May the 4th Be With You, Free COmic Book Day, more....

First of all, I want to wish all my nerdy friends a happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth Be With You all!

I'm relaxing watching the Empire Strikes Back, so I'm going to keep it short, so Here's a few pictures from my Free Comic Book Day. Overall It's been a great weekend. Hope your's is as well.

Artist Jeffrey Veregge signing prints of his Judge Dredd cover art, which shoud be released IDW comics in the near future. Check out more of Jeffrey's Native/Comic Book themed art at JeffreyVeregge.com, and be on the lookout for my interview with Jeffrey in the coming days! There might also be a prize involving one of these Judge Dredd prints. I'll keep you posted.

Sukotto by Indy comic artist Scott Adams. Check him out at Sukotto Studios! Be sure to find him on Twitter and Facebook too! Tell him I sent you.

 Here is the rest of the free comic books I scored yesterday. What Books did you pick up? Anything good? Does anyone want to write a guest review of any nice new titles they might have stumbled across, or just want to share their Free Comic Book Day experience? Contact me on Twitter or Facebook and we'll hook it up!

This was also something pretty cool we stumbled across on our FCBD adventures. Doctor Who fans will get it! Way too cool!

Then me and the crew ended the day checking out the Amazing Spider-Man 2. I really enjoyed it for the most part. I don't want to spoil anything for you if you haven't seen it, but I will say that the villains were kind of lame. I'd watch it again...For those of you who have seen it, what did you think?

The discussion also came up yesterday about setting up our own Comic Con here on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. We think we could draw enough of a crowd that it would be worth the effort and time. Besides, how cool would it be to have our own little yearly Con other than the Comic Book Swap Meet that we have on occasion? I think it's time to buckle down and get serious about this plan. If anyone else wants to get involved in the planning process, contact me! Let's do this. The area needs it, and we deserve it!

That's all for now. Watch for the Jeffrey Veregge interview and contest. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and the Comic Book Swap Meet page on Facebook, and spread the word!

Free Comic Book Day this Saturday and more...

Wow...I didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted on here. A lots been going on. I know I usualy do my big post about Emerald City Comic Con and all but it just wasn't happening this year. I did attend, but was feeling very under the weather. Turned out I was actually going into congestive heart failure, which explains why I felt so shitty and unsociable that weekend. I'm doing good now though. Getting healthy. Losing weight. Feeling better than I have in a long time.

Enough about me though...

Who is stoked about Free Comic Book Day this Saturday, May 3rd? I sure am. It's a great way to get out and support your local comic shop,  introduce new readers, and just mingle and make new friends with like minded folks. Head over to Free Comic Book Day and find a participating store near you.

I know know my local shop, Avalon Comics at the Kitsap Mall in Silverdale, WA has some fun stuff lined up. They're encouraging cosplayers to dress up as their favorite superheroes and such, and offering prizes to the best! Also, they're hosting a special appearance by artist Jeffery Veregge, who will be signing at the shop that day. Jeffrey recently did some art for IDW publishing, and will be doing an interview on this blog very soon as well.

After spending some time at the comic shop, I'm gonna go watch the Amazing Spiderman 2. Have you seen it yet? Whats your opinion? Here's a trailer for those of you who have been lost in the woods andhavent seen it...

Well that's enough from me for now. Stay tuned for the interview with Jeffrey Veregge as well as some other exciting stuff...Before I go, I want to remind you all to join us on Facebook at the Comic Book Swap Meet group and follow me on twitter @thestevestrout and use the hashtag #ComicBookSwapMeet ...

Steve!

Electric Man writer/directer David Barras talks U.S. DVD release and more!!

A couple years ago a movie made it's debut here at the Port Townsend Film Festival. I wasn't a regular attendee at the film fest, but came across an intriguing film in the program guide. It was a comedy about a couple down on their luck comic book shop owners whose luck changes when they stumble across a priceless comic. The movie also starred a local actress, so I figured why the hell not? Comedy and comic books. Right up my alley. The movie...Electric Man...and might I add, I try to attend the Film Fest every year now!

