In case you didn’t catch it, Universal released a teaser trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I’d suggest you go see it, especially those of you who are fans of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s comic and Edgar Wright’s films.

I’ve been waiting forever for this movie—due out August 13. Hell, I’ve been waiting forever for this trailer. This has only happened for me on two occasions: this one and Watchmen. In fact, to show you my excitement…I took screenshots. Here are my top three favourites:

1. The first (awake) meeting: Part of the opening of the trailer that just shows that Wright has the atmosphere of the story and the roles (in this scene played by Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead) down to its slightest millimeter.

2. The WHIP visual effect: Not only is it a recognizable Toronto location, not only is it an amazing comic effect followed by Cera following through, but it’s also Chris Evans doing probably one of his best roles of all time—the skateborder-turned-movie-actor Lucas Lee.

Look at that visual effect. It’s like a revival of the old Batman series but with so much more purpose.

3. Scott killing a baddie into FUCKING CHANGE: Sorry for the language, but the guy did just turn into Canadian currency. Take a look at the HD trailer and tell me you don’t see Queen Elizabeth’s face on some of the quarters.

I was sold when they said that Edgar Wright was going to make it. I was sold even more when Bryan Lee O’Malley said he was good with how it looks on the War Rocket Ajax podcast. After this?

I just might have peed a little.

Penny Arcade: The Series started in November 2009, revealing what Krahulik and Holkins' brainchild has created ever since their introduction in 1998.

Upon learning about PATV in December 2009, I instantly became a fan of it. Being a fan of the comic Penny Arcade for a long while, I was surprised to come upon it on their Web site a month after it had started. To clarify, PATV is the online channel which currently hosts two video series—Penny Arcade: The Series and Blamimation with Kris & Scott.

PA: The Series is a behind-the-scenes/reality-TV look at the makings of Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins’ syndicate, including their work in their charity Child’s Play, their dealings with other video game companies, and of course their work in comics. A new episode comes up every Friday, and I’ve enjoyed every episode as of this moment.

Blamimation is the fucked up brainchild of Kris Straub (Starslip, chainsawsuit) and Scott Kurtz (PvP). And I do mean that in the most complimentary of ways. The series happens monthly and it contains hilarious animations done (and mostly voiced by) the two comic artists. It’s been a fun watch so far, and I can’t wait to see more.

I’m unsure if any more series will be added to the PATV roster, but if there are, I’d love to see more!

Jeph Jacques' attempt at making his comic syndicate-friendly.

I’m back from the Land of the Dead—in my case, North York—and I still have a number of blog entries to do here at The Boar until I’m done! Apparently, I have the choice to post for another term, so I figured I’ll keep on going until then!

Initially, I was going to talk about what I’ve learned about the writing process when it comes to comics. Rather, I’d like to point you to—of all things—a meme started on Twitter. Yep, instead of giving you all a list of self-learned tips that could help expand your creative mind, I’m giving you a list of badly made comics. It’s got the same academic effect I had in mind, but it teaches it so much better.

Questionable Content creator Jeph Jacques started #ifitweresyndicated, a Twitter hashtag thread where Jacques asked “every webcartoonist [he] know[s] to do a shitty syndicated version of their comic and post it on twitter” (2:40 PM, Jan. 13/10). While it’s only been two days, it’s spawned a large amount of replies containing badly written gags, imitating some of the worst newspaper-syndicated comics and comic puns known to date. From satires of vagely racist puns in syndicate comics to overdoses of fall-on-your-back pun responses, this is some of the most brilliant crap I’ve seen in a while.

Though I’m a fan of comics, such works from syndication have become more and more of an unimpressive thing as years have passed. Last week I checked the Saturday Star’s list of funnies hoping that it would correct me on such an assumption. But no. Save for a few, these comics still suck.

I’ve learned two things from writing this entry: (1) newspaper comics continue to fade into a slow and brutal death, and (2) I have no idea how to reference a Twitter post in MLA.

