THE MIRROR PEOPLE LAUGH AT YOU AND LAUGH AT ME

NEW TO THEATRES...

* Snow White and the Huntsmen. No glib line here. I actually like a review I wrote for once. I tried something different. Please read it.

UPDATED TO CRITERION CONFESSIONS...

* Night & Fog, Alain Resnais' short documentary about the Holocaust. My Memorial Day review.

THIS WEEK IN DVD/BD REVIEWS...

* Fat City, an excellent boxing drama from John Huston, starring Stacy Keach and Jeff Bridges.

Current Soundtrack: Cousin Ben's Moonrise Kingdom playlist 

e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Midi-Confessions123 * Criterion Confessions * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll [old version] * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon

All text (c) 2012 Jamie S. Rich

BACK NUMBERS

More Bobby Pins and Mary Janes art this week.

I asked Dan Christensen to consider doing an image from Integer City, the old comic book Parker is editing for a reprint edition. Dan and I are doing a weird crime book for Oni Press, and it just made sense to me that he'd tackle my fake sci-fi detective story.

He killed it. This is just a tease. Click through on the image to see the full reality of this.

This scene will all make sense when you read Friday's installment. It's a massive section, the longest I'll be releasing--though next week's will be the second longest. I know some might think I should draw it out longer, but I want people to get the story in satisfying chunks.

I hope you're keeping up with the blog in general. I posted some more Joëlle art this week, too, and I have a little more from her in the coming weeks. I tend to keep a lot of her work around (I can see two drawings by her as I type this, just by lifting my head) and I draw inspiration from just about everything she does. There would have been no Ryu in Valerie Flames if not for this random sketch on her long-dead, old website:

We're in the home stretch. I think we're essentially more than halfway through the book. It's been suggested to me that I create a tip jar. I feel weird about it, because free is free, right? Plus, what if I decide to Kickstart later or something?

But anyway, if you're enjoying the book, and you want to buy me a drink, then buy me a drink.

Current Soundtrack: The Small Faces, From the Beginning: Deluxe Edition 

e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Midi-Confessions123 * Criterion Confessions * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll [old version] * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon

All text (c) 2012 Jamie S. Rich

THE FIERCE LAST STAND OF ALL I AM

Just received my copies of Unite and Take Over, vol. 2, the comic book anthology featuring stories inspired by Smiths songs.

Christopher Mitten and I adapted "Well I Wonder" from Meat Is Murder into a dark tale of crime and romance. Chris and I have been wanting to work together for a long time, so I am really glad he was able to do this.

The folks at SpazDog did an awesome job of bringing the book together. Chris' art printed really nice.

The comic also contains stories by my friends Jennifer de Guzman and Eric M. Esquivel. Ask your local comic shop to order it, or get it from Amazon by pressing the button below.

Current Soundtrack: Garbage, Not Your Kind Of People

HAVE YOU SEEN HER LATELY?

This week's Bobby Pins and Mary Janes fan art comes just in time for the second chapter of the Valerie Flames serial embedded in the novel.

It's from Megan Levens, and it showcases the grown-up Valerie from the future we met at the end of the first chapter.

Here is a tease, click on the image to go to the book's tumblr and see the whole thing (and also to read the novel!):

Megan's Buzzing Over Bombshell sketch blog is a must-follow. Her girls are too gorgeous!

Also, if you never read the story she and I did for the Double Feature Romance Special, what are you waiting for?

The new installment of Bobby Pins and Mary Janes is up now, and remember, we update every Friday!


Current Soundtrack: Pet Shop Boys, "If Love Were All/Do I Have To/To Speak Is a Sin"

e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Midi-Confessions123 * Criterion Confessions * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll [old version] * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon

All text (c) 2012 Jamie S. Rich

DON'T BOUNCE WITH ME

NEW TO THEATRES...

* Men in Black III. What does that make? At least two times too many? Josh Brolin is pretty great, though.

UPDATED TO CRITERION CONFESSIONS...

* Certified Copy, a heady journey through the philosophy of romance starring Juliette Binoche.

THIS WEEK IN DVD/BD REVIEWS...

* Spin a Dark Web, a 1956 British crime thriller, short on thrills but tall on Britishness. The photography stands out more than anything else.

