Bloggy-blogging

Creativity with digital comics

Smart comics publishers and creators are (finally!) aggressively pursuing digital platforms for their comics. Right now it’s mostly as another form of distribution – you can get your comic books and graphic novels at specialty comic shops, book stores, libraries, oh yeah and also on your iPhone or iPad and online. There’s still quite a lot of toe-dipping but that will change the more it’s acknowledged digital comics are the only growing sector of comic sales right now. *

It’s great to have a digital replica of print, but there’s also a lot of room for experimentation to create a new experience. Some are already starting to surface.

Graphic.ly started with a focus on recreating the comic shop community atmosphere by allowing users to comment on specific comic pages and panels within their digital comics reader. That’s an interesting start, but what has me excited is seeing a couple of new apps launch with very creative uses for integrating digital aspects into a story without losing the sequential art part of comics (the reason I think motion comics aren’t working).

Ave! Comics has released a digital version of the biography graphic novel Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness by Reinhard Kleist, originally published to decent acclaim last year by Abrams ComicArts. It does what has become the standard panel-to-panel “guided reading” animation thing on your iPad or iPhone, but it adds a soundtrack to the reading experience. Tracks from Johnny Cash’s stellar catalog, including the legendary At Folsom Prison, come in and out of the story as you arrive on certain pages. The trick is that the app searches for specified songs in your iTunes library. If you don’t have them, you can buy them for 99 cents through iTunes or just read without them. So there’s the potential for hidden costs (unless you happen to have a very extensive collection of Cash songs on your iPad or iPhone, which I suppose isn’t entirely out of the question if you’re buying a biography of Johnny Cash). Despite that, it’s still a very cool idea. On the iPhone, it’s broken up to 3 separate apps for $1.99 each but the iPad’s HD version is one $4.99 app for the entire story. The soundtrack-less print edition is $17.95. Here’s Ave! Comics’ demo video (don’t be scared by the French iPhone used in the video):

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Me Being Creepy

Me in costume for last weekend’s Drama After Dark at The Huntington. It was a lot of fun and I hope to do it next year. Picture taken by fellow Gorey actor Etta Devine who was a fantastic addition to a very fun group.

More pictures on Facebook. (No account needed to view them, but if you’re on, add me!)

Hitting the West Side

This Friday the famous Santa Monica Place mall reopens after 2 years of reconstruction. Located across the street from the more famous Third Street Promenade and two blocks from the even more famouser Santa Monica Pier, it’s new open air design is expected to bring quite a crowd. The pre-reconstructed mall has been seen in the TV show Beverly Hills 90210, and movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Pretty In Pink and Terminator 2.

Coincidentally, the Magic Meathands and I just happen to be performing the very same night as the grand (re-)opening at the Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica! We hit the stage at 8 PM. Right after our show is The Waterbrains and then Westside Comedy Theater’s own Mission IMPROVable. Three full hours of improvised comedy for just $10! The theater is located in the alley between Third Street and Fourth Street, behind the food court off the Promenade.

It’s sure to be a lively night! Come on out!

WHEN: Friday, August 6, 8 PM
WHERE: Westside Comedy Theater, 1323-A Third Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401
WHAT: Live improv comedy
HOW MUCH: $10

Secret Code: EAVB_KZXATBEDTJ

Dig Comics update: Ain’t It Cool News, Comic-Con & 2 more festivals!

I have fallen behind on posting about the progress of Dig Comics, the documentary that I’ve been working on as a producer for the last several years. There has been a lot of activity, some I can talk about it, some I can’t yet (but hopefully soon). Some highlights:

  • A great interview with director Miguel Cima was recently posted at the very popular movie news/gossip site Ain’t It Cool News.
  • The first new shooting since the completion of the 20-minute short is happening at this week’s Comic-Con International: San Diego. The event is completely sold out but if you are there and see us running around like mad men and women, yell out “I dig comics!” If you’re on Twitter, follow me Wednesday to Sunday this week to see how shooting is going at Comic-Con. Hopefully technology and time will work in my favor and I’ll be able to tweet. We’ve got some amazing people lined up to interview. Can’t wait to hear their thoughts.
  • Dig Comics will be screening at this weekend’s Action On Film International Film Festival at the Regency Academy Theater in Pasadena, California, on Sunday July 25 at 4 PM.
  • Dig Comics will also be screening at the 1 Reel Film Festival, part of Seattle’s Bumbershoot music and arts festival, on September 6 at 12 noon.

