Book Inter-Re-View: Kustom Graphics

Kustom Graphics: Hot Rods, Burlesque and Rock 'n' Roll
Author: Julian Balme
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Korero Books
Cover price: $39.95; Release date: April 28, 2008

Things here in the UK can be a little tame.

Therefore, isn't it any wonder that the missus and I seek the need to look further a field to satiate our somewhat lowbrow interests? I say this, not because I'm some kind of deviant (albeit desirable), but because as I've often stated in my past reviews that the UK, Britain, England offers very little compared to the likes of Los Angeles, America, or the World in general...continue reading this review at Geeks of Doom!

Eleven Questions with T.E. Pouncey: Rafer Roberts

(because ten questions aren’t enough — and who has time to read twelve?)

Rafer Roberts is the creator of the comic series Plastic Farm. Plastic Farm was originally a self-published series, first appearing as oversized mini-comics in 2001 and then in traditional comic book form in 2003.

Plastic Farm tells the story of Chester Carter and his slow descent into complete madness and how that insanity is changing the world. Along the journey, readers are introduced to a variety of different characters including The Kamikaze Kid, a supernatural cowboy that rides a dinosaur and lives inside of Chester's mind, a washed-up celebrity whose claim to fame was an ability to "inflate" his belly button, a foul-mouthed four-eyed demon monkey, a pair of zombie cops, cannibal farmers, religious zealots, an assassin with a heart of gold, and an airline baggage handler...continue reading this AWESOME interview at Geeks of Doom!

Lowbrow Study: Coop Inter-Re-View

To the British, Coop is underground. The artist known as 'Coop,' Chris Cooper, has created many an artwork you wish you had done first. Famed for his portrayal of voluptuous devilish women reminiscent of the classic pin-ups of the 1950s and '60s Raquel Welch, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, and the dirty-work of Russ Meyer, Coop has managed to bring his artwork into the fore. His cigar-smoking Devil Head has become a trademark of sorts, ensuring Coop's place in history...continue reading this article at Geeks of Doom!

Eleven Questions with T.E. Pouncey: Christopher Moonlight

(because ten questions aren’t enough — and who has time to read twelve?)

Christopher Moonlight Cooksey is the creator of the goth comic The Black Lipstick Curse, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. "I first wanted to be an artist when I saw a show they use to have on late night MTV called This Is Horror, hosted by Stephen King," Chris said. "They were spotlighting an FX artist and I just thought he had the coolest job. It wasn't until a comic shop opened in my town that I wanted to be a comic artist."

X-Men legend Paul Smith took Chris under his wing and showed him the ropes of a studio when Chris was a teenager.

"My best friend, Frank Kane, was instrumental in showing me how to write a comic, and we've been working together ever since," Chris said. "My first published works were The Third Eye 2001 annual anthology, and as a contributing artist in Supernatural Law's Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Special, by Batton Lash. The artists that inspire me the most are Eddie Campbell, Dan Brereton, Alex Ross, and Dave McKean."...continue reading this AWESOME interview at Geeks of Doom!

Eleven Questions with T.E. Pouncey: Mike Murphy

Mike Murphy is a comic book writer, creator, and (with Celina Hernandez) co-founder of Chibi Comics and a life-long comic book fan.

"Ever since I could read, I've been reading comics, ever since I could draw, I've been drawing them," Mike said. "I think the first books I remember were a Comico Gumby Summer Special, and an issue of Sword of The Atom.

Mike had intended to become a comic book artist, and he said that, aside from a five-year stint with his old punk band Myopia, that goal never changed.

"However, once I started attending the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and I hooked up with friends who also wanted to draw comics," Mike said, "it became obvious someone was going to have to handle the writing side of the equation. I pulled the short straw. That said, over the years I have really grown to love being a writer. Even more than being an artist, I think. I'm a faster writer than I am an artist, and I also think I'm better at writing than drawing. So, there's that."...continue reading this AWESOME interview at Geeks of Doom!

Conversations with GoD: Izuru Narushima

After watching Midnight Eagle, I was struck by the strong stance against nuclear weapons and its themes dealing with responsibility. Director Izuru Narushima has kindly taken some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions in regards to his movie.

