This Euro-horror film once again casts Paul Naschy as a cursed werewolf. While the movie looks good and has one of the better werewolf masks I've seen, it's a disappointing film.

What disappoints me most about it is that it has a great premise. Naschy (who co-wrote it) plays Waldemar Daninsky, who's a descendant of a knight who led a group of warriors to defeat a Satanic cult that was terrorizing the countryside. Daninsky's ancestor kills the leader of the cult and burns his wife at the stake, but not before she curses his future generations. Fast forward into the 1800's and Daninsky is a wealthy land owner who almost runs over a beautiful woman in his carriage. He takes her home, they fall in love, and she, of course, is a member of the evil cult. She has sex with the devil, giving her the power to curse him by slashing his chest with the fangs of a wolf's skull.

The treacherous lover flees, but Daninsky meets another woman. He, naturally, starts a murderous werewolf rampage including some of her family. He soon realizes he's been cursed and his new lover realizes she's the only one who can end it.

Here's where it turns into a bland werewolf film. Once Daninsky starts chewing on people, it becomes a below average monster movie. What it could've been was a neat movie about a werewolf fighting a Satanic cult. Daninsky, knowing the cult has cursed him, doesn't hunt them down or seek out a priest to reverse his curse. He just savages random villagers.

It could've been so much more.

end-living.livejournal.com

I've started my blogging project about what I'd do if I knew for certain the world would blow up / be conquered by aliens / meet the Rapture / face a zombie uprising on December 22, 2012 like so many people believe. I hope you'll check it out, comment, and start your own journey of self-discovery.

This was a good year for Pickle Press. I'm still not writing The Flash or Vampirella, but I had a lot of fun this year.

My convention and publishing year started in February. I got The Three Keys #2 published in time to take it to MegaCon in Orlando, Florida. This was my first full-color book and my first time working MegaCon. Luckily for me, my pal Jose "Joe" Fuentes, lives not far from Orlando so I was able to ship my convention stuff to him, which he brought up so he and I could work the show together. It was great to hang out with Joe, his wife (Deb), and their kids that weekend. I was also lucky enough to be seated next to my pal Tim Vigil and we had a great time making fun of bad Marvel comics. We also ate at the local Hooter's every night. I didn't make back enough to cover all of my expenses, but I made back my table at least and had a good time. For a first-time "working show," it could've been a lot worse.

I went to the Arnold Fitness Expo in Columbus, Ohio in March to hand out flyers promoting Code Red, Jasmine, and Salem, AZ since the models featured in all three books were there. I never saw Alex Del Monacco (star of Jasmine), but I did get to catch up with Nicole "Kerry Connelly" McClain (of Salem, AZ) and April "Code Red" Hunter. It was the first April and I had seen each other since GlamourCon Chicago 2008.

April brought my annual trip to SPACE. It was, as always, a great time. We had a great set-up at one end of an aisle with me, Paul Schultz, Jon Kulczar, Jon Hodges, and Mike Indovina all in the same area. There was some wackiness at our hotel involving a bathroom door that would get stuck shut and Jon Kulczar being hit on by some scary cougars at the hotel bar (not to mention Jon forgetting which room was ours). Sales were good and Paul and I took part in a panel with Tom "Godland" Scioli that discussed writing and drawing exciting action sequences.

Paul, Bill "Inkslinger" Wilkison, and I took a day trip to the Motor City Con in May. I went mainly to pick up and drop off some artwork. I was also curious to see if the show had changed since I'd last worked it. It hadn't. The lay-out was still weird and the crowd seemed bland. There also wasn't much sold by retailers that seemed fun or unique.

I also went (with a cadre of nephews and one of their friends) to Wizard Chicago / Chicago Comic Con for a day in August. I was interested to learn how the show would "feel" since Marvel and DC had pulled out of the show. It turned out to be rather quiet in the convention center. There weren't a lot of indie comics for sale in artists' alley. I was told by many indie creators that it had been a good show for artists but not for people selling indie books. A lot of the dealers were offering massive bargains, more than usual for a Sunday so I got some good swag but not as much as I normally bring home from the show.

A week later I was in Louisville, Kentucky for the Fright Night Film Fest. I premiered Jasmine #1 and Code Red #1 there, since both April and Alex were at the show. I had a minor bump in the road with April's book since page 2 was printed on page 19 (this was corrected in another print run after the show), but had a fun time otherwise. I was next to Alex for the whole show, so that was a treat. I also got to see B-movie star pal Jim O'Rear, meet Michael Madsen, and see The Shining on a big drive-in screen on a hot summer night. Sales were slow on some of the days but I did better there than I initially thought.

