All praises due to Bloody-Disgusting for making me aware of this.

MARVEL ZOMBIES THE MOVIE

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A U.S. spy satellite will be falling out of orbit soon. It may contain hazardous materials.

Does that sound vaguely familiar to anybody?

In the interest of public safety, I now post this oversized document.

The reaction of the Shotgun staff to Cloverfield remains quite positive. Many staffers are also looking forward to the latest Romero living dead opus, Diary of the Dead, which uses the same style of handheld verité camera techniques. Considering the similarity in shooting, we fully expect that a plethora of critics will think that they are clever and refer to the new Romero film as Zombiefield.

That’s why we’re trademarking* the phrase, Zombiefield as it relates to film description! It’s too late, Manohla Dargis! Sorry, Ebert and Roeper! Anytime you want to invoke the phrase Zombiefield as a comparison point, you’re going to have to pay! Present your cash, bitches! Present your cash!!

*Trademark pending clearance of paperwork, and whether we actually feel like paying over $300 just to extend a comedy bit.

Chad Michael Ward’s “Autopsyrotica” was one of the most interesting art books that’s had crossed my desk in a long time.  Darkly haunting, viscerally intimidating, Wards blend of digital photography and art overstepped all boundaries.  Ward is now back with his latest visual indulgence entitled “Devilengine” published by NBM.  The digital art medium has given birth to a new generation of genius artists who create well outside the normal confinements of fantasy art and Ward is among the leaders.  Part horror, part erotica, and part fantasy, his work shuns traditional labels and stands on its own…it just…IS!

Devilengine is 80 pages of decadent, and often unearthly delights that terrify even has they mesmerize the viewer.  The first piece to catch my eye is the demonic “The Unholy Trinity.”  The face of a Catholic priest is photographed with three distinct expressions, each showing another level of savagery, and then morphed together as one giving the subject three perfectly blended faces.

Angels and demons play a central role in Wards art but he puts his own special perspective on them, humanizing them to a degree that often makes them more imposing.  “The Ethernaut” gives us a shining angel which nearly blinds the reader with her shimmering hair and luminescent silver gloves and breastplate.  The book includes art that Ward has done for numerous projects including DVD cover art, gaming book covers, and more.  Ward’s art can probably sucker you into renting even the lowest grade B movie.

The final chapter are untitled pieces of perhaps his darkest, yet most enthralling work.  These include nude photography that is the anti-glamour response to typical art collections.  These women are dangerous and yet powerfully seductive.  The model called Cenopussy is shown spattered in what we will assume is buckets of blood with her fingers down her throat as if she’s gobbling down the last bit of something…or someone…Deviengine may not be for everyone, but for those with a taste for the dark side of things and a truly talented artist, this is one you must not miss.  $18.95 from NBM

Few things bring me as much joy as a new collection of art from the clown princes of naughty, Fastner & Larson.  Good ol’ Sal Q has unleashed Tricks & Treats on fans of pin-up, the latest collection from the duo, all in gorgeous full color!  The cover tells the whole story here as the gorgeous hottie is passing out candy to the eager trick-or-treaters, but take a look down by her feet…it seems as if some little ghoul or goblin has decided to go in search of his own special treat under her dress.  This is what these guys do better than anyone else…hot babes laced with naughty, yet fairly harmless humor.  In this regard they are really a throwback to some of those great pinup artists of the 50’s and 60’s such as Art Frahm.

As you might gather from the title, this is a themed collection with an emphasis on monsters and horror, and of course, gorgeous women.  All of the pieces in the book are titled.  A favorite early on is “There Goes Tokyo” as a miniature Godzilla blasts a jet of fire at the read end of a schoolgirl who has bent over to pick up one of her books.  There again is the patented F & L humor on display.  “Party at Monster Beach” features the Wolf Man battling the Creature from the Black Lagoon, with the winner getting the scantily-clad girl firmly in the Wolf Man’s grip.  What happens when you eat “Too Much Candy?”  You get put over the knee of a pumpkin-headed scarecrow and get a good spanking on your backside, that’s what!  That one is just great!

