2008 RAMBLINGS
March 1st, 2008
Hey everyone! It seems like forever since we last had an update. But now that the writers strike is over, Blu-Ray won over HD-DVD, and Pink Floyd's reuniting.... well, it just felt like the right time to come back.
That was a joke. Please don't send angry letters to us.
The honest truth is things got very exhausted over the holiday season. For awhile everything relating to illustrating felt more like a chore and a hinderance to me without any sense of fun. So while I regret the fact I was letting the website temporarily 'shut down' yet again, I figured it was probably for the best to just recharge the creative battery. I wasn't going to be gone long; just enough to make sure when I did come back, I'd be able to devote enough time to it.
And boy, am I ready!
Even someone with passible intelligence would know the best thing I could do from here on out is move forward. But considering there was only three more movies left to cover from last year's Summer Blockbuster gallery and one more request picture... well, I don't see why I should give up now. That's why today we're debuting a picture that's only eight months late: Michael Bay's "Transformers". There's no way it can meet any sort of expectations, but you can't blame us for trying, right?
Also, it seems every time we have an update, the professional artists list keeps on growing. Well this time we have a doozy. If I was to run down Michael Avon Oeming's complete resume, it could possibly use up all my bandwidth (and I have a lot of bandwidth!) so here are the highlights: Oeming is currently the artist and co-creator of "Powers" and "The Mice Templar" as well as writer for "Red Sonja" and "99 Volt Girl". In the past he's worked on such comics as "Thor", "Foot Soldiers", "Bulletproof Monk", "Ultimate Spider-Man Super Special" and "Incredible Hulk" just to name a few. Anyhow, to make a long story short: I was given an opportunity to meet him, it didn't work out due to a P.O.S. car, so he graciously sent me a sketch. It was beyond anything I'd expect from him and even now, I'm extremely appreciative of his humble generosity.
Before I head out, there's one more thing I'd like to say. For those of you who kept e-mailing to wonder what was going on, I thank you very much for your interest and most of all, your patience. I know I'm really lucky to have such a large amount of people visit this site time and again and I never take that for granted. Whether it's to compliment, critique, or blame me for society's problems - the fact that I hear from so many individuals about things I draw on my kitchen table is very humbling and, quite frankly, absolutely awesome!
So thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's my hope that all the things we're going to be unleashing on you this year will more than make up for any past sins. What am I saying? I already know it will!
Next week: a revised PSBG picture from season one makes its Plightsite debut, another professional artist sketch, and the most voted character from last year's request poll. Until then! - Jake
March 8th, 2008
I admit there's been more than a few times when I've stated something would be debuting on the site at a specific date. "Promise" I say and "guaranteed". But sometimes when the date comes it doesn't debut after all, which leaves me with the task of having to explain myself when I post again.
Well, by taking a look at your right you'll notice a cut-off picture of Power Girl; the 'winner' of the request poll from last year. But that's not the picture. In fact, there's a lot more to the picture such as her entire body and an appropriate background. But there is where the problem lies. See, I can't post it because after inking and scanning and coloring it in, I discovered a certain element of the picture blended in with P.G. that gave a very, very bad impression. It was unintentional; it made me laugh; but there was no way on heaven or Earth I could or even would post it.
Which leaves me with only one option: going back and redoing it completely. With a little luck I'll have the new version in time for next week's update, but until then I just wanted to post a piece of it to show you all that yes, it was done. I'm not just blowing smoke up people's backside.
While we're on the subject of art being redone, today we happen to be debuting a revised edition of a picture that originally appeared in the Blockbuster Gallery way back in 2001. Actually, it's more of a one-page comic.
Late last year I was asked to contribute the parody we did of "Scream" to an online anthology project. But the only copies we had of it were small JPEG files far too small and blurry to be used (not to mention the art really showed my lack of skill back then). So in typical Jake fashion, I went back, redrew the entire thing, tweeked some of the dialogue, and the end result is a picture that shows just far I've gone in the past six years artistically. So without further ado, we hope you enjoy the new and improved "Scary Movies" located in the comics section. However, the original 2001 version can still be seen as part of the "Blockbuster Gallery". That won't be changing any time soon.