A KlockWorx/Studio Khara Film
Directed by: Hideaki Anno, Masayuki, Kazuya Tsurumaki
Written by: Hideaki Anno
Starring: Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Yuko Miyamura, Maaya Sakamoto

Promo poster, "Evangelion: 2.0" (2009)

At the time the original TV series was released in 1995 in Japan, Neon Genesis Evangelion was a brutally fresh look at the sub-genre of mecha anime, combining bio-mechanical technology with Christian/Gnostic theology. After viewing Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone at the 2008 Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema (WFAC) I was very stoked for writer/director Hideaki Anno’s recreation of his magnum opus. Not only was it re-mastered and re-edited for a smoother flowing story, it also proved that Anno’s creation is still prominent in the world of animated television and film.

What I didn’t expect to see from Anno is the entirety that is Evangelion: 2.0 at WFAC 2009. While the first film was very close to the original six episodes of the series, the story is almost completely re-written in EVA: 2.0.  Characters, relationships, and details of the world take an extremely significant detour from its former story. These changes range from Asuka Langley Soryu’s last-name change—to Shikinami—to the inclusion of Mari, a new pilot of an EVA, the film’s 50-foot bio-mech suits. This isn’t the Evangelion everyone remembers; the story is more intense than it’s ever been and is dynamically different, even better than the original series.

Mari is a newly added character in the Rebuild of Evangelion continuity. Artwork courtesy Yoshiyuki Sadamoto.

Relationships between the characters are more developed in EVA: 2.0. The father-son relationship between the main character Shinji Ikari and his father Gendou has been improved as well as the connection between Shinji, Asuka and Rei—the three children who pilot the Japanese EVAs.  When things go awry you feel sympathy for the victims in the film even more so than in the series.

The animation is top-notch, fusing 2D and CGI elements harmoniously. The action scenes really need to be seen. From skydiving while firing an automatic rifle to running on the fortress city of Tokyo-3’s rising walls to change course of direction, the EVAs’ over-the-top acrobatics and manoeuvres are stylish and just plain cool to watch.

Shiro Sagisu’s music work still plays an important role in the film. From overdrive-guitar ballads to heavy brass compositions, the tension in the film rises as the soundtrack plays. The music does a great job portraying the insanity in the characters, playing children’s songs at the darkest parts of the story. There is one instance where the happy music came in earlier than expected though, which will bring out a good chuckle from its viewers until ripped flesh and guts start to fly around.

Anno’s EVA: 2.0 has me very excited for the final two films in his proposed tetralogy. His magnum opus is improved and I cannot wait to see the next chapter. It’s not for the faint of heart: the children who pilot the EVAs are psychologically unstable, the play on the Gnostic mythos may be a bit much for some, and the mature themes in this film are very frequent. Nevertheless, Anno has done something I’ve never expected to see—he has made something groundbreaking today using a concept he made that was groundbreaking over a decade ago.

The Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema is on its 9th run this year.

Sorry for the late post, everyone! I’ve been back and forth in studies for my final term, that I’ve lost track of time.

Currently, the Waterloo Festival for Animated Cinema is running this weekend at the Gig Theatre (137 Ontario Street, Kitchener). While the event started on Thursday evening, it’s continuing until Sunday at 3:30 PM. Joseph Chen’s big project is one of my favourite things about this city, and I recommend all fans of animation to check it out!

Promo, "Kick-Ass" (2010)

Two films have peaked my interest in the past month or so, and they both have the same story concept. What these films approach is an age-old question held by many comic book fans: what does it take for an average person to become a superhero?

Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, based on the Icon/Marvel comic series by John Romita, Jr. and Mark Millar, follows the life of Dave Lizewski, a.k.a. Kick-Ass (played by Aaron Johnson), and his sole dream of becoming a masked superhero. From what it looks like, there’s going to be quite a bit of cool and stylish action, as well as some big-name actors in the movie such as Nic Cage and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad, Role Models). I’ve yet to read the comic, but this movie has definitely got me interested in it. The movie is set for release on April 16, 2010.