Spankings and bondage are a central theme throughout the book, and the fans of Fastner & Larson wouldn’t have it any other way.  Another great spanking piece shows a tiny little sprite or pixie holding a BIG paddle and ready to deliver the punishment to the very cute, human-sized blonde.  Another favorite piece is “Clawfoot Tub” showing a woman enjoying a nice hot soak in the bathtub, oblivious to the eye and tentacle poking out of the water.  In all the book is 48 pages with cover-to-cover full color.  One of the best books yet from Fastner and Larson and SQP!

Best. Song. Ever.
Behind the jump so as not to bork the main page.
The video is rather irrelevant, but I ADORE this song. For more info, please don’t hesitate to visit the artist’s web page.
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Unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ve heard about the TRANSFORMERS movie. Now…if you managed to keep from being under a rock long enough to see the movie, you may have caught the trailer that some say actually upstaged the movie.

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The works of H.P. Lovecraft have never had great success when adapted for film, TV, or comics.  I think in failing to understand the nature of the source material…Lovecraft’s unseen, indescribable brand of terror, film directors and comic writers have always tried to too hard to bring his work into the light, instead of allowing it to fester in the shadows.  This is why we’ve seen so many truly terrible film adaptations of his work.

I’m happy to say that Graphic Classics finally has it right!  Rather than making wholesale changes, the stories stick to the source material and many of the tales in the book end up actually being illustrated stories as opposed to traditional sequential artwork.  You can’t explain Lovecraft to someone who doesn’t get it, so why try.  Graphic Classics almost stubbornly clings to the spirit and tone of the original stories and delivers the best comic adaptation yet of Lovecraft’s work.

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Is this meta-blogging? Posting on my site about one company that I write for reporting on another company that I write for? Ah, post-modern internet freelancing . . .

Anyway, dig this: The first Fangoria Comics preview.

Yes…I know he doesn’t have Richard anywhere in his name.

But he not only has a lot of scandal and secrecy like Nixon, he’s eerily choosing to handle it a lot like him, too.

I’m amazed at how often he finds partisanship where it ISN’T. Members of both parties are calling for Alberto Gonzales head for his role in this scandal, but Tricky Dick Bush says its a Democratic witch hunt.

It is times like this that make me miss the Matt Stone and Trey Parker production, THAT’S MY BUSH.

Hey Everybody–

I have a few new pieces up at Newsarama–my interview with Steve Niles covering his work on 28 Days Later: The Aftermath from FoxAtomic; as well as some news on some of his upcoming projects including City of Others from Dark Horse which debuted today in stores bringing him together with horror artist icon, Bernie Wrightson. Spread the zombie love!

Also, I was fortunate enough to cover Mega Con’s honoration of Dick Giordano, former editor-in-chief for DC Comics, and one of the greatest inkers to have ever worked in the comic book industry. It was really nice and fun. I’m so glad Newsarama decided to share it.

Coming up–Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray are talking about Jonah Hex and the return of the Western to comics. Also, I’ve just been informed that I’m attending a private, advanced showing of Frank Miller’s 300 next week so look for that piece to be on Newsarama Thursday morning.

Still working on my A-Ha piece for the Shotgun–there’s a lot of music to listen to beyond their initial album that spawned their one commercial hit in the US–”Take on Me”. I’ve decided to not only go over their discography but to compile a nice mix CD which I will list for any who are interested. They’re really good!

Go check out 803 Studios, I covered their anthology–Sequential Suicide, last week on Best Shots. They have open submissions for their next anthology. Daryn Beasley and I are getting to work tonight on our submission. I will be keeping a running log of our progress here.

Finally, a piece I’m finishing up titled, “Memoirs of an Electronic Lothario” may see print in the inaugural issue of Smith Magazine. Fingers crossed!

Have a great Wednesday guys! Just bought my books–this week is gonna be a doozy!
Steven Eks

Greetings and welcome to the new ShotgunReviews.com. Since 1999, we’ve done our best to give you worthwhile (and often funny) reviews and columns, and it’s time to shake off the rust and do it a little differently. We’ve kicked around a few ideas regarding how we’d do this new thing, and we hope you like what you see.