Mandy and I went to Franklin, Indiana's B-Movie Celebration in September. It wasn't as fun (or as well organized) as last year's show, but it was still a fun time. We got to see some old friends and introduce our godkids to the original War of the Worlds film.

My convention year ended, as usual with Mid-Ohio-Con. I snagged a booth for the price of a table (thank you, Jon Hodges) and had a fun time there. Sales were better than the previous year. I made back my table, but not much else. The show's being moved to the first weekend in November next year. I don't know if that will make for a better show or not.

This month one of my erotica pieces, "The Kitchen Light," was published in Cleis Press' Best Lesbian Erotica 2010. It was a nice cap to the year.

Time to review my goals for this year:

1. Print The Three Keys #2, The Javelin #1, and Agent Z #2 at least. I also want to print Sun and Moon, Isobel Loves Tentacles, Ninja Nympho Roommate, Stripper Viking #1, Dare #2: The CONE Project, Frank Hates Triangles, Haiku-mics, Naked Shadows #1, Jasmine #1, and Mysteria's Mansion #1, but that's a lot of money. We'll see what happens. I may do very small print runs of each to keep my expenses down.

2. Get something else printed by someone else. It was great to see my work printed by Arrow Comics, so I hope to continue this trend next year.

3. Look into self-publishing a collection of short stories. I have a lot of erotica that I'm considering putting into an anthology instead of turning into comics.

4. Work at least one new show. I'm already setting up to accomplish this goal, as my first show of 2009 will be MegaCon in Orlando, Florida. I've attended, but never worked it. I want to look into more genre (horror, sci-fi, erotic) shows as well, since I did well at two of them this year.

I printed two of the books I'd hoped to print, and made it three with the addition of Code Red #1. Isobel Loves Tentacles has now become known as Tentacle Love and is 99% done. NNR, Stripper Viking, Dare #2, Fear of Triangles (formerly known as Frank Hates Triangles), Haiku-mics, Naked Shadows #1, and Mysteria's Mansion are still languishing.

Cleis Press took care of goal #2 and has encouraged me to push toward self-publishing a collection of my erotica. I plan to take copies of BLE 2010 with me to shows next year for sale.

MegaCon also took care of goal #4, so 2009 turned out well. Here are my goals for 2010:

1. Work another new show. Right now it looks like I'll be working the Philadelphia Comic Con for the first time. I'm also looking into working Horror Hound Indianapolis and maybe an anime show in Sandusky, Ohio.

2. Print Mysteria's Mansion, Agent Z #2, Fear of Triangles, Sun and Moon, Haiku-mics, NNR, and Tentacle Love if possible.

3. Get more of my books up for sale through online distributors and other indie distributors.

4. Dust off some old scripts including Chalice of Dracula, Rocket Girl #3, and The Cult of the Machine.

5. Get discounted or free space at one show (at least).

6. Make back more than my table / space fee at two shows (at least).

Wish me luck. Thanks again for supporting Pickle Press and indie comics. Thanks to all the great artists who enjoy working on my books, to my loyal readers, to all the models who worked with me this year, and to my lovely wife - the Lois Lane to my Superman.

If you head over to www.comicspace.com/pickle_press you can check out the new gallery for Code Red. It currently has the photo covers and six pages from issue 1. Artwork from issue 2 will be added soon. If nothing else, you can see the photo covers featuring the lovely April Hunter. They are alone worth the trip.

You can also see a lot of artwork there for many other Pickle Press projects and read the free censored edition of Ninja Nympho Roommate #1.

Thanks for looking.

This is an X-rated 1970's softcore sexploitation movie created by and starring a lot of the folks involved with Romero's early zombie movies.  John Russo, co-author of Night of the Living Dead wrote this silly sex romp about two employees at a sex toy factory.

Cherry Jankowski (played by the cute Sharon Joy Miller) is a sexually frustrated gal who wants her poet boyfriend (Doug Sortino) to wow her in the bedroom, but he's too busy writing bad poems and flitting around in drag to worry about her.  She's bored with testing sexy toys and her naughty neighbor keeps finding ways to trick her into compromising positions.

Marcello Fettucini (played by co-author and director Rudy Ricci) is the company's top male employee, but he can't get it up anymore.  He spends most of the film trying to find a cure for his affliction before he's fired.  He and Cherry meet for dinner and explain their mutual woes before discovering they need each other to solve them.