GoD: Midnight Eagle has a strong anti-war and anti-nuclear weapons message. Are the heightened concerns about nuclear arms development in recent years something that drew you to this project? ...continue reading this AWESOME interview at Geeks of Doom!

Eleven Questions with T.E. Pouncey: Mono

(because ten questions aren't enough -- and who has time to read twelve?)

Mono AKA: SiMONOke, AKA: Cbleek is a mysterious Dutch artist, creator of the comic Crackhead Angel (about drug addiction in a group of supermodels), a techno-mix musician, and single working mom.

Born in 1974, Mono won a painting contest in 1986 (at the age of 12) sponsored by the Museum of Resistance (the theme of the contest was "Freedom"). In 1992, Mono attended the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam after high school graduation and was admitted to Art School.

"My first year (of) Art school was in 1992 and was chaotic but life changing," she said. "Hanging out in the Storm gallery, a squat where I first came in contact with the traveller/tekno party scene. I switched from Rotterdam to the prestigious Art institute in Dusseldorf, and joined my mentor (and boyfriend) Ulrich Lamsfuss, there as an infiltrant (an unregistered student) in weekends and holidays."

Confessing almost right away that she was not an "official" student, Mono, much to her surprise, was accepted as a temporary student.

"I could work there whenever I wanted," she said. " The relationship ended but those busy months of peddling between Rotterdam and Dusseldorf were fruitful for not only could I develop my own style and vision in my own time , it also lead to changes in the way Rotterdam academy approaches their students today."

Mono is also working on a children's book: "Libbie, stories about a serious old child" (written in Dutch), and various other projects. Her work can be viewed at her official site and on her MySpace profile.

T.E. Pouncey: When did you first become interested in being an illustrator?...continue reading this AWESOME interview at Geeks of Doom!

Eleven Questions with T.E. Pouncey: Paul O'Connell

(Because 10 isn't enough --- and who has time to read 12?)

The word "genius" is used so often that it's lost all impact.

However British comic writer Paul O'Connell is nothing less than a comic book genius. Creator of the The Sound of Drowning series of comic stories, his work has been called "a devastatingly funny, misanthropic and strangely beautiful carnival of delights" by 3 a.m., Magazine. Mark Stafford at The London Cartoon Museum has said of O'Connell's work: "Paul O'Connell's Sound of Drowning strips are my favourite Brit finds of recent years. He has a knack for nailing a specific kind of urban unease, for detailing the fantasy lives of the impotent, and our disquiet at the gulf between our shiny expectations and the shabby reality around us. Highly recommended and bloody funny too."

O'Connell said some of his comic book favorites have been American superhero comics, Mad Magazine, the legendary U.K. Science fiction comic 2000 AD, and the European editions of Heavy Metal.

T.E. Pouncey: Your biography of Charlie Parker was one of the best I've ever seen presented in any medium. What interested you to write about him?...continue reading this AWESOME interview at Geeks of Doom!

Conversations with GoD: 'Shreds' Mastermind Santeri "StSanders" Ojala

SHRED. Officially referring to the ripping apart of something. Unofficially referring to a rock guitarist's best solos. Now, a cunning mix of both known as Shreds has arrived thanks to StSanders.

Finnish artist Santeri Ojala, aka StSanders, takes classic rock shredding footage and cunningly overdubs it with, well, anything but classic guitar work. Cleverly matching the fingerwork and some other on-stage antics, at first it's tough to call it, til you realize just how utterly awful the solo is. StSanders has gone and put these Shreds through the shredder. (Check out our favorites: Jake E. Lee with Ozzy Osbourne and Eddie Van Halen.)

So, I decided to ask him some stupid questions...continue reading this AWESOME interview at Geeks of Doom!

Interview: Autumn Reeser

In ABC Family’s new original movie Nature of the Beast, actress Autumn Reeser plays Julia, who finds out her fiance Rich (Til Death's Eddie Kaye Thomas) is actually a werewolf. But that won't stop Julia from getting hitched! Instead of ditching her man, she's on a mission to help him find a cure.

During an interview session with Autumn Reeser, Geeks of Doom got to ask the actress a few questions about her role in Nature of the Beast.