The new design comes to us from Barb Hallock, a student of mine with the appropriate attitude for this place (that is, bad). The more bloggish format puts us more on par with the current landscape. After all, we’ve been doing this almost eight full years. It was time for a big change. I think that you’ll agree that the new format, with a huge list of categories and easy searching, is a good one.

As part of that big change, we’ve brought in an influx of new talent from a variety of places. The entirety of our Best Shots team, responsible for the Best Shots column that runs every Monday at Newsarama.com, is now operating here in several capacities. You’ll also meet several talented young writers, including Barb herself, who will be tackling a variety of topics.

However, if you’re one of the rare folks that has read us since 1999, don’t get too worried. Shawn Delaney will still grace us with terrific music reviews, as will Jonathan Birdsong and the Lyrical Lounge crew. The Russ is back on wrestling coverage in full force. L.I. Rapkin’s already kicking in some culture. Eric Barker’s already opened the film vaults. And they aren’t the only familiar faces lurking around.

In the next few days and weeks, you’ll see the roster expand a little more and you’ll see some new recurring columns and features that we hope will become favorites. If you want to check out the old stuff, the old site currently still exists in its full glory under the archive button. If you want to talk about any of the stuff, old or new, visit our newly established forums.

So there’s my big speech. Enjoy yourselves, express yourselves, and invite friends. ShotgunReviews.com never went away, but we are most certainly back. Thanks for your time.

So I’m in Glenda’s last night, right? (Glenda’s, for those of you wondering, is a fine establishment in West Terre Haute, IN., where there’s karaoke every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and it’s not a bad place.)

There’s this guy sitting at the counter. I notice, offhandedly, that he’s wearing a Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon shirt. Fair enough; this has caught my attention. I look closer, and there appears to be a track listing over the prism logo. Fair enough.

So I skim down the list, and down toward the bottom (in fact, the second-to-last item) said this:

Brian Damage

Let me say this again for emphasis. Brian Damage.

Am I the only person who ever wonders if others notice this sort of thing? It hurts me in my heart.

Quote of the Day: “In art, all who have done something other than their predecessors have merited the epithet of revolutionary; and it is they alone who are masters.” –Paul Gaugain

I just got done sending Steve Niles, creator of 30 days of Night and Criminal Macabre, an e-mail that is 100% likely to turn into an interview regarding his work on “28 Weeks Later: The Aftermath”.  The story bridges the end of ”28 Days Later” to the sequel “28 Weeks Later”  Keep an eye on Newsarama for it.

Also–go to whatever devilishly evil corporate chain store is nearest to you that sells DVDs and buy “Unknown” starring Greg Kinnear and Jim Caviezel–it’s like Usual Suspects and Memento all rolled into one.  The ending has such a fulfulling payoff that I might just go buy a second copy to hit myself over the head with while I watch my first copy over again. 

Possibly going to see “23″ tonight for an advance showing–it pays to be a guy named Steve who knows guys who manage movie theaters named Steve.

Also, I picked up a copy of Arkham Asylum while I was in Orlando last weekend.  I must confess–I’ve never read this book.  I’m kind of pondering the possibility of reading it with the purpose of juxtaposing it with the most recent issue of Batman (issue #663) for a narratological breakdown and comparison of Morrison’s work within the Bat-Mythos–we’ll see after I read AA. 

I’m counting down the minutes ’til the moment I can openly hate Marvel for killing someone today!

EKS

How do I know that this is the right time to relaunch Shotgun?

1. Our Best Shots column celebrates its 2-year anniversary at Newsarama.com this week.

2. Britney shaved her head, Lindsey got out of rehab, and Nicole got busted for DUI, thereby giving me yards of future material.

3. It’s been so fucking cold, what else could we do?

4. Because you missed us and you needed us. Come on, you can admit it. The absence of a regularly updated Shotgun was like a sucking void in your soul, kind of like Junior High or being forced to listen to “Lips of an Angel” over and over. You know you love us. And we love you. Just not necessarily like that (though we can still be friends).

5. Our Zombie Apocalypse Contingency Plan is finally complete. Bring it, you undead bastards. Bring it.

See you soon.
T.