Current Soundtrack: Pulp, His 'n' Hers Deluxe Edition, disc 2

e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Midi-Confessions123 * Criterion Confessions * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll [old version] * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon

All text (c) 2012 Jamie S. Rich

GLITTERING GIRL

The new Diamond Previews lands in stores today, and it features a double-page spread with the solicitation of the first issue of It Girl and the Atomics. We even got "Gem of the Month" status!

Check it out in the stores, and tell your comics retailer that you want to subscribe. Preordering is a big deal for a new series, and it never hurts to let your store owner know that you want something.

IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #1 – GEM OF THE MONTHstory JAMIE S. RICHart MIKE NORTONcover MICHAEL & LAURA ALLREDAUGUST 832 PAGES / FC / E$2.99Fresh from the pages of Mike Allred’s MADMAN: Snap City’s favorite heroine is ready for her own crimefighting adventures! With the Atomics boys in outer space, it’s up to It Girl to keep the streets safe. Easier said than done: The Skunk, the man who murdered her sister, is out of jail and back to old tricks. Meanwhile, Dr. Flem has a brand new space-time experiment and wants It Girl to be his guinea pig!

Here is a special sneak preview of the early design work we are doing on the cover. I'm really pleased with how Crank! has been putting it all together.

Current Soundtrack: M83, "Midnight City (Remix par Who Killed JR?)"

I LOVE A GOOD FIGHT

NEW TO THEATRES...

* Bernie, Richard Linklater reteams with Jack Black for a semi-successful comedic take on the true crime genre.

* The Dictator, Sacha Baron Cohen's latest is big on laughs and small on story, but if you like his stuff, the giggles win.


OTHER ARTICLES...

* This weekend in Portland, the sixth-annual Queer Documentary Film Festival is going down. I wrote a round-up of the event for the Mercury. If you are in town, you have to do what you can to go see Jobriath A.D. It's excellent!

* To commemorate the passing of Adam Yauch, I wrote about the Criterion Beastie Boys Video Anthology.

Current Soundtrack: Asobi Seksu, "Miniature Cities;" Ian McCulloch, "Vibor Blue (Acoustic Version);" the Monarques, "It's All Over Now"

e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Midi-Confessions123 * Criterion Confessions * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll [old version] * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon

All text (c) 2012 Jamie S. Rich

GINGER SNAPS

It's week 4 of Bobby Pins and Mary Janes, and the next section will go live tonight after midnight, PST.

In the meantime, you have to check out this unbelievable drawing Chynna Clugston Flores did for the book. I literally had tears in my eyes when I saw this the first time earlier this week. It's a knock-out.

Click on the teaser image to see the whole thing.

Current Soundtrack: Gene, "A Town Called Malice;" Dean & Britta, "Ginger Snaps"

FORGET THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD

I just hit schedule on the last bit of text for Bobby Pins and Mary Janes.

The book, for all intents and purposes, has been put to bed.

You don't know what a huge relief this is. Like a load has been lifted from my shoulders. Forget any idea of accomplishment, the best part is I no longer have to fret about being done on time. I no longer have to worry about making my weekly quota. No more proofreading. No more obsessing. I can sleep again, I can digest properly, I have surrendered this manuscript to the world. I can return to my normal life and focus on other work again.

At final count, the book is spread over eleven total posts and will end on July 6.

For the rest of the run, up through section 10, there will be an average of two extra posts a week, showcasing sidebar material and inspiration. Those are all loaded, too. Tuesday is my regular extra day, though expect surprises other days. Fridays will remain the update day for the text.

Don't forget to add the site to your RSS feeder. You only have three chapters to get caught up on so far. bobbypinsandmaryjanes.com


Now for a nap or something. Sadie, where are you? Get ready to cuddle!

Current Soundtrack: Mos Def, The New Danger

e-mail = golightly at confessions123.com * Midi-Confessions123 * Criterion Confessions * Last FM * GoodReads * The Blog Roll [old version] * DVDTalk reviews * My Books On Amazon

All text (c) 2012 Jamie S. Rich

THIRD FINGER, LEFT HAND

We're three weeks in on Bobby Pins and Mary Janes. It's been cool getting the project out there, getting reactions, etc. There is always a feeling of unburdening when you publish. This stuff you've been carrying around for so long is finally going out into the world. It's not yours to fret over any longer.