Nature of the Beast premiers tonight at 8 PM ET/PT on ABC Family and will run several times during the network's 13 Nights of Halloween event (see Geeks of Doom's 13 Nights of Halloween contest to win posters and werewolf teeth!)

Geeks of Doom: Your character Julia falls in love with and gets engaged to Rich, who turns out to be a werewolf, yet the wedding's still on. Why is Julia so determined to marry Rich?

Autumn Reeser: She really loves her fiance! It's a metaphor for all of the big and little realities that come to light when you have decided to spend the rest of your life with someone. There's suddenly no more hiding b/c there is someone who will be in your life 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year after year after year... Julia really believes in marriage and understands what it takes to make it work. It's always work and there is always a problem to be overcome, so I feel like in some ways, the movie is a love-letter to marriage and the energy it takes to have a successful relationship.

GoD: What are some of the ways in which Julia tries to help Rich with his situation?...continue reading this AWESOME interview at Geeks of Doom!

Eleven Questions with T.E. Pouncey: Stephen Lindsay

(Because 10 questions aren't enough --- and who has time to read 12?)

Stephen Lindsay is the creator and author of a self-published comic book Jesus Hates Zombies: Those Slack Jawed Blues [check out the GoD review here]. This week it was announced that Alterna Comics will be publishing the next printing of the trade with an exclusive cover by Michael Bracco this December! Lindsay has also written a JHZ story scheduled to appear in the Alterna Tales #2 anthology, due to be released this month [read the GoD review here].

Stephen Lindsay is a 30-year-old married father of two. He lives in Rochester, NY and works as an Art Director for a small marketing firm.

"I've really always been interested in comics, typically gravitating more toward the darker, edgier stuff," Stephen said. "Growing up, my favorite comic stories were both penned by Frank Miller (although I didn't realize it at the time). These were The Dark Night Returns and Daredevil: Born Again. Then I moved away from comics and didn't get into them again until recently, when I found Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead." Stephen is just beginning his professional career in comics, "But as long as I can tell stories that find their way in front of people, and some people dig them, then I'm happy." he said.

T.E. Pouncey: How did you come up with the idea for Jesus Hates Zombies?...continue reading this AWESOME interview at Geeks of Doom!

Eleven Questions with T.E. Pouncey: Laura Preble

(because ten questions aren't enough -- and who has time to read twelve?)

Ms. Preble is an award-winning teacher, a jazz singer and pianist, and the author of The Queen Geek Social Club and its soon-to-be-published sequel Queen Geeks In Love (both available from Penguin Books). A self-admitted geek, Laura is a science fiction fan and currently lives in the San Diego area with her husband, jazz saxophonist Chris Klich and her sons Austin and Noel.

T.E. Pouncey: I thoroughly enjoyed your novel. Are any of the elements in The Queen Geek Social Club autobiographical?

Laura Preble: Actually, the book is sort of like how I would have been in high school if I'd had better clothes and more confidence. Other than that, a lot of it is based on various elements of the schools where I've taught (West Hills High and Mar Vista High in San Diego, CA). I study my students, then take pieces of various kids, stitch them together, and create new characters. It's kind of like Frankenstein, but with less lightning.

TEP: Do you create a character and then visualize what they look like, or do you visualize a character and then create their personality?...continue reading this AWESOMELY GEEKY interview at Geeks of Doom!

Conversations with GoD: Gregory Smith

Geeks of Doom gets the scoop from Gregory Smith, star of The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising, on filming in Romania as well as his character's possible destiny with the Dark Side.

In The Seeker, Smith -- the 24-year-old actor best known his four-year stint as teenager Ephram Brown on TV's Everwood -- plays Max Stanton, older brother to Will, the last of the Old Ones who is seeking six signs to use to battle forces of evil.

The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising opens in theaters today.

****

Geeks of Doom: You've played some seriously dramatic roles in your career. What drew you to an epic fantasy film like THE SEEKER?

Gregory Smith: It was a favorite book of my brother's growing up. Also, Max is the oldest brother -- as I am -- so it gave me a chance to put to use all of my big brother antics I developed over the years.

GoD: The film centers around Will Stanton (played by Alexander Ludwig), a young boy who finds out he has an important destiny. You play Will's older brother Max. What's Max's destiny?...continue reading this AWESOME interview at Geeks of Doom!