I wasn't expecting to see a film masterpiece by any means, but I was absolutely surprised by Electric Man. It was a very funny film with a very Kevin Smith "Clerks" feel. I didn't even have trouble understanding the accents, which can be tricky sometimes when watching Scottish/English films. I'm definitely a fan of this movie!

I'm not going to ramble too much about Electric Man. The movie is finally making it's U.S. DVD release today actually. I highly recommend you go our and buy or rent this movie and see for your self! Even more exciting, I managed to get a quick interview with the writer/director of Electric Man, Mr. David Barras, where we talk Electric Man, Comic Con, the U.S. release and more! Check out the interview. Watch Electric Man. Email your local Comic-con to bring it in for a screening. Check out this trailer for Electric Man then check out the Q&A with the creator.

First off, I'd Like to thank the writer/director of Electric Man, David Barras, for taking time to answer these questions for us. I'm sure things are hectic with the upcoming U.S. DVD release.

-Do we have an exact date as to when that drops here in the states?

DVD on September 10th, available from Passion River and then on iTunes, Xbox and Playstation digitally, available through FilmBuff.

-Is it going to be widely distributed? Do we know where it will be available yet?

It should be relatively widely available, we're also hoping it will be picked up by some of the indie comic shops, but if you wait until October and you have a computer or a games console, there's no excuse for not checking it out.

-This won't be the first time Electric Man has been seen in the U.S. The film actually made its world premier at the Port Townsend Film Festival, in Port Townsend (Where I happen to reside), WA to a great response. How was the PTFF lucky enough to have the film debut here?

That was all to do with Jennifer Ewing and her dad Jim. Jennifer, our lead actress, is from Port Townsend and for a while as a teenager, lived in Edinburgh where the film is set. Her dad, jim, who is involved in the Film Festival worked with our cinematographer, Rich,  while he was here and when we came to cast the film, Rich mentioned he knew an actress who was into comics. Jennifer was living in New York at the time, but we sent her a script and she filmed an audition and we loved it. So Jennifer was cast and when the film was complete it seemed natural to enter it into the Port Townsend Festival. it was accepted and by all accounts it received a great reception.

-The film was also screened at the San Diego Comic Con International Film Festival! That is huge for a comic book genre film to be seen there! What was the process like getting Electric Man selected to be part of the biggest comic show in the world?

It's pretty much the same selection process for all film festivals. You send off your baby with a hope and a prayer and wait for the judging process to be over. I remember hearing about this particular success because word got to us in Scotland at about 11pm and I was so happy. I knew we had to go and I phoned Scott Mackay (co-writer and Assoc Producer) to tell him. It was a great feeling, knowing that we'd be heading to the biggest geek gathering on the planet and somewhere that would be very important for the film in the long term.

-How well received was Electric Man in San Diego?

It went down really well. Even though it had played in the US prior to this, we were worried the accents might be tough for a US audience. We needn't have been concerned. the humour and energy of the film carried the screening and we were aware that the film had great market potential in the US and other English speaking countries.

-How much do you think Electric Man's U.S. dvd release will benefit from the Comic con exposure?

Firstly, we wouldn't have a US release on DVD and digital were it not for Comic Con. The buzz around the film's appearance is what led to us being picked up by FilmBuff (digital distribution) and us seeking out a DVD distributor (Passion River). However, we played San Diego last year, so we have to build up a buzz around the film again by getting reviews out, doing interviews like this one and generally trying to get the word out about our film with a minute promotion budget. If there's anyone out there who can help us with this, we'd urge you to get in touch.

-Are there plans to screen Electric Man in any other U.S. cities? If so, How can fans bring it to the big screen in their town?

We're screening at a Con in North Carolina this coming weekend and we'd love to be screened in more places. The best way to see this film is with an audience. There may be other plans to come on this, perhaps in conjunction with tugg. But, again, if anyone wants to arrange a screening, get in touch and we'll do everything we can to help make it happen. There are venues all over the world, which are not cinemas, which you can hire and project or show the film on a TV to an audience. We're very open to sending people resources to help them make it happen and for them and us to make a buck.

