Symposiums are Totally Rad

Just got this in the mail: I guess something is keeping track of what I’m writing about…even if it’s just some keyword searching bot:

Please post if you think your Intimate Knowledge readers will be interested:


You are invited to Splat! A Graphic Novel Symposium
Saturday, March 15, 2008

We welcome new readers, writers, artists, publishers, agents, and long-standing comics fans alike to learn more about the fastest growing movement in publishing – and meet some of the best creators working in the medium today!

The SPLAT! Symposium will also supply prospective creators with a unique opportunity to learn what it takes to be a graphic novelist. There will be three different tracks of panels, seminars, and workshops, followed by the SPLAT! Reception with Scott McCloud.

The panels will be led by a number of key writers, editors and artists from the graphic novel world including: Jim Killen, buyer Barnes & Noble; David Saylor, Editor Scholastic; Raina Telgemeier, artist, The Baby-Sitters Club; Ted Rall, creator, Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists; CB Cebulski, writer/editor, Marvel Comics; Bob Mecoy, Founder, Bob
Mecoy Literary Agency; R. Sikoryak, creator, The Seduction of Mike; Brian Wood, creator, Demo, DMZ and Local; Nick Bertozzi, creator, The Salon; and Charles Brownstein, executive director, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

Please visit www.nycip.org/graphicnovelsymposium to register
for this unique event.

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This thing could be cool. Anybody want to go? I’m sure there will be plenty of HOT BABES, EXPLOSIONS, COOL CARS, PORN, HOW TO MAKE BEER, BASEBALL, FOOTBALL, HOCKEY, BASKETBALL, SOCCER (for the international crowd), BIGFOOT, JELLO WRESTLING, KY JELLY, and CURE SYPHILIS.

In Keeping with Orange Cats

Did you ever stop and ask yourself, what if John Arbuckle was alone in all of those Garfield comics? No? Why the fuck not? They’d be hilarious. Luckily, someone did. After you’re done laughing you can go back to whatever it is you used to fill your time with before Garfield sans Garfield, I almost feel bad for you.

The BBC did a report recently on the Italian Mafia trying to reestablish their ties with the mob in America. They apparently have a pretty good stronghold on some fairly big businesses and are getting deeper into online gambling. This should be interesting.

Some other news of interest, Cuba just signed two legally binding human rights pledges, shortly after Raul Castro was sworn in.So we got that goin' for us, which is nice. Looks like Cuba might be just about done playing hardball and willing to jump on the I like to buy shit from the US bandwagon. Yay, they’re only 20 years too late for all the good shit. Cuba could just keep torturing people and buy their stuff from China, I’m sure they don’t mind.

If there actually is anyone reading this drivel, give me feedback, tell me what you like and what needs work. I have no idea what I’m doing here so any comments are helpful.

Thanks fellas and fellitas.

Restolen

Got this from Warren Ellis' blog...stolen with permission from the author:

Taken from Harlan Ellison’s online community, reproduced in its unedited entirety below:

HARLAN ELLISON ON THE WRITERS STRIKE SETTLEMENT

YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO RE-POST THIS ANYWHERE:

Creds: got here in 1962, written for just about everybody, won the Writers Guild Award four times for solo work, sat on the WGAw Board twice, worked on negotiating committees, and was out on the picket lines with my NICK COUNTER SLEEPS WITH THE FISHE$$$ sign. You may have heard my name. I am a Union guy, I am a Guild guy, I am loyal. I fuckin’ LOVE the Guild.

And I voted NO on accepting this deal.

My reasons are good, and they are plentiful; Patric Verrone will be saddened by what I am about to say; long-time friends will shake their heads; but this I say without equivocation…

THEY BEAT US LIKE A YELLOW DOG. IT IS A SHIT DEAL. We finally got a timorous generation that has never had to strike, to get their asses out there, and we had to put up with the usual cowardly spineless babbling horse’s asses who kept mumbling “lessgo bac’ta work” over and over, as if it would make them one iota a better writer. But after months on the line, and them finally bouncing that pus-sucking dipthong Nick Counter, we rushed headlong into a shabby, scabrous, underfed shovelfulla shit clutched to the affections of toss-in-the-towel summer soldiers trembling before the Awe of the Alliance.

My Guild did what it did in 1988. It trembled and sold us out. It gave away the EXACT co-terminus expiration date with SAG for some bullshit short-line substitute; it got us no more control of our words; it sneak-abandoned the animator and reality beanfield hands before anyone even forced it on them; it made nice so no one would think we
were meanies; it let the Alliance play us like the village idiot. The WGAw folded like a Texaco Road Map from back in the day.

And I am ashamed of this Guild, as I was when Shavelson was the prexy, and we wasted our efforts and lost out on technology that we had to strike for THIS time. 17 days of streaming tv!!!????? Geezus, you bleating wimps, why not just turn over your old granny for gang-rape?

You deserve all the opprobrium you get. While this nutty festschrift of demented pleasure at being allowed to go back to work in the rice paddy is filling your cowardly hearts with joy and relief that the grips and the staff at the Ivy and street sweepers won’t be saying
nasty shit behind your back, remember this: You are their bitches. They outslugged you, outthought you, outmaneuvered you; and in the end you ripped off your pants, painted
yer asses blue, and said yes sir, may I have another.

