of him hunting these villains… when he’s 90. But he’s still got his superpowers.

PCZ: A lot of your books focus on some of the more hard-core, visceral themes in comics. Is this something that drew you to working within the Marvel Max line? Would you be interested in tackling other characters within Marvel Max?

RK: Yeah, I like the Max line and I wouldn’t be opposed to doing more books. The things that we’re going to be able to do in ‘Destroyer’ are going to shock a lot of people, so I like that aspect of it. The first page shows the main character punching a hole through somebody’s head. Whenever that can be your first page, it’s a pretty good sign. It’s pretty exciting stuff.

PCZ: Do you have any updated information about the ‘Killraven’ book you are doing with Rob Liefeld?

RK: Yeah, totally. He’s knee-deep into it. He’s pretty much done with the first three issues. We’re going to be moving forward now. Jeph Loeb was I guess a little bit late with his ‘Onslaught Reborn’ script, so we started issues one and two while he was working on that, so we’ve got a good amount of lead time. Hopefully it will come out around the end of the year.

PCZ: Do have more ‘Marvel Zombies’ planned, or is that line done for now?

RK: It’s possible but I think we’re going to let it rest for a while. Series two definitely had an open ending, so maybe someday. But right now there are no plans.

We’d like to thank Robert Kirkman for taking a few moments at this year’s Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, WA to chat with us. For updates on all of Kirkman’s projects, ramblings and musings, check out his Kirkmania website.

ECCC ‘08 - Interview With Rick Remender

Article originally published 05/25/2008 at popculturezoo.com

co-written with Ian Southworth

An alcoholic Texas spaceman. The last of the superheroes in a world in which the supervillains have prevailed. Zombie porn. These are but a few of the concepts that have been born from the fertile mind of writer/artist Rick Remender. At this year’s Emerald City ComiCon we sat down with this innovative creative and had a little chat.

PCZ: How has the convention season been going for you?

RR: Great! This is a really great show. Its my third year doing Seattle (ECCC) and I wouldn’t miss it. Its a great event.

PCZ: You announced at the Dark Horse panel yesterday that there are some new changes with End League.

RR: Yeah, Eric Canete and Naomi Baker are taking over as the art team and I couldn’t be more excited about it. They’ll start with issue five and we’ll be going monthly from that point. Eric is leaving his job as art director for Ben 10 to do the book, so we’ve got one of the most talented guys in the world coming on. We’re looking to move forward with the book on a regular basis.

PCZ: Fear Agent also looks to be changing with the addition of Tony Moore.

RR: Right. Tony’s first issue is about done and its great. We’re doing sort of a sci-fi western thing with it. We’re trying to incorporate some of the things we love about Sergio Leone, the spaghetti western, things like that. That will start I believe in June, which is Fear Agent month at Dark Horse. So, we’ve got a lot of promotional things going on at the same time. There’s a sketch variant cover. The Tales of the Fear Agent trade just came out, which is a collection of shorts and one-shots, with a brand new cover by Eric Powell.. we’re pretty proud of that.

PCZ: How has the move been to Dark Horse? You spent a bit of time working with Image previously.

RR: It’s been great. It was a smooth transition and everyone has been great.

PCZ: What was the reason for the move over to Dark Horse?

RR: It was a number of things. Mostly, it came down to after market and secondary media stuff that Mike (Righardson) was going to be involved with. It was simpler just to have him control the property.

PCZ: You are still working with Image on Crawl Space though. What is up next with that?

RR: We’re doing Army of Frankenstein next. It is basically the first ten minutes of the Terminator film, but instead of robots its of Frankenstein monsters. Its World War I trench-warfare with armies of Frankensteins. As the humans are wiped out, Igor robots burrow up from underground, collect the body parts and go back to the lair of Frankenstein to create more soldiers.

PCZ: That’s gotta be demoralizing.

RR: (laughs) Yeah, it is. As humanity is eroded away there are more and more Frankensteins and they are taking over the earth.

PCZ: Your work is so high-concept. Where are these ideas coming from?

RR: I don’t know, it’s mostly stuff from a visual place. As an artist I think about what I would like to see. Comic books are such a visual art form. I feel that if you don’t have something that’s visually enticing to people, something captivating and interesting or something that they recognize but maybe haven’t seen before… if you don’t tap into that then you get lost. Its the same in film, its the same in entertainment in general. I think that it starts with iconic visuals and sort of from there it develops. I wanted to do an army of Frankenstein monsters and so Keiron and I sat down and started batting around ideas and decided “Wow! That would work!” Usually with Fear Agent, it starts from a stance of… this is an aesthetic that I want to work in, here’s the style of character, what would be the best way to handle it?

