For Immediate Release

April 9, 2008

SEAN PATRICK FLANERY JOINS ILLUSTRIOUS CAST OF “BUMP”

Star of “The Boondock Saints” and “Young Indiana Jones” attached in the role of “Brett”

Another casting coup today from producer Scott Licina, who is proud to announce that Sean Patrick Flanery, known to movie goers worldwide for his brilliant work in the cult classic film “The Boondock Saints”, will take on the role of Brett in the adaptation of the hit comic book mini-series, Bump. Mr. Flanery joins the previously announced Ashley Laurence (“Hellraiser”) and Tobin Bell (“Saw”), with special effects master and director Robert Kurtzman at the helm.

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The official release:

For Immediate Release

April 8, 2008

ASHLEY LAURENCE JOINS CAST OF “BUMP”
Star of “Hellraiser” films attached in the role of “Elaine”

Producer Scott Licina announced today that Ashley Laurence, best known to horror audiences worldwide for her work in the fan-favorite “Hellraiser” series of films, will take on the role of Elaine in the adaptation of the acclaimed comic book mini-series, Bump. Ms. Laurence joins the previously announced Tobin Bell (“Saw”), who will also produce. Horror icon Robert Kurtzman will direct.

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THE SCREAM FACTORY IS HERE!!!

Basics here.

MySpace and directions on free comics downloading here.

Dig it.

WIRED posted a new article from me today in the How-To wiki. It’s a basic intro to properly storing comics. Check it out here. The fun/truly strange thing about that one is that the photos originated in Casa de Brownfield. That’s my thermostat. That’s one of my filing cabinets. That’s my beloved old copy of Justice League of America #21 from 1963. Truly weird. Enjoy!

Well, folks, it’s been fun. Troy wanted me to take this one and let you all know our exciting news. We hit the radar of several companies, as we recently made some large jumps in viewers of the site. We took several bids, and Home Depot won out.  Now, I know that seems like a weird fit, and it is, but they’re looking to diversify. You’ll see the color scheme change first thing- we’re going to Home Depot Orange. You will see a few Home Depot ads, but nothing too obstructive. So don’t worry, and welcome us to the Home Depot family. Also, it should be noted, Shots in the Dark will now be an all hardware podcast. The Geek news was fun, but hey, nothing lasts forever.

Ahoy! Shots in the Dark IS the official podcast of Shotgun Reviews, so we thought we’d hit you up with an all review episode (after the Gatling Geek news segment, of course). We went a little outside the box, though. First, Janelle reviews The Sims 2: Freetime, the likely final expansion pack to The Sims 2, and even gives you a sneak peak of The Sims 3, due out next year.  Then we take a deep look at the first 7 “episodes” of Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield’s FreakAngels; the completely free webcomic. Head over, take a listen, subscribe through any and all podcasting services, and be a better human being. Or Warren Ellis will send the arse eels. It’s your choice.

 Listen Right Here!!

Hey, kids; our own Brian Andersen shared this exciting news . . .

Vote for So Super Duper for Best Queer Indie Comic Book!

Haha!
Somehow I managed to snag a nomination for the 2008 Queeries! Put on by the wonderfully droll Comic Book Queers, www.comicbookqueers.com, podcast, I am one among many other terrific professional and indie comic book creators. Yay!

If you feel so inclinded, please vote for me here:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=qi1MY7LEnvd_2fEqMHRKHGzg_3d_3d

Yay! This is so fun! I can’t believe I am on the list! Hah!
Brian

So hey, let’s get out and vote for our boy, shall we?

My latest piece for WIRED Magazine is now on the site; you can check it out here, if you’re so inclined.

It remains to be seen if I shall receive near-immediate hate mail as I did with the Sidekicks piece. Remember, gentle readers, it’s all in good humor. Enjoy!

Happy Easter to one and all! Whether you’re celebrating by going to church, gorging yourself on chocolate and multi-colored, hard-boiled eggs, or just sitting around the house taking naps (like me), all your friends at Shotgun Reviews hope you and your family have a great day.

What do you say we take a look at what’s been going on out there in Shotgun Land over the past week? Let’s do it, Rockapella!

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Last week a good friend of mine, who occasionally moonlights as a writer, smugly told me to “get it together, sister” and learn to better edit the things I write. She basically implied, more or less, that if I were ever going to become a successful writer I would need to be free of spelling, typo, and grammatical errors. She then taunted me even more by stating that since I had my BA in English that I should, therefore, be a perfect self-editor and that any good writer – one who’s taken seriously and who makes an actual living as a writer - would be able to catch all their mistakes. So in essence she told me my frequently typo-ridden writing, regardless of form or content, was lacking and, basically, just so much crap under her superior shoe (or at least that’s how I took it in a moment of extreme sensitivity).

