Bleeding Neon

The closest thing I have to palimony from my first (and thus far, only) marriage is something resembling a lifetime membership to one of Las Vegas’ big chain health clubs. On and off throughout the years I’ve been steadily a gym-goer, though my focus in the last few years has shifted from trying to add weight to trying to lose it (thanks 30s!). It’s hard to balance the physical stuff with the massive, desk-bound workload I tend to carry, but I prefer a) not to be a fat-ass and b) not to die of a heart attack before 40, so I try to make cardio and weight runs at least a few times a week.

Of course, while public gym membership has its benefits — variety of equipment, unspoken peer pressure motivation, watching guilty pleasures on TV without anyone knowing — it definitely has its drawbacks as well. Anyone who knows me should be well aware my tolerance for pet peeves is low. And if there’s one place where those pet peeves abound, it’s the gym. So I’m going to review, in no particular order, my top five gym annoyances. Maybe getting this out there will help me from crowning someone with a barbell one day.*

1. People who drop weights – It’s something that has annoyed enough people that the gym actually posts a sign that says “DO NOT DROP WEIGHTS.” But people do it all the time. Usually men. Usually not using a lot of weight. To compensate for their lack of strength, they toss down the pulley or free weight, causing a loud clatter, usually accompanied by a grunt, all to prove their machismo. Of course, not only is it rude and annoying, it’s also counter-productive to a good workout, as most any reasonable adult can tell you, you get the most benefit from a rep as you slowly set weights down.
2. People using the elevator instead of the stairs - If you are in a wheelchair, have knee problems or are attached to an oxygen tank, this doesn’t apply to you. But if you’re one of those people I just saw come off a treadmill after an hour and then you’re standing waiting for the elevator TO GO DOWN, you missed the point.
3. The old guy strutting naked in the locker room – Ladies, do you have this same problem? Does it seem like there’s always some saggy, old person walking around butt naked in the locker room, drying off herself while flashing her girly bits for all the world to see? No? Well, f*ck, because there sure is that guy in the men’s locker room all the time. Look, pal, I don’t know how things were done back during the Great Depression or The Big One or whatever the hell, but here in my locker room in 2009, you at least have the courtesy of wrapping a towel around you as you strut from the shower to the locker. No one needs to see your saggy nutsack, grandpa.
4. Vending machine prices - It’s like being trapped at the airport and forced to pay exhorbitant prices should you, perish the thought, forget to bring your own water or beverage. $3 for the same Vitamin Water I can get around the corner at Smith’s for 50 cents? Eff you.
5. Cellular phone usage - To be fair, I guess not everyone comes to the gym to get away and spend some quality “me” time like I do. When I work out, I shut out the world, plug in my iPod (or sometimes, watch the tube while doing cardio), and focus on improving my body while taking a mental holiday from work, social media, etc. And for those of you with separation anxiety or needy family, I understand the need to have a cell phone on your person. But you people texting, twittering or even chatting on the phone while lazily lounging on the stepper or blocking those of us with real dedication while you chill on a weight machine? I hope you get accosted by saggy balls guy.

* Probably not.

I’ve talked about the process that goes into making The Utopian webcomic, and how sometimes I script a chunk of pages in advance, and sometimes I just work from a loose plot and script it after the fact. I’ve been using the latter approach lately, essentially creating a one-man “Marvel” method of comic book storytelling, where, as an artist, I move forward the action of the strip, and then the writer side of me interprets the action to write the words that match it. Basically, I’m doing this stuff on the fly now, which has allowed me to come up with certain plot points and twists even I didn’t see coming, which keeps the thing fresh for me. Which is good, because I had the realization this week that I am six months into this comic, and probably have six more months ahead of me. That’s a long time to dedicate to just one story.

An example of one such instance is the reveal about Michelle’s reasons for pursuing journalism from pages 39 to 42. Originally, that was supposed to be a two-page scene. Here’s what the original plot notes read:

Page 039-040: Michelle in school paper office, alone (think Chloe style from “Smallville”). She’s considering mock-up of paper w/Utopian reveal. James enters. They talk and stuff.