-Electric Man was co-written by you and Scott Mackay. What inspired the story?

Scott wrote the original script in the late 90s while he was a student in England. It literally came to him in a dream and he spent the next three days putting it on paper. He showed it to me and I became involved in developing it. It got a bit of interest and then nothing so it was put on the back burner and then resurrected in 2009, when we decided to make a low budget feature. At that point we significantly re-wrote the entire movie, changed the main characters around (Jazz was originally the ladies man) and put in more scenes with cell phones.

-Im totally impressed with the film. Its a great mix of adventure, comedy, romance, especially COMIC BOOKS...all done in a couple weeks on a small budget! Was there any point in the movie making process, that you didnt think Electric Man would see the light of day?

Literally every day you're making a micro budget feature, you're thinking, when is this all going to fall around our ears. One major delay, a sick actor, an accident, inclement weather and that's it, you're screwed. yo only have to look at Terry Gilliam's attempts to make the Don Quixote movie to see that this isn't just something that applies to our budget level. But, the Gods were with us and even though we had some weather problems and day to day issues, we managed to compromise where required and persevere to get to the finish line.

-Since I brought up comics, Were you a comic book geek, yourself?

I was. I was born in 1969, so I was eight when Star Wars was released. That film changed my life and the lives of countless other children of the seventies. In the UK, 2000AD (Judge Dredd) launched quickly after Star Wars and I was hooked. From there I found DC and Marvel but it wasn't until we got to the eighties and Alan Moore (who started on 200AD) and Frank Miller were writing that I really got into comics. From there I found people like Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison and from there onwards I've tended to follow writers I like rather than particular characters.

-Ive seen the great Electric Man promo mini comic, but has there been any thought about actually creating an Electric Man comic book?

Funny you should mention that. We've had a great deal of interest in this, so we're about to release Issue 1 in October?November. It's being drawn by Graham Manley, who drew the opening title sequence  for the film and it will available initially through www.electricmancomic.com. There's also an indiegogo campaign supporting it's creation here - http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/electric-man-needs-you

-Is there anything else you would like to add about the film and its upcoming release in the U.S.?

I just hope people out there are willing to give us a chance. We don't have a massive marketing budget to promote this so it's down to word of mouth and websites like yours to help. Watch the film and if you like it, tell people and we'll make some more.

-How about yourself? Can you share a little of your background in the entertainment industry?

At the moment I own and run a film production company called Strange Boat. We do corporate films and education work and the occasional documentary. I've been writing screenplays for a long time and have another four unproduced, two as a co-writer. Scott and I both used to write role playing games, I did some Call of Cthulhu work and Scott wrote an acclaimed Cyberpunk adventure called 'Night City Stories.'

We made Electric Man out of a frustration of not being able to get projects made through normal channels.

-In my personal opinion, as enjoyable as Electric Man is, we can expect a lot more from David Barras in the future! Is there anything exciting on the horizon?

Hopefully, but what that might be is hard to say. We've developed an idea to have Jazz and Wolf return in sitcom form, we also have an idea for a sequel as well as the other features I mentioned above. Who knows but there'll be something. Watch this space.

-Any websites or anything you want to plug?

Please join us on Facebook or Twitter. Go to www.electricmanmovie.com and www.electricmancomic.com and you'll get all the relevant links there.

And if you enjoy the film, tell people, review it and if you don't like it remember the name Transformers 4 !

Clallam Bay Comicon...small town show...big time fun!!

I grew up in love with comic books, sci-fi, superheroes and such geekery. Everyone knows how long I've been working on comic book awareness here on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state, where I reside. My goal is to book our own Comic-Con right here in this area.