Last but not least, we have a new sketch in the professional artist section: this time it's Wonder Woman done by the very talented Jasmine Van Esch. Jasmine, along with her husband Sabastian, run a small studio called (naturally) Van Esch Studios, which can be found on their website. Although it's a little outdated, I recommend checking it out. There's quite a few cool illustrations.
Anyhow, that's all for now. We'll be back next week with some more stuff but in the meantime, try to stay warm everyone! - Jake
March 11th, 2008
DAVE STEVENS (1955-2008)
When I found out Dave Stevens passed away today, it felt like I had been punched in the gut. Stevens, who was a storyboard artist for Hanna-Barbera and various films including "Raiders of the Lost Ark", was perhaps most famous for his solo creation: "The Rocketeer". He was also one of my favorite artists.
There was no such thing as an average Dave Stevens illustration. Early on he developed a standard that everything that had his signature on it had to be flawless, and arguably it was. Whether it was drawing high-flying adventures set in the 1930s, honoring pin-up queen Betty Page, or various other comic covers - to him it had to be right or else it was tossed away; no matter how long it took. Even when something was done, sent, and printed, he'd often go back and revise his art for the reprints or collected editions later on. For the majority of artists out there, such anal-retentiveness would dilute a property. In the case of Dave Steven's work, it only made it stronger.
Perhaps what's the most shocking about his passing isn't that he was only 52, but that for several years now he had been dealing with leukemia; a fact he was very quiet about. A regular fixture at conventions, Mr. Stevens was always willing to meet and sign things for fans. As some of his closest friends have said, even on days when he was feeling his worse, seeing all the folks who enjoyed his work was something he never got tired of. I've been visting several message boards to hear what others have been saying about his death and with phrases such as "remarkably polite", "very appreciative", and "always willing to take the time to make others feel good" popping up, it's hard to dismiss it being anything other than fact.
Unfortunately I never got to personally meet him, but I always hoped one day I would. Now I regret that opportunity will never come. It's a shame the world won't be seeing any new illustrations with the initals "D.S." on them or that the next issue of "Rocketeer Adventure Magazine" will ever come out. But as I skim through an old graphic novel of his while I'm writing this, it's good to know his art will never become outdated.
It is, after all, flawless.
Happy landings, Mr. Stevens, and thanks! - Jake
May 3rd, 2008
Ladies and gentlemen, today marks a beginning in so many ways. For today, after years of being away, not to mention living with the disgust of seeing me aim this website straight into the crapper, Tony has returned! And what more fitting way for him to walk back into the limelight again than to help kick off the new season of the "Summer Blockbuster Gallery". That's right kiddies, you need not fear of only seeing eighth pitiful entries like seasons before. This year we come back strong with me on pencils and him on inks and colors. Of course the first movie would just happen to be based on the Marvel comics superhero, "Iron Man", but we've prevailed like so many Marvel movies before. I've already said it in my rambling for the picture, but I'll say it again: welcome back, Tony!
We also have one more non-Plight related Garrett Blair illustration (for now) to debut in honor of summer being here. This time out videogame vixen Lara Croft is hitting the beach or knocking out enemies in a very revealing bikini. Again we have to thank Garrett for gracing our website and we can't wait to see what he'll be doing next.
As for what's next for Tony and I, along with this year's gallery we'll also be continuing three of our comic series that in one form or another were put on hold. First up, the continuation of "Sofa Kingdom": the crazy alternative dimension warping story featuring Erik, the Generic Funkin' Cartoons, Frump and more. We'll also be starting up the long mentioned "Yin Vs. Plight": a four-part tale set in Japan with the debut of a new hero. And hard-to-believe but true, I'll be getting back into "Plight # 1". That's not hyberbole either: I've been getting pep-talks and severe beatings of love by a fairly known comic creator to get it finished once and for all. And really, he isn't leaving me any way to get out of it.
Before we go, just a reminder that today is Free Comic Book Day; an annual event where comic shops across the counties will be participating in various activites and most of all, giving away plenty of free comics! If you're not sure where any stories in your area are, simply click on the link saying "Participating Retailers" and the rest will be easy.