“They talk and stuff.” Wow, real nice piece of work there, Peej. Of course, when I provide a full script to another artist, it includes scene direction, full dialog, sound effects, etc. But since I’m the only one who has to figure out what I’m doing here, that kind of vagueness is usually fine. But when I started drawing the pages, I realized there was no sound way for me to get James to talk her out of publishing a story about his dual life. And I just let the characters tell me what was going to happen. So instead of having James talk her down, we see that Michelle already made the decision to can the story. And then Michelle needed more layers, more motivation for what she’s doing. And an inherent way of maybe coming around to James’ cause (also, she was pretty unlikeable up to that point).

The case is the same for Nate in today’s comic, though this I really didn’t see happening until after I drew the page. I’ll let you actually read it for yourself so as not to ruin the surprise (though, OK, I did give it away in the title of this blog post, I guess), but once I realized what was happening in the panels, a light bulb went on in my head. I think what eventually came out in the script gives Nate more depth and definition, moving him away from generic bully/jock status and into a character who may be somewhat more sympathetic.

I’ll stop posting these when you tell me to.*

*Probably not.

I’ve been an unabashed fan of She Wants Revenge from the first moment I heard “Tear You Apart” almost four years ago. Oh, sure, the band (really a duo — Justin Warfield and Adam “DJ Adam 12″ Bravin — expanded live to a quartet) copiously borrowed sonically from Joy Division, New Order and Depeche Mode, but Justin and Adam put such a fresh, dance floor-ready spin on it, that the aping was just fine. I gobbled up the “These Things” EP, then the self-titled full-length, then the eagerly-awaited follow-up, “This is Forever,” and ultimately the band’s last EP, “Save Your Soul.”

Those albums form a fairly cohesive aural snapshot of the band’s first four years, staying close to the darkwave groove first unleashed upon hipster bars of the world in 2005, sometimes adding more subtle textures, sometimes getting more funky, but generally keeping alive the flames of Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees and their ’80s counterparts. But with the release of “Up and Down,” She Wants Revenge puts that all in the past.

Welcome to She Wants Revenge 2.0.

Adam (I’m eschewing the formality of last names here as Adam is someone I’d consider a fair acquaintance, and let that be my full disclosure) has been hinting — OK, overtly broadcasting — on Twitter for the last few months that SWR has been making music by which to have sex. He wasn’t exaggerating. He and Justin have almost completely shed their ’80s postpunk sound (save for the EP’s instrumental, “Love Me”) for something entirely contemporary. From the opening, booming pulse of “Your Love” to the whiplash synths of “A Little Bit Harder Now,” SWR has found the place where Justin Timberlake meets Prince meets The Faint.

Justin’s distinctive robotic baritone and visual storytelling is still intact, but it’s been accented by raps hearkening back to his MC days (remember Bomb the Bass’ “Bug Powder Dust?”). As well, the duo is joined by new discovery ZinaStar on “All Wound Up,” where she delivers a Pussycat Dolls-style verse as well as background vocals.

The more goth-inclined members of SWR’s fan base might be put off by the suddenly mainstream club-friendly sound, but if they’re not able to grow with the band, then they’re missing out. This is pure ass-shaking ear candy you can enjoy without feeling guilty. And it’s made by two dudes who, I can confirm, are real people, writing their own music, playing in a real band that plays real venues. And they’re doing it all without the support of a major record label, so that $5 you should drop on iTunes today for “Up and Down” is money well spent.

F. Andrew Taylor moderates a discussion on breaking into comics with writers Dwayne McDuffie and Steven Grant at the 2008 Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival

I’m sure I’ve mentioned this a few times somewhere, and it’s a bit early, but as there are limited details surrounding this event on the internet right now (and I know some of you have been looking), I figured I’d get this post published sooner than later and just bug the hell out of you people on Facebook and Twitter later on.

The second annual Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival takes place Saturday, Nov. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Clark County Library (1401 E. Flamingo Road). Though it’s put on in tandem with the larger Vegas Valley Book Festival, the Comic Fest (as I shall refer to it hereafter) is growing into its own entity. Last year saw 900 people in only four hours time, and this year we expect more than 1000 in the five hours of the Fest.

The guest line-up is looking pretty good: Cecil Castellucci, Kim Deitch, Evan Dent, Steve Englehart, Mark Evanier, Noelle Garcia, Gary Groth, Laurenn McCubbin, Michael Ogilvie, Sean Russell, Deryl Skelton, Chris Staros, Dan Vado, Matt Wagner and Michael Uslan — a selection that runs the gamut from mainstream legends and indie publishers to Hollywood producers and local-based talent. Not too shabby.

