I am looking to interview the creator of the Kickstarter with this great artwork, J. Miles Dunn and his project Grinidon: A Fantasy Graphic Novel – Vol. 1.
The visuals are stunning enough but I think he’s onto something with the story too. A bit about a new land, and old rivalries. Interested?
Seriously, just take a look at the artwork.
By now, you might have heard that Alec Peters’ Axanar, the non-Trek Star Trek Fan Film, is being sued by CBS and Paramount. I am still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing, but so far a few things seem to be coming into focus, for me at least.
Look, it’s real simple. The envelope, the line, just kept getting pushed further and further.
At first, it was all out-of-pocket, and the only rule was don’t sell it. Then the caterer had to get paid, and that was OK because people gotta eat. Then someone outside donated to pay for the caterer, but nothing was being sold so no one cared. Then came the crowdfunding, and the big worry was that the production was driving that extra mile to the directors brother’s store to buy lumber, using the production to funnel a bit of the funds to friends or family. But nothing was being sold, so no one cared.
In a nutshell, Axanar’s revised 2015 Annual Report clearly shows Alec Peters drawing a salary of $38,000 for the year, or about 6.5% of the budget.
The issue seems to be hard for a lot of fans to grasp. Surely it must be about the amount of money raised! Or maybe it’s that Paramount is jealous at getting shown up over quality!
No, I am starting to think it’s where that money was going.
The concept of ‘making no money’ has somehow turned into ‘not making a profit’, which is not the same thing. A hat tip to Michael Hinman over at 1701news.com for pointing this out. Seriously, it’s a great opinion piece, way better than mine, you should go read it. Continue reading »
Forgive me for I have sinned…I went and paid money to see Mortdecai. And you know it was not all that bad.
It’s a shame that the movie has come out of the gate with only a $6M opening because it has so much going for it. The cast list is impressive, but it is Paul Bettany who steals the show as the manservant Jock. A real shame.
The movie reminded me a bit of another underrated classic, The Man Who Knew Too Little starring Bill Murray. I think both movies might work best if you just sort of ‘go with it’ and not nit-pick the many flaws. And a few pre-movie beers could not hurt either. The whole film seems like they were trying to have fun and that’s something they’ve all but forgotten about in Hollywoodland. Every movie nowadays has to have a meaning and a message or some. Continue reading »
I asked a few artists recently for commissions of Grips, to get an idea of how different artists would ‘see’ the character and all. One of those Moby commissioned was a personal favorite, Andy Fish.
Andy has a great blog site, Fish Wrap, where he shares his passion for vintage creature movies and vintage Batman along with tips for those looking to make a career in the art world, particularly freelance artists. As a collector, his insights and advice help me to understand those who create all the wonderful stuff the rest of us glance at for a few seconds before we turn the page, to appreciate the art and the artists that little bit more.
Below is the commission Moby received, and it’s a pretty darn good one too! I count three decapitations and at least one severed limb. Just beautiful, eh?
You can click on the image below for a larger version:
Andy also sent along a few extras including a real nice Batman and even a color Rocket Raccoon. Thanks Andy!
A treat from Mega-Silverwolf fan Bill C., a decent scan of may have been the cover art intended for Grips Vol.1 #7. Bill sent this one a while ago, and since I was going to post a couple new Grips commissions, I thought I should get around to posting this lost gem.
The first four issues of Grips were published by Silverwolf, and issues 5 & 6 were later published by Greater Mercury in GMC Action #5-#8.
At the top left there is the advert for the issue, which gives us an inkling of where the story was going.
As usual you can click on the image below for a larger version:
Via Facebook, Tim stated this piece was originally a portfolio piece. Indeed, this image is one of the plates included in Grips Portfolio #3.
Still, it is clearly used in the advert for issue #7.
Be sure to check out Bill C.’s collection posted at Comic Art Fans, including a brand new commission from Mr. Vigil.
Here’s a peek:
Thanks again Bill.
Post updated 3/22/15