Well, that's all for today. Next week, we hit the race tracks for "Speed Racer". So until then, take it easy and thanks for dropping in! - Jake
May 10th, 2008
It's just my luck. Now that I'm finally able to drive again and Minnesota is expecting perfect summer-time weather in the forecast for the next couple of days... of course I would wind up getting sick. And not just a mild case; we're talking full-blown can't keep anything down, worn-out, 104 degree fever. As I write this, this is the first thing I've managed to do all day. I haven't even turned my X-Box on! So before I slip back into a coma, I better announce our latest update.
Today we continue the blockbuster gallery with our own unique spin on this weekend's big opening: the live-action "Speed Racer" film. From what I've seen in the trailers, the Wachowski brothers have really gone all out on it. I don't think it's going to top "Iron Man" in the box office, but I have to give them credit. They've set out to be as faithful to the cartoon as possible, and I think they might come pretty close. You guys will just have to tell me later.
Moving along; a few people have written to us a little confused about last week's announcement about "Yin Vs. Plight". Some have thought what we'll be continuing is the story that's already up on the page right now. That's not the case. "Yin Vs. Plight" will be a brand-new 4-part comic that Tony has written based on the original concept we have posted on the comics page, fleshed out and designed to fit very tightly into the Plight universe. Along with scripting, he'll also be inking over my pencils. So unfortunately, no - we aren't going to illustrating it on lined pages and we aren't continuing the cliffhanger of Kari smashing through the skyline. All I can say right now is this new version will be far more exciting and better (not to mention a tad more professional.)
Before we go, we'd just like to take a moment to wish all you mothers out there a very happy Mother's day. It's a hard job being a parent and sometimes we don't express how much you mean to us. So take it easy, hopefully get pampered, and remember give yourselves a pat on the back.
As for me, I'm going to take some more asprin.
Aachoo! - Jake
May 17th, 2008
Hey everybody! It's been pretty frantic around here lately, so I'm going to keep things really short this time around. But believe me, we'll MORE than make up for next Saturday. Oh, will we ever!
Today we have our homage/satire on this weekend's big opening film: "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". Granted, our picture isn't as beautiful and majestic as the film, but we consider that a good thing. It's also a picture that probably brings mixed feelings between Tony and I. So check it out and find yourself transported to a very strange land.
Now if any of you guys know us and our favorite movies, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that next week we're going to go a little crazy. Let me just warn you right now: it's going to be huge! So until then, have a great weekend and we'll see you back here in 7. - Jake
May 24th, 2008
As I write this, "Indiana Jones and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" currently has a 79% review rating on Rottentomatoes.com. That's pretty decent cosidering it's been almost 20 years since the last film. Even though the famed archeologist has pushed late middle age and he's fighting Russians instead of Nazis now, a lot of the movie critics can see how this is just a natural progression in the series. It's no "Raiders of the Lost Ark", but then, how could it? What it is meant to be is a high-flying, check your scientific reality mumbo-jumbo junk at the door, enjoyable good time. And that it is. I can safely say the world has avoided another "Temple of Doom" and gained another "Last Crusade". I'm just sorry that some folks (I'm looking at you IGN and Colin Covert of the Star Tribune) can't understand that.
Anyhow today's blockbuster picture is, surprise surprise, based on said "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull". We were planning to debut two pictures about it, but something came up at the last moment. Perhaps later we'll debut it as a deleted scene. In the meantime, check out our newest attempt and then go hit your local theater and see the movie it inspired. That's right, I won't plug George Lucas' works but I'm all for hyping the Spielberg machine.
Next week, we go outside our comfort zone when we cover... "Sex in the City". Until then! -Jake
June 7th, 2008
To bring some fun into it, let's call it the website's annual physical.
Each year around this time the Plightsite domain name needs to be renewed so that everything is copyright and trademark protected. In years prior, the whole thing was pretty easy; all we needed to do was pay a fee and make sure all the stuff we post on the website didn't violate the conditions of our agreement. The only downside was while our payment was being processed, the site would be down briefly for a day or two. This time, as many of you already know, it was down for almost two weeks.