It's a silly movie full of gratuitous nudity, puns, and goofy dialogue.  There are some clever comedic moments, such as the scene in which Marcello and Cherry go out to dinner.  Marcello is trying to pour his heart out to Cherry but he's constantly interrupted by a waiter who keeps bringing things to the table.  It's a funny scene thanks to the actors and the simple nature of something everyone's gone through to some extent.

I got an e-mail on Nov. 6th from one of their sales people. It said she wanted to talk with me about the possibility of having Pickle Press in their small press area.

I called her today, after learning their Artists' Alley spaces were sold out. She confirmed this, stating they were gobbled up as soon as they were available. She said they had small press booths left and these would be located near the main exhibitors (Marvel, DC, Image, Aspen, Top Cow, and a couple manga companies whose names escape me). Artists' Alley will, of course, be in the back and it sounds like the retailers will be in another room altogether.

They are working on the parking situation. Load-in will be Wednesday night and all day Thursday. They already have hotel rooms blocked for the show.

The small press booths are 6' x 8' and come with pipes and drapes to keep your space separate from others.

The price? $800.00 and YOU DO NOT GET A TABLE OR CHAIRS. You must BRING YOUR OWN OR RENT THEM from McCormick Place. She advised against renting them as "that can get expensive."

I almost laughed. I told her that I could get a 10' x 10' table with two chairs and a table for $445.00 at the Phoenix show and she agreed that their spaces are expensive but said their show will be like no other in the Midwest. They are predicting 40,000 attendees.

I told her I'd give it a lot of thought. They need payment by December.

I'm torn. I'd like to get in on the ground floor with this show and these people. She claimed their customer service is "excellent." However, I'm insulted that I'd be giving them enough money to print a book and have to bring my own smegging table and chairs.

I'd like to know what the rest of you think of this and, I suppose, if anyone is looking to share the cost of booth space.

I was considering working Cinema Wasteland in Cleveland the week before C2E2 (and I'm already confirmed for SPACE at the end of April), where I can get a table for $250.00 and hang out with the horror crowd at what I hear is a fun show.

Any thoughts? Does anyone have space reserved at C2E2 already?

Oh yes, Artists' Alley applications are vetted by "people in the convention industry." The C2E2 folks send your application and samples of your work to these people and they determine if you'd be a good fit for your show. "We'd like to have everybody, but if we have to choose between the guy who's worked for DC and the guy who's just made some T-shirts that week, well...you know."
 

...but this one will be a blog.

The idea came to me out of the blue while at work today, possibly while I was thinking of different work-outs and Pickle Press projects I need to finish or start.

It is tentatively called Planning for the End: Living Like the World Will End in 2012.  I plan to journal this project on a separate blog.  I will probably make reference to it here from time to time (and vice versa).  Mandy suggested I make it collaborative and encourage others to follow suit.

The project is essentially this: Let's say for a moment that all these Mayan calendar theorists are right and the world will blow up or something on December 21 (or the 23rd, depending on which researcher you believe), 2012.  If that were the case, how would you live the next two years and one month?  What would you make sure to get done?  What bridges would you rebuild?  What unsaid things would you finally say?  What unfulfilled dreams would you complete?

The list can, of course, be endless.  I plan on making out one soon and seeing how much I can check off it in 25 months.  If you'd like to try this with me, feel free to e-mail me with your stories, lists, and anything else you find interesting.

I've already assumed this has high potential to be an expensive endeavor.  I'd like to visit Australia, but I don't know if that will happen due to financial constraints.  I'd like to drive Route 66, but I have no idea how much such a trip would cost or how long I should take for that journey.  There are a couple martial arts certifications I'd like to achieve, and those will also cost money. 

So I'll have to keep working.  I can't quit my job to go on some two-year dreamquest.  Sure it would be an interesting experience, but probably not a completely pleasant one.  Work means time constraints, so those will also factor into choosing what to do on the list.

I haven't created the new blog for this yet, but I soon will.  I think it will be a fun time.  Feel free to join me.
 

If you head over to www.outlawmagazine.tv and click on the "Movies" section you can read my picks for a 24-hour movie marathon suitable for any Halloween party or your own viewing pleasure.

While you're there check out all the other cool articles, music, and what-nots.  "Lifestyle" includes my interview with pin-up artist Dave Nestler and the music reviews includes my review of The The's "Hanky Panky" album.

Enjoy!

Nik