My first initial insane-o reaction was to pull all her hair out, tell her to F**K Off, and then leap out of the moving car and find comfort in a pint of ice cream. Instead I maturely (and boringly) told her that just because I majored in English it didn’t mean I knew everything there was to know about the degree and that editing my own mistakes has always been my biggest weakness (we have since smoothed things over and I can now appreciate her effort, if not her execution, in trying to help me be a better writer). Go figure! I accept it (despite the fact that I struggle each and every time I write something to make sure it is mistake free, but re-reading and re-re-reading and re-re-re-reading rarely leaves my writing error-free) and I have learned to embrace my shortcoming – even though I curse myself after something has been posted or printed with a glaring typo in it.

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We held off on an individual spotlight for a bit so we could bring you a HUGE spotlight: it’s the Shots in the Dark team! In the shot above, pictured clockwise from left, are Vince, Janelle, Imoticon, Lucas and Michael Madsen. Yes, the REAL Michael Madsen. The Shots in the Dark crew doesn’t mess around. Read on to meet Lucas, Janelle, Vince, The Viceroy, Imoticon, and John after the jump, or watch the latest episode right now!

Name: Lucas Siegel

Shots in the Dark team position: Co-Producer, Booking

Specialty: Comics, tech, anime, random knowledge

Things I do: Newsarama.com, ShotgunReviews.com, Truman College Newspaper Arts and Entertainment Editor, Generally kick-ass, Get linked to by Rolling Stone

Interests: Comics, video games, writing (creative and journalism), all the geeky stuff we talk about on the show, Da Bears, making fun of Vince, trolling/giving negative karma to JB on our forums (found at shotgunreviews.com/shots/forum)

Name: Janelle Siegel

Shots in the Dark team position: co-host/token girl

Specialty: smart assery, comics, saying “your mom” at inconvenient moments, video games (The Sims 2 in particular), manga, and using my boobs to get my way.

Things I do: copy-edit Newsarama (can I say that? I think you know the link but might want to clear with Matt), Shotgun Vlog (http://www.youtube.com/user/SitDShow), write for Shotgun, and co-host SitD. To pay the bills: office administrator for fashion designer Andria Lieu - website still in development.

Interests: Your mom. Ha. Seriously: comics (love Fables, X-Men, Birds of Prey, and Suburban Glamour), manga (Fruits Basket, Ouran High School Host Club, Nana, Vampire Knight), video games (The Sims 2, Final Fantasy 2/4-8, SSX, Burnout, Smash Bros.), books (favorite authors include Stephen King, L.M. Montgomery, and John Irving), my husband, animals (especially our cats Monkey and Chicken!), TV (favorite show ever = Veronica Mars, favorite show currently on TV = Lost), movies (Empire Records, Gone With The Wind, and Lost in Translation), music (I <3 U2), and editing (I hates the bad grammars).

Name: Vince Scalabrino

Shots in the Dark position: Co-Producer, Marketing

Specialty: Retro video games, Non super-hero comics and pop culture obscura: Dr. Who, 80’s animation, vintage computer tech and games, robots, etc.

Things I do: Digital marketing (www.icrossing.com), voiceover acting (www.voiceofvince.com - Coming soon!), audio and video production (www.shotgunreviews.com/shots), writing (Right here on www.shotgunreviews.com).

Interests: See specialties. Vince is also a casual harmonica player, snowboarder and unabashed Karaoke lover. He blogs on very rare occasions @ vscalabri.livejournal.com. There are rumors he is also in the early stages of development of his very first novel.

Little Known Fact: Vince once got up in front of 500-some Motorola employees and their former CEO, Ed Zander, and sang 12 bars of Cole Porter’s “Night and Day”, in the style of Ol’ Blue Eyes. In case you were wondering, he no longer works at Motorola.

Name: The Viceroy

Shots in the Dark team position: Co-Founder, on-air talent, and random odds & ends support

Specialty: Video Games, Tabletop & Board Games, Collectible Card Games, random facts of nostalgia (Like Vince only more extensive & random!), as well as general geek-ese and geek-isms. Oh, and making everyone wonder who is the man behind the mask…

Things I do: Senior System Designer at an unnamed “super secret” video game company, part-time entertainer at Chicago Bulls basketball games, and Voice Overs if he ever has the time (demo tape is just about done!), typically speaks of himself in the third person

Interests: See Specialties & Professional sections above. In addition to those, The Viceroy also has an analyst streak in him and follows most of the Chicago pro teams (Bears, Bulls, Cubs). The Viceroy also dabbles with building with LEGO and has a fond appreciation Cartoons & Animation. The Viceroy would like to write again at some point as well…

Little Known Fact: The Viceroy could have been one of the ‘contestants’ on the TV Show “The Pickup Artists”, but decided against it.