PCZ: You have a history in animation. Have you ever wanted to return to doing artwork?

RR: The last thing I did was the Last Christmas with Gerry (Duggan) and Brian (Posehn) which came out a couple years back. I pencilled that and Hillary (Barta) inked it. Its currently being developed for a film, they’ve written the screenplay. That was the last thing I drew and then the writing just took off at such a pace that I derailed myself. You never know what’s going to happen. I was in a situation where I was writing stuff and storyboarding at EA and writing a game at EA… the comic book stuff exploded. On the writing end, I just haven’t had time to draw. My stuff is fairly Wally Wood and Will Elder inspired cartooning anyway, so its not necessarily in vogue with the what the majority of comic fans want. There’s the cult group that really enjoy the oldies and stuff… so I do it for myself now more than anything else. Most of my time is spent making other bastards draw my silly ideas.

PCZ: Now that your working with Dark Horse, have you thought about trying to work with another of their properties? Something that already exists, like Hellboy for example…

RR: Yeah. Eric Powell and I have put together a treatment for a Fear Agent/Goon crossover that we’ll get to at some point. We’ve got a Fear Agent/Aliens thing that we’ve been talking about forever and just need to put together. At this point my career is perfect, you know? I’ve got three or four creator-owned things between Image, Dark Horse and IDW. And then I’ve got a book with Marvel and DC. Everybody has been great. Its like that Simpsons episode where, before Maggie was born, Homer is walking around praying to God and saying “Don’t change a thing!” Its nice in that I’ve finally got all my ducks in a row and I get to work on plenty of creator-owned (projects) while also working in the sandboxes of the characters I grew up with as a kid. The stuff that comes up at this point… I can’t really do anything else. I’m just sort of… whole.

PCZ: It must be cool to be in that position, where you’re content with everything you are working on.

RR: Yeah, and overbooked! I’m really grateful for it.

PCZ: Will you be attending other con’s this season?

RR: I’m doing San Diego but I won’t be setting up. I’ll just be doing signings with Image and Dark Horse, maybe Marvel and DC as well since I’ll have a number of books out. It makes more sense with a show like that, which has become more of a media-centric star-fuckfest, where people want to get a Nick Cage signature. Its not a comic show. Its better just to go there and do some signings and hang out with friends, treat it as a bit of a vacation. I did New York, which is a great show. I did Wonder-Con, which is always a great show. I think that the medium shows are now the ones to do for comics. I hit Heroes Con the last couple of years but I’m not sure if I’m making that this year. I think Heroes, New York, Seattle, San Fransisco… those are the four that I’ll always try and make room for. And then San Diego and Chicago on the side, if its possible.

Thanks to Mr. Remender for taking the time out of his busy convention schedule to chat with us! You can learn more about his projects, both past and present, at RickRemender.com!

ECCC ‘08 - Interview With Tim Sale

Article originally published 06/7/2008 at popculturezoo.com

If you are a fan of comics, you know Tim Sale. If you are a fan of the television show Heroes, you know Tim Sale. For more than a decade, Sale has been part of the creative force behind some of the most widely-acclaimed comic books, including Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman For All Seasons and Daredevil: Yellow. Already a mainstay among comic fans, Sale was introduced to the rest of the world in 2006 as the artist who generated the clairvoyant paintings for the character Isaac Mendez on the CBS series Heroes. Since then, he has become a very busy man. We were able to sit down with Tim Sale at this year’s Emerald City ComiCon and ask a few questions about his work on Heroes, the effects of comics on mainstream media and his storied partnership with writer Jeph Loeb.

PCZ: You spoke a bit in your panel about the impact that your work on Heroes has had on your career, as well as introducing you to a different medium in television. Is that something that satisfied a creative need to work outside of comics?

TS: Well, I didn’t get involved with Heroes because I needed more ways to express myself outside of comics. So, I guess the answer is yes. I kind of fell into it and I don’t really have any ambitions to go further, which does not mean that I wouldn’t enjoy whatever might come up. I’m not pursuing it and Heroes was not done because I pursued it and wasn’t fulfilled somehow in comics.