Most importantly, though, for readers of this blog, at least, Pop! Goes the Icon will be making its first official comic convention debut. I’ll have a six-foot table full of goodies, including both the standard and deluxe versions of The Utopian #1, limited-edition posters, free stuff like buttons and postcards and maybe even Mark T. Zeilman and Hernan Valencia, who provided the cover artwork for the first issue of The Utopian. We’ll sign stuff, maybe sketch stuff, shoot the shizzle, whatever. Bring some cash and support my terrible comic strip, or just throw bananas at me. Cupcakes are accepted as well.

There will also be some awesome panels featuring the aforementioned guests, along with portfolio reviews, signings, a merchandise marketplace and some geek-tastic feature films including locally produced wunderkind Thor at the Bus Stop. It’ll be good times. Become a member of the Comic Fest Facebook group for all the latest updates, and in the meantime, peruse the panel line-up below. Hope to see you there!

Vegas Valley Comic Book Festival Panels

The Goshdarn Batman Panel – Mark Evanier moderates as Matt Wagner, Steve Englehart, and Michael Uslan discuss the evolution of Batman over the decades, their insights in to what makes the character so unique and their approaches to him, and the good and bad of what it means to work on such an iconic character. 11 a.m. – noon, Large Conference Room

Last Indy Standing — Laurenn McCubbin moderates (and gets in a few good shots of her own) as publishers Chris Staros, Gary Groth and Dan Vado duke it out.  Points of contention include:  I love creator’s rights more than you; Distributors,  shoot on sight or burn at the stake?  and My scratchy zombies can whup your pseudo-manga emo goth boys. 11 a.m. – noon, Jewel Box Theater

We Know Where The Bodies are Buried –  John L. Smith may know where the bodies are buried in Vegas, but writer/historian Mark Evanier, writer/artist Steve Englehart, artist Deryl Skelton and writer/producer Michael Uslan know the stories behind the stories at all the major publishers.  Join them as they share tales of famous creators, infamous characters, and even the occasional hush-hush, strictly on the QT cover up. 12:15 – 1:30 p.m., Large Conference Room

Selections from Adventures in Voice Acting: The Bang Zoom! Guide to Voice Acting (2008; rated NR; 108 min)
If you’ve considered what it would be like to have a career in voice acting, or want to know what it takes to break in, then you need to watch Adventures in Voice Acting. It includes all the essentials you will need to get started. Nearly 100 voice actors, casting directors and producers were interviewed for this project. Watch and listen as they share with you their personal pitfalls and triumphs. 12:15  – 1:30 p.m. Jewel Box Theater

Spotlight on Matt Wagner — From Green Arrow to Grendel, from Mage to Madame Xanadu, from Batman to Sandman Mystery Theatre, as a creator, Matt Wagner’s a chameleon.  He writes across a dizzying array of genres; cover gigs have not caused him to put down the pencil; he does both creator owned and work for hire projects.  Just when you think you know him, you discover you don’t.   Join us for a Q&A with a living legend whose distinctive stories and art have left an indelible mark on comics. 2 – 3 p.m., Large Conference Room

Hail to the King! — In this tell-all talk, his former squire (and noted Comics Historian) Mark Evanier shares his unique insights about industry titan, Jack “King” Kirby. Not only did Jack Kirby create several of comics’ most iconic characters and teams, but his artistic innovations (including “Kirby dots”) still shape the way we tell stories today. 2 – 3 p.m., Jewel Box Theater

The Drunk Panel — Inspired by underground comix such as Zap, Real Pulp, “Tijuana Bibles” and Raw, Drunk takes the torch and continues the craft of comic storytelling initiated by these forebears. You don’t have to be 21 to attend as writers and artists Kim Deitch, Noelle Garcia, Jarret Keene, Sean Russell and Michael Ogilvie tell bizarre, funny, violent, loving, and sincere tales about the quintessential human achievement of being drunk.  (And also about the process of producing, publishing, and promoting a non-mainstream work of art.) 3:15  – 4:15 p.m., Large Conference Room

Comics and Books and Movies, Oh My! — Just what does it take to turn a book into a comic, or a comic into a movie? Join Michael Uslan, Cecil Castellucci, Steve Englehart and Chris Staros for an animated (or written, or drawn) conversation about the challenges and opportunities of working across different media. 3:15 – 4:15 p.m., Jewel Box Theater