If you haven't checked in yet, now is a good time. You can grab section 3 and all the rest and have a pretty good chunk of story in your hands.

You can also look through the archives of posts with links to my inspirations and stuff I reference in the story. More of that is to come. In fact, there are two posts going up this week that will give you a taste of some of what Parker and Mario are talking about. People always complain they don't know what my characters are on about when they read the novels; now you're part of the club!

We also had our first bit of fan art this week. Nicolas Hitori de drew this awesome picture of Valerie Flames and her trusty dog Henry. I'm beyond chuffed.

I'm only giving you a tease here, you have to go to the site to get the rest. Follow the link in the image.

I have more art in hand from Megan Levens and Dan Christensen that I'm going to time with specific posts. In the meantime, I hope more of you will take a shot at drawing some characters from Bobby Pins and Mary Janes!

But above all...keep reading!

Current Soundtrack: The Mystery Jets, Radlands

YOU WERE THE SALE OF THE CENTURY...for the next three days

Just got word that Oni Press has teamed up with Fab.com for a big sale. 11 titles in all, one of which is You Have Killed Me. For the next three days, our books is only $12.97!

Click on the image below to go to the Oni portal:

Current Soundtrack: The Black Angels, "The First Vietnamese War"

THE SPEAK IT MOUNTAINS

A couple of new, extensive interviews with yours truly.

Both give the lowdown on It Girl and the Atomics and also Bobby Pins and Mary Janes.


* If reading is your pleasure, this Multiversity piece by David Harper will be right up your alley.

* If you'd rather listen, then head to the 2 People Talking podcast to hear my chat with Angela Paman. You can stream or download the file.

The second installment of Bobby Pins and Mary Janes goes live tonight. It's the first Valerie Flames-centric chapter, complete with Joëlle Jones illustrations. Don't miss it!

Current Soundtrack: Michael Kiwanuka, Home Again

BETTER THAN REVENGE

Only one movie review this week, but it's a good one.

THE AVENGERS

Joss Whedon totally sticks the landing. I literally cannot think of one complaint about this movie (if we forget about the 3D downconversion).

Actually, wait, I do have one. If you're going to have Harry Dean Stanton make a cameo in a movie called The Avengers, it should have been for a scene like this:

   

Current Soundtrack: Nas, "Daugthers" and "The Don"

FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2012!

You guys excited for Free Comic Book Day this year? I know I am, because I have material in two different comics.

First, Oni Press has Yo Gabba Gabba! Free Comic Book Time, which leads with the story I wrote and Mike Allred drew for their Yo Gabba Gabba anthology.

This is what the cover looks like:

There are lots of great folks in this comic.

From the hit Nickelodeon show! Come join your Gabba Land pals Muno, Foofa, Brobee, Toodee, Plex, and of course DJ Lance Rock for a series of fun-filled adventures! Plus, an awesome Super Martian Robot Girl tale, too! 

Writers: Jamie S. Rich, Kali Fontecchio, Frank Pittarese, Evan Dorkin, & Sarah Dyer 

Artists: Michael Allred, Kali Fontecchio, Jarrett Williams, & Evan Dorkin, with Han Allred, Rico Renzi, & Sarah Dyer

So, even if you think I suck, you will have plenty of other folks to hang out with at the party.

Likewise, the Image Comics Free Comic Book Day sampler has a bunch of sneak peeks, including new work by Scott Morse and Steve Niles, Revival by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton, and also four pages of It Girl and the Atomics, which Norton drew from my script. And, of course, the characters were created by Mike Allred.

Here is the cover, and you can also read the preview at CBR:

That picture of It Girl on the cover is also taken from the interiors of #1.

Ironically, this is the first year that I have material in any FCBD releases and also the first year I have no plans to be anywhere for it. We were going to set up a signing, but it never came together. You can see Joëlle Jones at Cosmic Monkey, however. Make her sign my comics, or more likely hear her call me a jackass. (It took her less than half an hour at Stumptown.)


Current Soundtrack: DJ Shadow on Turntable.FM