Why so long? We don't know and we probably never will because it's practically impossible to contact a customer service representative about this stuff without being forced back into a "assist" screen and asked repeatedly if the information provided was helpful: yes or no? "You need more assistances? Let me take you to our main menu with our most popular inquries. Yes or no?" Anyhow.... the point is we're back online and we won't have to worry about this song and dance for another year. Hopefully by June of 2009, the whole process will be improved.
Speaking of delays, I'm afraid the Summer Blockbuster Gallery is also a week behind as well. While I'd like to blame this on internet politics too, I really can't. This was another incident where I was entirely at fault for not giving Tony a pencilled copy ahead of time. But I promise the two of us are working on bringing the gallery up to speed as soon as possible.
Now to make sure there wouldn't be even MORE of a delay, I went ahead and handled our next entry by myself. The movie was, of course, the film adaptation of the popular television series "Sex and the City". Does it have Kari in it? Yes. Does it have women not wearing shirts? Yes. Does it have Kari not wearing a shirt? That you'll have to see for yourself (I just know I roped up a whole bunch of people with that little teaser!)
We'll be back to our normal selves next week with updates about pandas and, knock on wood, hulks. But until then, hope you're enjoying your breaks, your graduations, and your summer! - Jake
June 18th, 2008
Its been YEARS in the planning, plotting and procrastination stages - and now Jake and I are FINALLY comfortable enough to allow our secret baby out into the world!
We've had our links to our first comic collaboration up on the site for a while now, but what hadn't been posted is our work on a NEW collaboration, a new comic series that takes the spirit of the original, and updates it to a more modern (not to mention more talented) form! Sickness, time constraint and just plain laziness has kept it hidden for almost 5 years, and now we are ready to debut!
So head on over to our NEWLY redesigned Yin Vs Plight web-page, and take a look at some of the new items we have. There are a couple of sketches and pinups to peruse, and if you all can give me a day or two, we'll have the debut of PAGE ONE of the new comic. Enjoy! - Tony
June 20th, 2008
Just a quick update to say that YES we are working on getting the latest Summer Blockbuster pic up, sure we are a week behind, but did you really expect any less? But in the meantime...
How about the very first page of our new Yin Vs Plight book? I thought you might appreciate that. So here it is - Page 1. I knows its only one page, and doesn't really get into the story, but we'll have the second page up soon to help get into it. Otherwise - Later! - Tony
June 26th, 2008
For those of you who weren't expecting to see an update this week because we've been falling behind: surprise! We have an update. And for those of you who weren't expecting to hear from us because Tony and I were going to be attending Wizard World Chicago: surprise! I'm still here.
I won't get into all the nasty details but due to some very personal issues, I decided it was best to stay behind while the rest of the Larson household went with my blessings. Yes, this is the second year in a row I've purchased tickets and wound up not going, but there were more important things in my life I had to deal with. So for those of you who were hoping to run into me at the convention, I can only apologize and hope some day to personally meet you all.
Anyhow, before he tore out of town, Tony managed to complete a new entry in the slowly getting back on track Summer Blockbuster Gallery. This time we turn our sights on the computer animated feature film, "Kung Fu Panda" starring the voice of Jack Black. Like it's been for a lot of movies this season, it was hard coming up with an idea involving talking karate-fighting animals. However I think we managed to pull through. It might not be the greatest thing, but it's not a toss-out idea either. So take a gander at it and please feel free to let us know what you think.
Speaking of feedback, we really appreciate all the great comments we've been getting so far about the new "Yin Vs. Plight" comic. Some have been very humbling; some not so much. But most of you have shared some hesitance about whether this project will get completed or not. Not that we can fully blame anybody. We haven't had the best track record when it comes to actual comic stories. But I can assure we both are working very hard on it. The pages might not debut at a regular pace, but the story is entirely written and we're both eagerly trying to get it out as soon as possible. And no, this won't hamper me in any way working on "Plight # 1" which, with a little bit of luck, I'll have a new page to unveil before you know it.