PCZ: That was more of a product of Jeph Loeb coming to you with the project, right?

TS: Yeah… to have fun. That’s really what it was. I thought I’d be good for it and it turned out that they thought I’d be good for it too. So, that’s always really nice when that happens. I do get offers, not necessarily from TV, but for advertising or something where I’m clearly not a fit. Where I don’t know why they came to me, its not any fun… that kind of thing.

PCZ: Do you think that your work with Heroes has made both your stuff and comics in general more accessible to a larger audience of people who wouldn’t normally open a comic book or walk into a comic shop?

TS: I don’t have a sense of that. In the same way that I don’t really have a sense that if somebody likes the Spider-Man movie, they’re going to run down to their local comic book store and see what’s going on… which may or may not be a good thing. For me personally, its been great but I’m not really sure about a broader scale.

PCZ: You made the comment in your panel that comics are kind of an isolated industry. That if someone is raised with comics, the books become easier and more accessible than if they weren’t.

TS: I think that was referring to my interest and the way that I like to do comics. It’s partly because I’m interested in reaching people that do not grow up in that insulated comic book reading world. I remember when my parents first started reading my work, God bless them… they had no other reason to than that I was their son, they didn’t know to go from right to left and top to bottom. If you don’t know that basic thing, and they are very literate people, it was like “What are those balloons, which balloon do I read next?” If the layout of the page is crazy and full of stuff, it ends up to be too much work for people. So, ironically the stuff that is often praised with an amazing sense of energy just turns most people off. It’s too much. And that’s more what I was talking about, not that the industry was isolated, because increasingly it’s not.

PCZ: With the recent success of comic-based movies, or even comic themes finding their way into television shows like Heroes, it seems like the line that divided comics from the rest of the entertainment industry has been blurred, if not completely erased.

TS: That’s true, although I think it mostly goes from comics to other media. It doesn’t feed back to comics very much.

PCZ: Not yet at least.

TS: Well, I’d be surprised if it did. Marvel is doing much more than DC but it’s still a very insulated world, what they do. The most that either company looks to bring movies or other pop culture stuff back into comics is with tie-ins, stuff like that… which usually blow. But, the other way around, the movies and TV (industry) has discovered all this talent who are dying to be in movies… just really talented writers. They are influenced by the art. I’m told that The Long Halloween has influenced the recent (director Christopher) Nolan Batman movie. Its not as though Jeph and I are involved in the movies or that there is something from those movies that would affect us. Really, pretty much 99% of it goes from comics to movies. What is true, and I absolutely agree with you, is what has been blurred is the stigma that has made movie and TV people not be interested in comics. They realize its a gold mine, both in terms of talent and in terms of money.

PCZ: Yeah, and I was speaking more towards talent rather than money, though money is always a part of it. With the amount of talent in the comic industry, both with the artists and writers, its amazing how much of it is influencing mainstream entertainment. I think it is pretty great that guys like you and your work have been able to get the type of wide-scale exposure that comes with being involved in a film or television project.

TS: My thing (with Heroes) is very… there’s nothing else like it, which is why I sort of fell into it. It’s nothing I created, but to my knowledge there’s no other show that involves art driving the plot, or movies where the art drove the plot. But it’s cool.

PCZ: You have mentioned in the past that you aren’t certain if your artwork from Heroes will ever be released commercially by the studios.

TS: I know I have no control over it and it hasn’t happened yet. I don’t get it. That’s money on the table.

PCZ: Will some of your Heroes pieces be in the new edition of Tim Sale: Black and White?

TS: There is some Heroes work in there. We’re trying to downplay it a little bit. I’m not putting out a book and saying “Hey, this is Heroes art!” There is some Heroes work in there but there’s also some Marvel and DC work in it as well. There is no ‘Art of Heroes’ book…

PCZ: It seems like that would be a no-brainer.

TS: Yeah, I don’t get it. There is a fair amount of merchandise but not beyond the level of like, coffee mugs and t-shirts. Not taking advantage of the uniqueness (of the show). There was that really cool hardcover book (Heroes Volume 1) that collected all the web comics. My art was in that as well.

PCZ: Apparently you are going to be doing the cover of this year’s San Diego Comic Con exclusive Heroes comic?

TS: I just learned that yesterday. I don’t know it officially… Richard Starkings told me in the panel.