At first, I thought it was an unrealistic goal until I met Donna Barr. Donna is an indy comic writer/artist/publisher (might I mention award winning) from Clallam Bay, Wa, who over the last 2 years, hosted a comic-con practically in her back yard! The Clallam Bay Comicon!! Clallam Bay is a remote little town on the west coast...about as far west as you can go in the lower 48! Anyways, her convention has gotten bigger each year, and she has already announced a larger venue for next years show! To see the con double in size wayyyyy out there says a lot for the quality of vendors, artists, panels, and entertainment she is booking. Check Donna out at http://www.donnabarr.com/

Unfortunately I haven't been able to attend the first two events, but I was lucky enough to get a guest report from the show from another Comic lover, musician, blogger and performer at Clallam Bay Comicon, Dara Korra'ti, of the Crime and the Forces of Evil blog over at http://crimeandtheforcesofevil.com/blog
Go check out what Dara has going on, and be sure to check out a shorter version of her convention report, WITH PICTURES, here>>> http://crimeandtheforcesofevil.com/blog/2013/07/clallam-bay/ Check out what Dara has going on and connect with her! I hope to meet her at Clallam Bay Comicon next year!

Enough rambling from me! Lets check out Dara's report!!


Clallam Bay Comicon! It’s a tiny event, but this year they had a venue and everything! Last year, it had been basically a party at Donna's house; this year, the Lion's Club; next year, the entire peninsula! Or so goes the theory...

There were probably twice as many exhibitors at CBCC as last year. Aside from Donna, of course, there were a few people over from Seattle, not the least of whom being Roberta Gregory. A local Clallam Bay graffiti artist wanted to crash the party; that was surprising. Marcus Evenstar from Steve Jackson Games ran the gaming tables, and a couple of comic artists I'd never met before showed up from the Neah Bay side of the peninsula; I bought some art from Ann Koi, who was selling little playing-card-sized original drawings, along with larger art.

Plus, of course, I was there, selling CDs, and Anna's print book. I did substantially better in sales than last year, but I think I’m the only one. Honestly, I think being inside caused people to be hesitant about coming in and looking around; the additional room they'll have next year has large garage-style doors, so that'll be less of an impedance to the curious.

Friday's Opening Ceremonies was more beachwalk than anything else. But it’s a gorgeous bay, and the beach is entirely worth walking. Honestly, it's utterly lovely. For dinner, we went to the Clallam Bay Inn, which has the only cooked fish I'll eat in North America. No, I mean that literally. I've never had cooked fish in North America that I liked before; theirs is _perfect_ - caught the same day, often as not, panko breaded. Get the chips. Everybody wins.

Saturday morning, we went on a parade! The Comicon is scheduled to coincide with Clallam Fun Days, and we entered the parade as a group. Niall Townley did his cosplay Scotsman with flaming bagpipes on stilts; jokes about Scotsmen aside, he actually _did_ win first prize. The rest of us combined took third.

Then it was back to do our panels and such. Panel programming is new to Clallam Bay Comicon; panels and exhibitor space overlapped, causing a bit of a conflict, but everyone was agreeable about it - a pleasantly relaxed attitude really permeated the entire event. Niall talked about cosplay; Donna about running a comic book convention; I had a panel on sound equipment; Roberta Gregory had a panel on comics that... actually, I kind of missed, because I was getting ready for my show. Sorry, Roberta!

As for my concert - I lead with a new set called the Supervillain Origin Story. It consists of some of my hardest, angriest material, much of which will come out in _Din of Thieves_ - and to my surprise, they handled it just fine. I did much better in sales than last year, and I think that’s partly why.

After things closed down for the day, we had dinner then went and hung out near the bay for the illegal fireworks. It’s seriously Ten Finger Johnny time on the beach out there, particularly for the two hours before the official big fireworks display on the south side of the bay in Sekiu; then everybody settles down for the main event.

Sekiu put son a great display again this year; just like last year, there were cruise ships lined up out on the Salish to watch from a b/o/r/i/n/g/ safe distance. They have some seriously exotic fireworks and they launch them really high over the bay.

Sunday was pretty quiet; people had been up late the night before. But later in the morning, people started showing up; I sold another couple of CDs, and had seven or eight for my panel presentation on building a sound kit on a supremely tight budget. Folks seemed pretty interested, particularly for such a technical panel; that's always gratifying.

Then Donna rousted everybody to clean out the hall and shut down; Anna and I didn't stay for the dead dog, having to get back across the Sound for dinner, but there was one.