Well, I'll be returning very shortly with more, but in the meantime, try to remain cool and we hope you're having an awesome summer - Jake
July 11th, 2008
Yes, we STILL are behind on the Summer Blockbuster Gallery. But we ARE working diligently on it. Expect the newest pic (based on the Incredible Hulk) to premiere sometime early next week (most likely on Monday).
To tide you over until that wonderous day, Jake and I are pleased to present you with PAGE TWO of our Yin Versus Plight collaboration. I personally have been working hard at getting all this stuff out, so enjoy! Page three should be arriving soon as well. We'll see!
Thats it for now. Be sure to check back next week for our newest SBG pic. Later! - Tony
July 26th, 2008
It's early Saturday night and I'm sitting in a quiet room listening to Garrison Keller warble on about the nice folks at Lake Woebagon. His monotone voice is putting me so much at ease I'm afraid I might fall asleep in front of this keyboard. The setting is quite somber and reflective and it'd be ideal for me to reflect on the past few weeks with much thought and poetry. But in doing so, I would completely miscast the subject of our latest picture. And yet, while I listen to a woman named Sadie reach into her soul singing about the tumbling tumbleweeds, I find it difficult not to sucumb into her deliciously beautiful voice as if I was being held close in her arms. It's so captivating; so spiritual....
*Slapping himself*
Okay! Before I fall back into a trace again, I just want to point out we finally have our picture for the "Incredible Hulk" up. Yeah, we're aware it's six weeks late and I can't apologize enough. But we're taking great strides to bring the gallery back up to date. So we hope you like it and we'll be back here next week with another picture and two new galleries! Now excuse me - I have a radio to destroy before it's too late! Wish me luck! - Jake
August 6th, 2008
Usually I’m sitting at home when I write out these ramblings; or in front of the Larsons household’s computer. But this time I’m speaking from a public computer on the Ridgedale library.
You see, my computer is on its last hurrah. Not that it’s a big surprise; I’ve been using the same crappy E-Machine for more than eight years; upgrading and modifying it along the way. What started as a state-of-the art 40GB computer with Window 98 wound up as a 250GB piece of hardware running on Windows XP. And while I’m still able to work on Photoshop and Microsoft Office, I have to save what I’m doing every five minutes before the machine freezes up like it does frequently. But what’s the biggest pain in the arse is that it won’t connect with the internet.
It’s frustrating to know I can still surf the web at home on three of my video game consoles, but not on my actual computer. Do you know what a pain it is to navigate through cyberspace using a Nintendo Wii nunchuck?.
Anyhow, while I’m shopping around to replace a dear ‘friend’ who has been at my side since this website began (yeah, it really has been that long), we have a new entry in the six weeks behind Summer Blockbuster gallery. Today it’s the film adaptation of the classic Mel Brooks’ television series, "Get Smart" starring Steve Carnell and Anne Hathaway. But both Tony and I are hard at work getting caught up and I can guarantee we’ll have another picture to debut in just a few short days. And at the very least, we’ll definitely have this entire season of flicks wrapped up before this summer is over.
Before I take off, you’ve probably noticed some changes lately to the website itself; especially the front page. That’s because with all the new ways people can view the internet these days (like I-Phones and computers with wide-screen monitors), the page layouts that worked so well years ago don’t come across as pretty as do now. So in order to go with the times, we’re trying different things out that maintain the look of the website without having everything broken up or scrambled. Some changes will be very minor; others will require a massive reorganization. We just hope you bear with us while we get it all sorted out and if you come across any broken links (or suggestions on ways of making it better), please feel free to drop either Tony or myself a line.
Well, that does it for now. But like I said, we’ll be back in a few days with another new picture and if time permitting, perhaps something more. In the meantime, take it easy! - Jake
By the way…. something extremely big is going to be happening here in forty days. Just thought I should mention that.