PCZ: It has been confirmed that you will have new artwork in the upcoming season of Heroes. Are you hoping to continue your relationship with the show long-term or are you taking more of a wait-and-see approach?

TS: Well, I’d like it to be long-term but it is absolutely wait-and-see. I’m part of the crew… I kind of do what they tell me to do.

PCZ: How much of your artwork for Heroes influences how a particular scene in the show is constructed?

TS: No, its the other way around. Its in the script first absolutely and then I do what they tell me to do. There is some interpretation if the script isn’t really that detailed. Because, they aren’t writing a comic script that is describing every detail of the scene. Its mostly dialog and brief bits of description of the action. That’s a TV and movie script. So, something that is written as “character is flying around a wall” needs more information. What wall and where? What time of day is it? What is the character wearing? That type of stuff.

PCZ: Your newest project with Jeph Loeb is Captain America: White. What first brought you and Jeph together and what has the process been like working with him over your many projects?

TS: Well, that’s a very big question. We met at San Diego Comic Con around 1988. But, we were put together by Barbara Randall, who was the editor of DC. She had been working with Jeph to try and find an artist for Challengers of the Unknown. Jeph had been hired by Jeanette Kahn, who was the president and head of DC at the time, and she wanted to reach out to movies and television. To try and get people involved and begin what’s happening now… way back then. She knew that Jeph was involved in the very early stages of a Flash movie that was turned into a Flash television show. Anyway, he was decided that he was going to be the writer on Challengers in reviving that title.

PCZ: That was a good book.

TS: (laughs) Well, thank you. Diplomatically, I choose not to debate you on that. So, that’s how (Jeph and I) met. I took a portfolio to San Diego and showed it to a bunch of people… Matt Wagner, Diana Schutz, Bob Schreck and Barbara Randall. And from that one Con, I really had my career. They’re working with me focused on Bob, Diana and Matt. I did some early stuff for Dark Horse, some Grendel and some other odd jobs for them. I met Jeph through that. We kind of hammered away at each other for a while about what was the best way to work together. It took a while. He’s a really funny, interesting, smart man. We got along great, we’re very different but we got along really well. That made it easer for us to figure things out. It was always a very close working relationship. He wouldn’t just send me a script and not answer the phone… which is pretty common (in the industry).

PCZ: Do the two of you work together to decide which characters to work on?

TS: Yeah, we talk about it. One of us will ask “What do you want to do next?” But its always a combination of creative and financial concerns for both of us. What makes sense at the time… should it be once a month? Is there a movie coming out about the character? That kind of thing. We wouldn’t do it just to do it.

PCZ: Are there any characters that you haven’t done yet that you would like to tackle?

TS: Not really. I’m always happy to go back to Batman and Superman. I’d kind of like to try Spiderman again because I feel like I never really got it before. Characters like that. I love the Hulk, that was a lot of fun to do. Through that I had thought about doing Iron Man but now he’s blowing up. I loved drawing Iron Man in the tin can. But I don’t really think that way. If something seems to make sense at one point, then I’ll work on it. I’ve sort of done all the iconic characters, so there aren’t many left. I’ve got a couple original ideas that I’d like to work on, more creator-owned.

PCZ: Are the creator-owned projects something that you are hoping to produce more of long-term?

TS: Yeah, it just really makes sense. I’m not comfortable writing, so that’s been a big hurdle for me. I’m still hammering away at my own self and trying to figure that out. There’s something called The Killing Floor that I want to do. I’ve had it in my head for a long time. Its a noir series of stories that is tragic and romantic. I love drawing that stuff.

We’d like to thank Mr. Sale for taking time out of a very busy convention schedule to talk with us. You can chat with Tim over on the message boards at his official site.

The Dark Knight ARG - Free Pizza Summons Two-Face

Article originally published 06/9/2008 at popculturezoo.com

Third Update 6/16/08

What a day it has been for fans following the Dark Knight ARG. The viral marketing campaign took an interesting turn this morning when it was revealed that free pizzas would be distributed throughout the country, courtesy of Dominoes. Only available through the Gotham City Pizzeria website, strategic Dominoes locations were given a mystery prize pack that was to accompany the first pizza ordered online from from their store?

This prize pack (one of which we were able to get our hands on) contained a Citizens For Batman rubber bat-cowl and a note containing a clue to be shared with ‘other concerned Gotham citizens’. Once all the clues were found and pizzas delivered, fans gained access to a secret level of the Citizens For Batman web forums (hint: nycticeious/merritt).