Promo poster, "Defendor" (2009)

The other film is Peter Stebbings’ comedy-drama Defendor (TIFF profile link included), starring Woody Harrelson as Arthur Poppington/Defendor. While the approach for this film is more realistic, and Harrelson’s character is the most awkward wannabe superhero I’ve seen to date, I have to give props to Harrelson’s use of the new-age Batman voice that Christian Bale has made so popular. Other big names include Kat Dennings (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) and Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy). Defendor is said to be out before the end of the year.

While both films look to be really entertaining, my tip of the hat goes to Kick-Ass because its another fresh exposure of new-era comics. That and it looks like it’ll be really fun to watch.

Sometimes when I can’t think of an idea or I feel uninspired I go to a small website called QuotesOnComics.com by Paulo Patrício. Inspired by the site QuotesOnDesign.com (which is also good), it’s a great source for ideas and concepts shared by a collection of comic artists and writers, as well as anyone who’s mentioned the influence of comics in their lives.

www.quotesoncomics.com, by Paulo Patrício

My particular favourite quotation comes from Drawn & Quarterly’s own Seth, whom is referenced to have said the following:

“A cartoonist has a very isolated job. You sit in a room with yourself everyday, all day. You have to come to some sort of truce with yourself. It is difficult to do, and easy to become depressed or melancholic.”

In case you’re wondering, Alexa Kitchen’s only 12 years old and she already has an extensive collection of works.

This is probably one of the coolest things I’ve seen in the past while. Born in 1997, Alexa Kitchen started making comics around the age of five—which was around the time I started to get more into drawing, so she’s way ahead of me and my work. Her most recent book is called Grown-Ups Are Dumb! (No Offense), which is a look into the world of a young intellect…by a young intellect! Released earlier last month, it’s her first published book, and it makes me feel hopeful for the current youth generation.

For more information about Kitchen and if you’re hankering for a read of some of her other comics, you can find her at www.alexakitchen.com/.

Comic writer Nat Gertler created 24 Hour Comics Day in 2004, many years after Scott McCloud's challenge was born.

This Saturday, October 3 marks an annual event known by many comics fans. Dubbed 24 Hour Comics Day, this masochistic endurance test was born by one Nat Gertler in 2004, and is based after the brainchild challenge of Scott McCloud in 1990. The day serves as an invite for its celebrants to create a 24-page comic in one solar-calendar day.

A number of shops, libraries, and cafés around different parts of the world leave their facilities open for any takers, supplying each comic creator with art gear, paper, and a hell of a load of caffeinated drinks and snacks. Unfortunately, there’s nothing open in the K/W area, but if you happen to be in Mississauga for the weekend and you’ve got nothing to lose, Image Collections has a station open from noon that day.

As a note, this day works like Valentine’s Day—there’s nothing stopping you from making a 24 hour comic any other day, but this day is a momentous time to do it. I’m really excited to do this, but it’s more fun to do it with others and I haven’t found any other takers yet to join me. That, and I need to be at my healthiest before I begin, and I’m currently recovering from a flu. Although this may be the swift, spiritual kick to the face I need to brighten my days.

For more info on 24 Hour Comics Day, check out www.24hourcomicsday.com.

Octopus Pie, by Meredith Gran (www.octopuspie.com)

Those who are big-time fans of the New York middle-class urban lifestyle—a world of organic living shops, postmodern thinking, and a backwards-hyperactive appreciation of aviator sunglasses and shutter shades—will probably find something to like in Meredith Gran’s Octopus Pie. It’s more than just today’s “indie” material though; despite the use of hipsters, stoners, and loners as the cast, there are very few flat characters.

This is fortunate for fans like me. The hipster scene kinda scares me.

Eve stands as a great protagonist: flawed, cynical, detached and scared out of her wits. After starting in 2007, Octopus Pie is 20 chapters strong. Currently it’s updating chapter-by-chapter instead of page-by-page, so those who haven’t been reading this comic should have some time to catch up. Her comic can be found at www.octopuspie.com.