August 20th, 2008
It’s hard from time to time writing these ramblings when you have just one thing to mention and then that’s it. Sure there’s nothing wrong with being direct and to the point. But when you factor in how many of you incredibly nice people check here daily in the slim chance of discovering if we’ve updated this website; I feel like more needs to be said. Of course I also don't want to bore anybody by trailing on. So what can be done? That's why I'm throwing the question out to all of you: what would you like to hear us talk about? Do you want us to discuss things not associated with Plight? Or is keeping it brief just fine? Do like the little sketches we include from time to time? Hate them? Let us know so we can make this more worthwhile to our visitors because like I said, we're trying to make this site better and we need your help to do that..
Anyhow, today we have a new entry in the Summer Blockbuster Gallery. With eight movies left to cover and autumn fast approaching, both Tony and I have decided to get as many illustrations we can do quickly and out of the way. So while chronologically we should be featuring “Wall-E” and “Wanted”, instead we’re jumping ahead a little and tackling the return of FBI agents Mulder and Scully in ”X-Files: I Want to Believe”. But rest assured, we’re definitely going be doing the aforementioned movies as well as some others including a certain ‘currently the # 2 Box Office movie of all-time’. And although we’ll be jumping back and forth, in the end the movies will wind up being listed on the Blockbuster Gallery page in the order they appeared in theaters. Yeah, it’s a bit of a cheat but we think this way we’ll be able to complete everything just in time for….well, you’ll all find out in just twenty-nine days.
See you all much, much sooner than that with a couple of brand new things. - Jake
September 9th, 2008
Hey everyone! After weeks of having to surf the web using only my videogame consoles, I'm finally back proper. That's right - I bought myself a new computer. And while it's nothing major to brag about, I got to admit it's pretty cool to finally be able to play and burn DVDs (yeah, I was that far behind in the times.) So far I'm really enjoying Windows Vista and I can definately tell there's an improvement in speed. Plus it looks like I won't be having any problems with any of my software whatsoever. Oh, and yes dudes, it is a Dell.
But enough of me showing off my new toy...
Today we have another late entry in our Blockbuster Gallery. This time around we focus on the Angelina Jolie/Morgan Freeman popcorn flick, "Wanted", which is loosely (and I mean loosely) based on the excellent comic book mini-series by Mark Millar and JG Jones. And in the spirit of it not being a faithful adaption to the original material, Tony and I go off on our own little idea as well. Naturally you know the drill: simply click on the link and check it out.
Unfortunately that's all we have for today. I apologize for not having any updates sooner, but due to working long hours at the hospital and having to set up a new system, I didn't have as much time as I'd like. But rest assured, we will be back very shortly with a brand new update. NEXT THURSDAY (SEPTEMBER 18TH) to be more specific. And let us just say you'll really want to check it out. So until then, we hope everyone is doing good, even those who had to go back to school. - Jake
September 18th, 2008
It's hard to believe six years ago on this date a little section of a modest website branched out and became its own domain. And while there's been a few troubles along the way, Plightsite.com is still around to endulge Tony and I on our original creative endevors. Sure, it'd be awfully nice if one of these days I'd actually finish the first issue of the comic book... but today I won't berate myself like I normally do.
Nope, today it's all about fun and what better to celebrate Plightsite's anniversary (and maybe, just maybe, in a small way aacknowledging it's also my 34th birthday) than with a small batch of groovy art to mark the special occasion.
To start things off Tony and I pay homage to Brandon Frasier's latest endevor to regain stardom, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor", by adding it to this year's list of movies in the Blockbuster Gallery. The picture, as you'll no doubt see, takes more than a passing inspiration from our very first illustration in the gallery from way back in 2001; something that wasn't intentional but is very fitting given the tone of this update.
In "Guest Artists" we have a ton of pieces debuting from an old friend of ours, Wonkeaux. Now I have to take a moment to confess I've been sitting on a lot of his Kari artwork for years. I've posted a picture or two of his in the past, but for stupid reasons of my own doing I never added him into the "Guest Artists" proper. Well, it's a mistake I'm more than happy to correct and I encourage you all to check it out. He's an incredible artist not to mention an extremely nice guy and it's a honor to have his work finally in here.