Of course, since this game started with a text message from the Joker, it only seems fit that he should have the final say.. right?

Oh man… does he ever!

Second Update 6/13/08

The day’s Dark Knight ARG madness culminated with yet another clue. Around noon, the Joker cell phones began receiving a number of cryptic text messages that included an image and a note to “Share this piece where *any* clown can find it”.

Our cell phone received one as well, which included this image…

After a bit of research, it was determined that all the pictures received spelled out a new message.

DOMINOES COMMERCIAL 6/16

Also unveiled at mid-day were a new edition of The Gotham Times, which announces that Harvey Dent has won the election for Gotham District Attorney. The issue also included an advertisement for Gotham City Pizzeria, a new business whose website promises a “special promotion” on June 16. Closer inspection of the site reveals that it ‘powered by Dominoes Pizza’.

What could this mean? Well, the Gotham Cable News site was updated with a message saying that the latest edition of Gotham Tonight would be appearing online on Monday at noon. Fans are expecting the Dominoes commercial to be available then.

To make a little more sense of this madness, these images were slipped in our inbox. Could this be what is in store for people who place an order with Dominoes on Monday?

Update 6/13/08

The first episode of Gotham Tonight is available to Comcast customers via their On-Demand service. Not a Comcast subscriber? You’re in luck…

Want more? How about a new trailer? Not much new footage here, but there are a couple new voiceovers by the Joker. Good stuff!

Original Story - 6/9/08

Here we go again! At 11:47 AM PST we received the following text message on our Joker cell phone…

“OK clowns, are you ready for some laughs? (y/n)”

We of course replied with an emphatic YES!!!

A few minutes later came this response…

“You make me smile. Hope you’re not superstitious”

What does it mean? Where will the game go next? I think its safe to assume that whatever Mr. J has up his sleeve, it will be unveiled this Friday the 13th. You can bet that we’ll be providing step-by-step coverage here.

Also, a few other sites involved in The Dark Knight ARG have been updated…

The Gotham Election Board - Where you can register and vote for Harvey Dent!
Maiden Avenue Report - Site has been ’shut down’ pending a takeover by a ‘major media company’.
Gotham Cable News - Is live and fully functional!

Plus, we just received this email from Harvey Dent’s campaign manager…

It’s been an incredible last few weeks. Ever since the vicious smear campaign collapsed and Harvey Dent’s remarkable courage at the hostage crisis at Rossi’s Deli, our campaign has ridden a wave of support I have never seen in all my political life.

Our Headquarters reopened and thousands of volunteers show up here every day, every night, fighting for change. Fundraising has reached incredible heights, with over 100,000 Gotham citizens contributing their hard-earned money in support of Harvey Dent’s vow to take back Gotham.

We’ve expanded our reach, opening branches in neighborhoods that haven’t seen political campaigns take them seriously for decades. And we’ve harnessed the incredible grassroots support by sending volunteers to knock on doors throughout the city. Amazingly, we will achieve our two millionth door knock sometime in between now and Election Day.

Harvey Dent has committed himself to lead the charge to take back our city, face down the criminal and corrupt and restore hope for our future.

Now, we need your help. We need to get out the vote!. And we need you to vote yourself. If you can’t make it to the polls, go to www.gothamelectionboard.com and find out how you can vote online. Working together, we will take back Gotham!

Allan Cypes

Media Manager

If you need to get caught up on this Alternate Reality Game, head on over to the Dark Knight ARG Wiki.

How To Maintain Your Chakra By Avoiding ‘The Love Guru’H

Article originally published 06/18/2008 at popculturezoo.com

Lets get one thing out of the way. The Love Guru is a terrible, awful, no-good, very bad movie. This is not a funny movie… it is not a so-bad-its-good movie. What Mike Myers has excreted on audiences in the form of Guru Pitka is nothing short of the cinematic equivalent of a punchline to an unfunny and altogether annoying joke. You know the type: a joke whose setup is long and winding and is being told to you by a 13 year old who doesn’t really grasp how to make it funny, other than to add as many poo and booger references as possible. Don’t get me wrong, I love poo and booger jokes as much as any other 30-going-on-13 male out there. But this type of humor has been done so much better by so many previous filmmakers that it does nothing for me to see these jokes recycled in The Love Guru.