Please excuse my temerity. I’m just a sad old man who has fallen among Quislings, Turncoats, Hacks and Cowards. I must go now to whoops. My gorge has become buoyant.

Respectfully, Yr. Pal, Harlan Ellison

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Catching Up

I’ve had lots of stuff to talk about lately and no time to write about it. Frankly I’m disappointed in myself, but that’s alright, here goes nothing.

I have a comic review on the backburner for now because I just started a new job (in the same company) and I’m still getting used to/celebrating the later hours. I have about 4 million stories started that I’m sure will never get finished for the simple fact that I’ve let them stew for much too long already. I want to get to a point where I’m writing every day, but it’s not as easy as it seems.

My bid to quit smoking has failed pretty miserably so far. I need to try again, I think I made some good headway last time and just need to give myself a final push and I’m certain I’ll be done for good. Haven’t done any physical activity in the longest time either, I’m convinced my body is going to degenerate until I’m just a swirling spiral of smoke with a beer in it’s somehow still corporeal hand.

News has been interesting lately, “CNN was one of only two American news organizations ever allowed to visit the main nuclear facility at Yongbyon.” This article was about a recent tour of a North Korean nuclear plant where they extracted plutonium for nuclear weapons projects. The North Koreans are looking to gain more favor with the US in return for some supplies etc that they need. Hopefully this is good, but I have my doubts. I guess we’ll see what happens with all that.

Lots of news on Slashdot about RIAA suits and it looks like a lot of it is good news these days. It’s about time they lost a little ground in this battle to anally rape music lovers.

The Pentagon confirmed that we successfully shot down a satellite last week. Hopefully we can do that when something that can actually hurt us is bearing down on our atmosphere.

I think I’m going to do a blog post where I list my favorite web comics soon. It seems like the thing to do, and it will give me an easy to access list if anybody asks about what comics they should be reading online. If anyone in the world is reading this, let me know if you can think of any good ones. I also have to post Harlan Ellison’s rant about the WGA strike…I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I guess that’s it for now. Gonna try to keep this more up to date in the future, but as always, no promises.

Freaky Friday (Ugh...I can't believe I'm actually using this headline)

FREAKANGELS by Warren Ellis (Which apparently he doesn't write the title of anywhere without all caps because he wants to torment my soul, as I get anal about finding out which letters should be caps and which not, etc...this creates a great swirly nexus in my head somewhere between Neverland and sanity which slowly eats my brain. There are several of these nexii thanks to Ellis.) is slated to arrive this Friday. It looks awesome.

I've been bouncing around in the forums that Ellis has set up and they're a lot of fun and a good time killer if you're looking for something to dispose of your time in a ruthless and bloody manner.

In a sad bit of news, Steve Gerber, a comic icon, died on Sunday 2/10/08. He did Howard the Duck and Omega the Unknown among other big comic titles in the 70's and 80's. He's acknowledged as one of the most influential advocates for comic creators rights. He'll be missed.

Glad I could get some news out today. I know its not much, but deal with it, jerk.

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Insurance Fraud Hooray!

So I've just been tottering around lately, doing this and that. Haven't posted very much because my life ain't that interesting. Mostly I'd just be talking about other people and such. But hey sometimes I can bullshit about my life.

Still working on trying to get a comic review site going with Ben and Scott. Should be alright if/when we get all the bugs worked out.

Working is killing me, I hate it more and more every day. Need a new job, something else, something more fun than this. I'd rather be poor than do something I hate my whole life just so I can have kids and teach them to do the same stupid fucking thing. After a year of experience, which is a mere 4 months away now, I am definitely setting my sites on new horizons.

In other news, a guy who was declared dead in 2003 turned up in the Czech Republic recently. This story has one of the best headlines I've ever seen. Gotta love insurance fraud.

Dinner's ready, talk to you all later.

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David Tyree and His Helmet

Ok, there are a couple of things to talk about today.

First and foremost, GO GIANTS, congrats on one of the (if not the) best Superbowls I've ever seen. What an amazing game. David Tyree made one of the best catches I've ever seen. Holy shit, let me just say you won't see a better game than that folks, if you missed it, shame on you.

Ok, as for what I was going to say over the weekend. Exxon obviously enjoyed another record year. If they are turning such
amazing profits why are we paying so goddamn much for gas. You'd think
they could afford to lower the prices and still make some money. Fucking assholes fucking shit up for fucking everybody. It's gonna get worse before it gets better guys, get some of those hybrids everyone's talking about.

Also, found this cool little thing called a worldometer courtesy of Warren Ellis. It's got a lot of interesting real time info, including the cost of a beer in Zimbabwe, which at time of this publication is 3,401,703 Z$ and rising fast. They just tendered million Z$ notes in the country to keep up with its unconscionable inflation. They are experiencing a 150,000% inflation rate.

Well, I think that's all for now. Check back next time when hopefully I'll have more interesting crap for you.

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Super Bowl Sunday (Giants - Pats)

Hiya,

Just wanted to let you know (and not let myself forget) that I've got a bunch of things I want to talk about, alas, it is Super Bowl Sunday and I've got to run. Make sure to tune in next time though when we discuss things such as Exxon being douche bags and "worldometers." Fun stuff in store for you, be there or be jerks.

Later.

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