But that's not all. We wind up today's update with a new illustration done by Garrett Blair as well; the artist whose works on Rogue, Freefall, Lara Croft and April O'Neil (can somebody say 'easter egg'?) has been so prominently featured in "Professional Artists". It's no joke: if you can think of a current popular female heroine from any form of fiction, chances are Garett has drawn them. However, this new piece isn't on that page. Instead it's also in the "Guest Artists" section. That's right - today we're pleased to unveal what is, by far, the most mind-blowing piece he's ever done for me: Kari Athens done in that distinct Garrett Blair style. It's every much as cool as you can imagine and I was beyond thrilled to receive it. To tell you the truth, it also feels a little weird. But I wouldn't trade my excitement in for anything.
So there you have it. Sure, it's not as big or as extravagant as we've done to mark this anniversary in the past. But instead of having a huge blowout, we're adopting a new system to make sure updates become a frequent thing in here. I wouldn't quite use the term 'weekly' just yet, but we're definately shattering the embarassing 'monthly' schedule we were stuck in for awhile now. To tell you the truth, it'd be hard to slip back into that pattern with all the stuff we have coming up shortly; things like this year's remaining Blockbuster pictures, the continuation of "Yin Vs. Plight", the long-delayed requests of Frankie and Powergirl, a new gallery featuring artwork I've been contributing on another website, a 12-part serial, more guest artists, and..... well, you get the idea.
So until next time, we thank you all for stopping in and hope you enjoy what you see. Now if you excuse me, I've got a birthday to go celebrate. Later! - Jake
October 6th, 2008
There's nothing like going to a comic convention and seeing how things can change over time. That's the lesson I found out this weekend when Tony and I went to the Minneapolis Fallcon. And boy, was it an eye opener!
It was my fourth time attending but my first since it relocated into the much larger Minnesota state fairgrounds. Before then, it was held in a convention room at the Thunderbird Hotel, right across the street from the Mall of America; during a time when it was only about the artists. You couldn’t walk down an isle without seeing an issue (or thirteen different over-priced variant covers) of Rob Liefeld’s “Cable” or Jim Lee’s “WildCats” because that was the big hot thing. And while there were a few small-press writers and artists, they were all practically shoved into a poorly lit corner to make room for folks who worked for Marvel and DC instead. Sure, it was a thrill to be able to converse with Adam Hughes or Mark Waid one-on-one, but all around there was a lingering presence that if you weren’t already a hot commodity, chances are you never would be.
Since then the only conventions I went to were some Wizard World’s in Chicago; where the agendas was always to learn what new things were coming from the big publishers and what cool toys or videogames would be appearing in stores. There were plenty of Q&As with celebrities but never a chance to talk with them one-on-one unless you didn’t mind waiting in a line for three hours and only then have a few seconds to speak before you’re forced to move along like cattle. True, there was an artist alley but again it was shoved in the corner so other more important things like twenty different bootleg DVD tables and a full-size ring for a fourth-rate wrestling organization had enough space. And there were plenty of vendors but instead of finding a good deal, you’d have to pay a ridiculous amount of money if you really wanted something. Sadly, I suspect more folks visited those artist tables to take photos of the women wearing clothes that could easily cause a wardrobe malfunction rather than actually pay more interest in the individuals behind the table. After all, who cares if you’re the creator of “Herobear and Kid”, the woman in the Vampirella costume is bending down to grab some more sketchbooks!
Don’t get me wrong – going to comic conventions have always been fun and I’d never complain about all the swag I’d get. But something was always off-balance to me. And here’s where I get to my point.
When I walked into this year’s Fallcon, I was practically in shock. As soon as I entered, there was a man sitting at a table selling his own mini-comics. Across from it were the original Batmobile and Batcycle from the 1960’s Adam West television show that you could actually go up to and touch. Down the isle I saw Dwayne McDuffie – staff writer on “Ben10: Alien Force” and “Justice League Unlimited” chatting with the artist sitting next to him who was just starting out in the business. Dan “I helped kill Superman” Jurgens was displaying some original comic page artwork while another individual tried to sell prints of his own generic (and I’m very sorry but extremely crappy) artwork featuring the members of KISS. There were plenty of vendors but instead of gauging prices, many of them had stuff for 20 or more percent off. And there located in the far end corner of the building was Adam Hughes, perhaps the biggest draw at the convention, in the middle of doing a sketch of Wonder Woman for a fan while a mob of onlookers soaked up every detail.