A brief synopsis: The Love Guru (again: a film you shouldn’t see) tells the story of Guru Pitka (Myers), an American who was raised in a small village in India. All grown up, Pitka returns to the US and embarks on a conquest of the self-help industry. Pitka’s skills are solicited by the Toronto Maple Leafs as they search for a way to calm the nerves of their star hockey player, Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco). Thrown into the mix are the Leafs’ hot-as-balls female owner (Jessica Alba), their midget head coach (Verne Troyer) and a ‘gifted’ opposing player (Justin Timberlake) who just happens to be shacking up with Roanoke’s wife.

There isn’t much in the film that is given to this cast to work with. Myers (who co-wrote the script) strings together a little over an hour’s worth of recycled dick & fart jokes from his Austin Powers days. He ties these together with equally-painful flashbacks from Pitka’s ‘guru training’ under the tutelage of Guru Tugginmypudha (Ben Kingsley… seriously). I’m certain that the film was able to accurately capture the stringent and disciplined training regiment undertaken by real gurus in India… right down to the epic piss-soaked mop battles. What few ‘laugh out loud’ moments that exist in the film come courtesy of Stephen Colbert, who appears as a strung-out hockey commentator, and a great little ‘Spy Vs. Spy’ bit involving the mascots of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the L.A. Kings.

It is a shame that Mike Myers, the man who brought the world So I Married An Axe Murder, Wayne’s World and even the first Austin Powers flick has reverted this far with his characters. In The Love Guru, Myers is reduced to repackaging ten year old poo humor and forcing it back on the moviegoers for 10 bucks a seat. This stuff just isn’t that funny any more. If the box office returns for The Love Guru’s first weekend ($14million, 4th place) are any indication, maybe American audiences agree. After this debacle, Myers should take Guru Pitka’s advice and seek happiness within. Or, at least find some new material.

Pixar’s ‘Wall-E’ Redefines Storytelling

Article originally published 06/27/2008 at popculturezoo.com

Like much of the doubting geek masses, I was tenuous in my expectations for the newest Pixar film, Wall-E. Was it possible for this company to continue their streak of flawless and endearing films? Unlike previous Pixar movies, after I saw the initial trailer for Wall-E, it wasn’t the CGI that lured me in. Not even the story of a lovable robot who dreamed of traveling into the stars. What really gave me chills was Wall-E’s voice. So, as I shuffled into the Disney panel at last year’s San Diego Comic Con, I was more excited to listen to the sounds and voices from the world of Wall-E than to see the characters. To my delight, Andrew Stanton took the stage and introduced to the crowd the man who crafted the voices of Wall-E, Eve, Mo and the other droids in this film. The same man who brought to life R2-D2, Chewbacca, E.T. and the rumbling boulder from Raiders of The Lost Ark… Ben Burtt. As I stood there and watched this cinematic icon tap on a keyboard, bringing to life the slideshow of robots from Wall-E that sat motionless on a screen behind him, I took my first step into this new and fantastic world. From this point on, I was sold on Wall-E.

To recap a bit of the plot, Wall-E is the last being on planet Earth. Left behind to literally clean up mankind’s mess, Wall-E is a robot who was programmed with a single directive: compact trash until there is nothing left. So, as the decades tick by (and his counterparts slowly break down and rust away) Wall-E keeps to his ‘job’. At some point during his years of laboring alone, Wall-E became self-aware. As we are introduced to the character, we find him plugging away through a normal day of work. However, for Wall-E this is no ordinary job. As he compacts trash, he collects unique items that he finds. A rubick’s cube, a spork, a vhs tape of Mary Poppins… these are no mere knick-knacks. These are the items that help Wall-E define himself as a ‘person’ and we get to watch the robot adapt his personality as he finds and interacts with them. Through this, Wall-E ultimately realizes that he is alone and he longs for a companion. Someone to hold hands with.

Wall-E will astonish you with its rich cast of characters (including a great little shout-out to Animal from the Muppets). Wall-E, Eve, Moe, Otto and the rest of the robots are so immersive that I had to remind myself that through the first 20 minutes of the move, there isn’t any dialog. As we watch Wall-E go about his daily routine, the sound effects and mannerisms that Pixar have given this character transcend the lack of any actual speaking. And when humans finally do appear, it becomes almost distracting (with apologizes to Mr. Ratzenberger). Make no mistake, the humans of Earth are a central point of the film’s final act and it would have been foolish to leave them out of the story altogether. That said, I was so enamored with Pixar and Ben Burt’s robotic creations that I could watch the first third of this film on replay for hours.