I'd have to say that in summary this year it felt a lot more like an actual, if very small, convention. Last year - Year One - felt mostly like a house party; this felt like a relaxacon. Donna's plans are pretty grand: the dream is to have a whole fleet of these things out in tiny Olympic Peninsula towns, maybe even on the same days, so you can have kind of a tour-the-peninsula-via-comic-conventions event. A lot of these towns have been in trouble since the logging companies ran out of fresh timberland to clearcut, and sports fishing and hikers will only carry you so far. Events and the arts might be a way out.

It's grand - but not, I think, unachievable. It'll be interesting watching, regardless, as she tries. And if nothing else, it's a pleasant weekend by the sea, and how much can be wrong with that?

Crypticon 2013...

Finally over that Crypticon hangover, and figured I oughtta share some pictures and stuff from the convention.

  So Crypticon 2013 happened last weekend, May 24- 26 at the Seattle airport Hilton and Convention center. I was asked to help run a booth for Len Enders' Toxik Idols project, which is awesome! Check my last post for the Q&A session I had with Len, and learn a little more about the project. It was basically the Toxik Idols "public" debut, and it got a positive response from the people! Looking forward to working with Len at more conventions! I'm not usually on that side of the table, but got to talk to a lot of people, make new friends (including the Horror Honeys), and straight up had a blast!

  I wont get to deep into the convention, but will say that my highlight of the weekend was getting to chat all weekend with Lew Temple and Vincent Ward aka Axel and Oscar from the prison on the Walking Dead!! Those dudes were some of the coolest people I've ever met at a convention!! Meeting Cassandra Peterson, better known as Elvira, was awesome too!

 OK..Here's some pics!

 

The Official Toxik Idols booth!! April, Len, and John just kicking back...

                                         

Other side of the table. This was different, but way cool! That's Eloise Knapp across the way. She's a great local writer and publisher of Z Magazine...look it up on her site! www.eloisejknapp.com

Me! Pimpin' at the Toxik Idols booth!

Keeping the booth safe...

Spooky people checking out the Idols booth!

This lovely zombie couple stopped by the booth as well.

Here's some of the cool stuff and awesome celebs that were at the show!

Tyler Mane! Dude was Michael Myers in Rob Zombie's Halloween remake, and even cooler, Sabretooth from the X-Men movies!

Original Gangster, Fred "The Hammer" Williamson from Black Caesar, From Dusk til Dawn, and the hilarious (as far as I'm concerned) Starsky and Hutch remake.

This creepy fucker!

The Artist alley filling up with fans on day one.

The still lovely, Cassandra Peterson aka the one and only Elvira!

The Monster man himself...Cleve Hall! His show is coming back soon!

Cleve's way too early Q&A session...He's a very interesting dude!

Me and Josh Stewart from the Collector, Dark Knight Rises, and the Walking Dead web series. Though he comes off like a regular dude, This guy is going to be a household name! Do yourself a favor and follow him on twitter, click here

My new friends, Lew and Vincent. If you get a chance to meet these dudes at an event, DO IT!!

Lew and Vincent posing at their panel! Couple of sharp dressers I must say...Way different than the prison duds! haha

A little background music provided by memebers of the heavy metal opera, Arakus..check out their site! www.heavymetalopera.com

Hope ya enjoyed the pictures. I enjoyed taking them, and enjoy sharing them with you all even more! Keep your eyes open for other fun events I will be covering, including next weekends Steampunk Fest in Port Townsend. I do have a couple interviews lined up including one with a Walking Dead walker, that might actually tie in with a contest/giveaway!

For now...keep following me on twitter: @thestevestrout and join the Comic Book Swap Meet group on Facebook to talk pop culture, comics, and to get in on the planning stages for the first Olympic Peninsula Comic-con. Share this page!!

Talk to you geeks soon,
Steve!

Shit..one last thing...If anyone is interested in contributing to this page, be it movie, comic, book, or game reviews, or just do a guest post, hit me up! Any ideas or suggestions, let me know! This page is for all of us, even though my name is on it! ;-)