Sure, there weren’t any booths from the major publishers, or famous actors and Q&As. But I guess I’m glad because everything just felt right. It felt like for the first time I can remember, I was at a genuine comic convention where it was more about the love of the hobby than popularity or price.
Really, I don't know how else to say it other than it was pretty damn cool! - Jake
October 19th, 2008
I'm not Steven Hawkings nor am I Hiro Nakamura. I don't read anything from Issac Asmov and the only thing I know about Carl Sagan is that, according to him, "there are billions and billions of stars in the sky". So I'm the last person who would know anything about temporal displacement or shifting time and space. I just try to come here on a weekly basis (notice I said "try") and post some pictures up. And if you asked me a few days ago how I thought I was doing, I'd be giving the thumbs up.
But this weekend, out of the clear blue as we're sitting in McDonalds, Tony asked a very puzzling question. "How come you updated the website on Wednesday but you dated it two weeks ago?"
At first I thought his medication was clouding his mind. Yes, I had made a public update to the Plightsite on October 9th, but everything I was working on after that was behind the scene stuff like fixing links and getting old sketch picture to the ramblings in sync with folks who have huge-ass monitors. I thought that was the explaination he was looking for and so I dropped it; not even giving it further consideration. But when I got home, I just wanted to be sure everything was alright.
It wasn't. It was worse than Tony had let on.
Somehow my rambling on the 9th cancelled out or completely erased an update I posted a few days earlier on the 6th; an update where we debuted the next page of the "Yin Vs. Plight" comic and also where I shared some of the ideas we're going to do to make the website better. Instead my eyes glared at the short editorial I made about the Fallcon on the 9th, labelled as being written on the 6th, and was last updated on the 16th. Now either Yahoo ran into a problem that corrupted some data, or like I said earlier, our timestream came across a dimensional crossroads and Plightsite.com just happens to be the center of the universe. Or, and this would be a very long stretch but more logical explaination, I probably simply erased it on accident when I posted in here last.
Well regardless of what happened, I'm here today (October 19th, 2008 at 7:14 PM) to let everyone know we have a new page up of "Yin Vs. Plight". I'm really sorry for the temporal displacement and we promise not to tamper with the laws of reality again. Hopefully. - Jake
December 6th, 2008
I just want to take a moment to acknowledge the recent passing of Beverly Garland; a terrific actress whose work I was first introduced to from various episodes of "Mystery Science Theater 3000". In her career that spanned over 50 years, she starred in many low-budget B-movies like "Swamp Diamonds", "Not of the Earth" and "The Alligator People" as well as played Fred MacMurray's wife in "My Three Sons" among various television appearances.
But unlike the corny movie titles in her resume, Ms. Garland was nothing but a class act. She never played the victim in her roles; something that was rare to see in 1950's Hollywood. In "Gunslinger", she was a female sheriff determined to clean up a rotten town. In "Swamp Diamonds", she played a brillant and cutting thief that seemed to be one step ahead of everyone. And in "It Conquered the World", she didn't run away from a giant mutant pickle monster; she faced it head-on armed with a rifle and (to borrow a joke from Paul Chaplin) hoping to the choke the son of a bitch as it swallowed her up.
When Mystery Science Theater 3000 held a convention back in 1996, Ms. Garland was one of the guest of honor; and deservingly so. Not only did MSTies fall in love with her from the films Joel and the Bots riffed on, but she turned out to be nothing but gracious, witty, and extremely funny. She was 82. - Jake
December 25th, 2008
We'll be back to our regular normal updates next year (January 10th to be precise) but until then, everyone here at Plightsite.com would like to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa... whatever you celebrate during this joyous holiday season, as well as a Happy New Year. May each and everyone of you stay safe and may 2009 bring you all nothing but the best in peace, love, and prosperity. Now if you'll excuse me, I've to see if I was good enough this year for Santa to bring me a 42" HD television. - Jake