It is no secret that director Andrew Stanton and the rest of the creators at Pixar are in love with their characters. Every Pixar character is researched, sketched out, created, torn apart and then created again from the ground up. These storytellers must be absolutely certain that the correct embodiment of their ideas is being presented on-screen. In Wall-E, there is a little bit of E.T., a smattering of R2-D2 and a hint of Johnny-5. Wall-E is just as confusing, friendly, nostalgic and full of wonder as the classic Atari gaming console that undoubtedly still sits in the basement of the Pixar wizards who created him. This is the reason that I feel Wall-E will become one of Pixar’s most memorable characters. He embodies both the free spirit who loves with reckless abandon and the child who gazes at the stars with the absolute certainty that he will one day travel among them. As I walked out of the theater, my only thought was that Wall-E is the perfect embodiment of an old saying… work like you don’t need the money, dance like nobody is watching, love like you’ve never been hurt.

A Chat With ‘Wondermark’ Creator David Malki

Article originally published 07/4/2008 at popculturezoo.com

Eighteenth century Victorian illustrations meets a commentary on today’s society with a hit of pop culture references? Welcome to the world of Wondermark. In his timely-yet-nostalgic universe, webcomic creator David Malki revives a lost art form while incorporating a hilarious juxtaposition of 20th century dialog with old-world imagery. Malki’s work has been a hit among webcomic fans for years and now he joins forces with Dark Horse Comics to release Wondermark strips in published form. His new hardcover collection, Beards of Our Forefathers, hit stores this week. We caught up with David Malki at this year’s Emerald City ComiCon in Seattle, WA and asked him a few questions about making the leap from webcomics to the printed page.

PCZ: Tell us a bit about Wondermark. It originally began as a webcomic and now you are working with Dark Horse, correct?

DM: Yeah, Wondermark is primarily a webcomic. The concept of the strip is that it is created entirely from illustrations from 19th century books. I have a collection of old periodicals and advertisements from the late 1800’s. I will scan the images of those engravings and wood-cuts and turn them into comic strips by adding dialog. Sometimes I’ll also rearrange the images to create humorous situations. Its very much a contemporary/pop-culture flavored strip but with the aesthetic of the late Victorian era.

PCZ: What inspired you to create this kind of comic?

DM: I’ve always been a fan of the style of illustration that you no longer see anymore. With these old engravers and wood-cut artisans, it used to be that was how you would get illustrations in magazines. That’s all there was if you wanted to make an illustration into a printed image. Once the images became cheap to reproduce, this entire art form was lost. There was no more need for it. Its the lost art that I am really attracted to. Bringing back the aesthetic. There’s a big resurgence of new-Victorian and steampunk themes right now. You don’t see work of this level of beauty and intricacy right now and if I can reintroduce that to a new audience then I’m happy to do that. And also, I just like to make comics. Those (artists), their work is more beautiful than anything I could come up with on my own.

PCZ: What types of topics do you like to cover with Wondermark?

DM: The subject matter of the comics themselves is very contemporary. Some of it is pop culture, sometimes its political, other times its just absurd relationship humor. The flavor of it is modern-day. The dialog is very modern. Stuff like “Hey man, what’s going on?” and “What’s up, yo?” If you cover up the dialog, it looks like an old-timey thing but if you read it then it becomes a modern-day thing. Sort of a clash of cultures and eras. It is a stand-alone gag strip. There’s no stories, no characters… its just a different joke every day.

PCZ: How did you become involved with Dark Horse Comics?

DM: Well, Dark Horse is starting to publish more webcomic collections in print. With Penny Arcade and Perry Bible Fellowship, it’s become very popular. The success of PBF in general has opened the door to new webcomic collections such as mine. So, Dark Horse approached me knowing that Wondermark was starting to get kind of popular and I was looking for a publisher. My strip was printed in The Onion, so it has a fair amount of an audience behind it. Again, because of the success of PBF, I think that some of the people at Dark Horse and other publishers are realizing that there is a big untapped audience of webcomics that are looking to see their favorite stuff in print.

PCZ: How long have you been creating webcomics?

DM: Around five years.

PCZ: Has your work been limited just to Wondermark?