I think that’s everything. Seems like I’m missing something. Lots going on! Hopefully I’ll get to share more news soon.

The First 100

Famous Funnies #100 - Nov. 1942, Eastern Color (Image from CoverBrowser.com)

This probably merits a blog post. A couple of weeks ago, Bill Johnson and the Magic Meathands entered me into the Century Club by way of a good ol’ fashion comedy roast. According to Bill’s meticulous record-keeping, I performed 100 shows with the comedy improv group with meat for hands, as of our June 3rd show at The Spot Cafe, making me eligible for induction into the Magic Meathands Century Club.

I’m the sixth Meathand to reach 100 shows. And also according to Bill’s legendary Excel spreadsheets, I’ve broken the record for getting to 100 shows in the shortest amount of time so far – 1 year, 4 months, and a few days. My first show with the group was on January 29, 2009, although I had performed with them as a student before then.

I’ve had a complete blast performing with the Meathands, and I don’t see it ending any time soon. It’s just too much fun to give up.

Thank you to everyone that has come out to see one (or more) of our shows. It is always a huge honor when someone spends their valuable time seeing me make a fool out of myself on stage. And it’s such a kick to see our audience regulars come back again and again. It really tells me we’re doing something right. For those who haven’t made it out yet, I hope to get the chance to share this pure joy and fun with you soon.

And of course thank you to the Magic Meathands for letting me play and making me laugh.

For our show schedule, check out my last blog post here, or check in with MagicMeathands.com. You can also ‘like’ our Facebook fan page.

This Thursday with the Meathands – for the last time!

This week is my FINAL Thursday Night Comedy Cafe with the Magic Meathands. The Meathands are retiring the long-running show at the end of June, so see it before it’s gone forever!

For those that have never been, it’s live improvised comedy made up completely on the fly using audience suggestions. It’s tons of fun!

Details: June 17, 8 PM, The Spot Cafe, 4455 Overland Ave., Culver City, CA 90230. Tickets: $5.00.

See me on PBS throughout the month of June

Yes, that’s right, I’ll be on your TV! I make a special cameo appearance during the TV special Carole King/James Taylor Live at the Troubadour!*

Check your local PBS station for air dates. It airs here in Los Angeles on KCET tonight June 5 at 10:30 PM and tomorrow night June 6 at 11:00 PM. It airs in Boston on WGBH tonight June 5 at 9:00 PM.

*OK, you can see me in the audience for 5 whole seconds during the second song, “So Far Away”. So, cameo might be overstating it. Also seen in the crowd: my wife Nahleen right in front of me, and behind us the very funny Greg Benson of Mediocre Films.

Someone uploaded it to YouTube, probably through ethically and legally dubious means of which I heartily disapprove. You can see us starting at 43 seconds in.

Update: Three still pictures from the video have been posted.

World MS Day

Today, May 26, 2010, is World MS Day.

Spread the word. Awareness is a powerful weapon against this disease.

I was hoping to have a video from my day walking in a dress and heels at this year’s WalkMS, but unfortunately it just wasn’t in the cards. But you can still check out pictures here.

Also, it’s not too late to donate to help raise money for the National MS Society. Every little bit counts!

[Updated the date. March, May. Same thing.]

Jarryd’s Job Interview Part 2

I’m featured in another video from Poopdog Entertainment, this time acting opposite Jarryd Meyer, written and directed by Sam Sero.

Vote for our video to be deemed by the Internet as “funny” at Funny or Die. This will help us justify our existence to our parents.

You can also watch it right here:

WalkMS stats

Distance walked: 3.2 miles / 5 kilometers

Ensemble inspired by: Lan Yin Tsai

Height of heels: 3 inches

Size of shoes: 10 (American Eagle By Payless)

Dress donated by: Jeffrey Schoenberg’s AJS Costumes, Burbank

Bike helmet donated by: Enci of illuminateLA and Stephen Box of SoapBoxLA

Money raised: $3,331.00

Members on team: 21

Money raised by team: $12,891.18

Money raised by WalkMS event: $870,792.01

Goal of WalkMS event: $1,200,000.00

Deadline to raise more money: June 1, 2010

Days left to donate: 15

Link to donate: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/corey.blake

Link to more pictures of Corey in a dress: http://www.flickr.com/photos/coreyblake/sets/72157623754072167/