DM: Well, yeah. I started publishing Wondermark on the web before I knew what webcomics were. Before I knew that there was such a thing as a webcomic community or a typical way to do things. The fact that other people were doing it as well, and making a living at it, it never entered my mind for years. I only gradually came to that realization over time. I think it was Scott McCloud’s Reinventing Comics, and I’m sure I’m not the only one to say this, that really opened the door to other distribution models I can now take advantage of. So I figured, why not? I’ll give it a try.

PCZ: Has your relationship with Dark Horse opened your work to a new fan-base? Maybe a readership that wouldn’t have otherwise found your comics on the web?

DM: Well, I’m hoping it will! I did one eight page story for their MySpace.com ‘Dark Horse Presents’. I don’t know exactly how many people have been turned on to my work from there, I hope there are some. I’m more excited about the book that I am doing with them which comes out in July. It is a hardcover collection of strips. That will be in book stores and comic shops, places hopefully where people will find it who are not familiar with the website already. I think it is important for a comic to have both a good print presence and a good web presence. The web presence allows you to connect with the passionate fans and the print presence allows you to connect with the people who didn’t know who you were because they’re going to stumble across your stuff in a book store. So far, I’ve been doing good on the web-front and this is going to be my first foray into book stores and comic shops. I’m hoping this will really open some doors to people who are finding it at random.

PCZ: Are you hoping to eventually collect in print the entire run of Wondermark?

DM: I’ve self-published a collection of the first 100 strips. There are over 400 strips on the website right now. The Dark Horse book will pick up where the first one left off and publish another 120 or so strips. Ideally, I’d like us to do more and collect portions of it periodically.

We’d like to thank David Malki for taking the time to chat with us in Seattle. Look for Beards of Our Forefathers in stores now, or pick up a copy online. Of course, you can find new Wondermark strips posted regularly at wondermark.com.

SCI-FI Channel Haunts July With Premiers of ‘Scare Tactics’ and ‘Ghost Hunters International’

Article originally published 07/9/2008 at popculturezoo.com

Beginning this week, fans of paranormal reality shows will be much happier with their Wednesday nights. This week marks the premiere of two of the SCI-FI Channel’s ghoulishly popular shows, Ghost Hunters International and Scare Tactics. How do these two shows stack up against other perennial summertime reality favorites like Amazing Race and The Mole? Well, there really is not much of a comparison. These two shows can’t be pigeonholed into the the ‘reality television’ genre as they fall more on within the SCI-FI realm of the fantastical. Regardless, any way you look at it, ghostbusting twentysomethings and an unwitting assistant to the delivery of a devil child always makes for good television. We caught a peek at the season premiers for both shows… read on for our reactions to these summer screamers from SCI-FI (hah!).

Scare Tactics:

This season marks the return of Scare Tactics to the SCI-FI channel. The show, which features a hidden-camera premise, puts its ’stars’ into situations which combine elements of Punk’d and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. An intriguing premise, I’ll admit. Unfortunately, the new Scare Tactics, along with its new host Tracy Morgan offers more groans than shrieks. Morgan introduces each prank with a combination of grim humor and wooden dialog so flat it would make the Crypt Keeper want to off himself… again. The pranks themselves are pretty great, including one that involves a delivery room, a midget painted red and a very confused nurse-in-training. However, the show’s clearly scripted nature gives little credence to the ‘reveal’, leading you to believe that the mark was in on the gag from the beginning. Oh well, regardless of its missteps, I say that there is always room on television for a man being shoved in a wood-chipper.

Ghost Hunters International:

Building on the success of their first paranormal series Ghost Hunters, SCI-FI went in search of spectres on a global scale. GHI chronicles the journeys of a new team of investigators as they traverse the globe on a quest to debunk ghost sightings. The premise doesn’t differ much from the original Ghost Hunters series but what really sells GHI is its elaborate locations. In this season premiere the team travels to Larnach Castle, the only one of its kind in New Zealand. There, they immerse themselves in the castle’s deep (and violent) history, hoping to learn more about the building’s former inhabitants. Much of the episode relies on setup, preparation and more setup. All of this is loosely tied together with a few mysteriously clattering dishes and some common-sense ‘debunking’ showmanship involving a hair dryer. When the payoff finally comes, we are left with little more than a history lesson and some well-presented speculation. A fun trip for sure, I just wish the destination wasn’t such a letdown.