Name: Imoticon AKA Steve Scalabrino

Shots in the Dark team position: On-Air Talent

Specialties: Movies, TV, Games (FPS,Action,Fantasy)

Things I do: Acting (stage, print and TV), retail gigs to cover the gaps (Starbucks and the like).

Interests: Airsoft, Movies/TV, All things of 80’s, good sushi restaurants, know any?

Name: Halcylon AKA John Stvan

Shots in the Dark Team position: Graphic Designer / Cinematography Lead, On-Air Talent

Specialties: Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3, Call of Duty Series (Any First Person Shooter, really), Star Wars (Movie and Book form), Graphic Art, Digital Art

Things I do: Graphic design (www.gravityforcegraphics.com), Video producing/ editing (www.shotgunreviews.com/shots), Bungie.net user/abuser (Halcylon’s Profile).

Interests: See Specialties. Anything involving the color blue (It’s the only color I can truly see well). I have read almost every book available regarding String Theory, partake in skiing in Colorado and have acted in plays and movies since high school (almost a decade of work in all). I have a fuzzy kitty named Sierra who is a dog in disguise (she barks and plays fetch). In case you didn’t already guess, I enjoy long drawn out conversations regarding anything to do with myself. =)

This week in Best Shots @ Newsarama.com, the crew covers the following . . .

Feature Reviews:
Wonder Woman #18 (review by Brian Andersen)
Last Defenders #1 (by Corey Henson)
Spider-Man Family Untold Team-Ups (by J. Caleb Mozzocco)
Three Shadows (by Michael C. Lorah)
Daddy’s Girl (by Michael C. Lorah)
The Lone Ranger & Tonto #1 (by Richard Renteria)
Dead of Night #2 (Richard Renteria)
Atomic Robo #6 (by Tim Janson)
Sequential Suicide 2008 TPB Slop (by Jeff Marsick)

Pellet Reviews:
Superman #674 (Review by THE Rev. O.J. Flow)
The Mighty Avengers #10 (by Caleb )
Avengers The Initiative #10 (by Caleb)
Fantastic Four #555 (by Andersen)
Tiny Titans #2 (by Andersen)
The Walking Dead #47 (by Troy Brownfield)
Green Arrow and Black Canary #6 (by Troy)
Booster Gold (and Blue Beetle) #7 (by Troy)
Suicide Squad #7 (by Troy)
Serenity Better Days #1 (by Troy)
Red Sonja #31 (by Troy)
Thunderbolts #119 (by Richard)

In Case You Missed It . . .
Army@Love vol. 1 The Hot Zone Club (by Michael)

Enjoy!

Welcome one and all to the inaugural edition of the weekly Shotgun Reviews: Bullet Points, your one-stop shop for all the latest and greatest work from across the web by the mighty Shotgun Reviews team. (more…)

All thanks to Mr. Browfield for recently talking up the tattoo work I’ve had done.  It’s been a labor of love in more ways that one over the last 4-5 years, and I’m happy to say it’s truly complete now. 

Whereas this was how it was 6 months ago…

Now it’s truly come to life.  A little breakdown of the characters and details??  Going left to right…

The first character, the one in green was the first original piece Patrick Cornolo did for me back in 2003. I had the idea to have him design a punk version of Green Fury.
Underneath that is a passage from Bob Seger’s “Fire Lake”, a tribute to my late father, and the song I danced with my mom to when I got married in September of 2007.

Next is Firestar from Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends a cartoon staple of mine in the early Eighties.
Then there’s a couple of head shots, one of the original Firestorm and his contemporary counterpart. Below them is a shot of the New Teen Titans original über-babe, Starfire.

Underneath that’s a free liger that Mr. Cornolo did for me for free, but that’s got nothin’ to do with this. Heh.

Right above said liger is where we start to get to the newest stuff, as of March 10th…
I had Patrick add a little tribute to an old friend of mine who, sadly, recently passed away — I got his old jersey number 20.
As you work your way up, there’s a shot of Firehawk, Firestorm’s better half. Right above that, I had Patrick work something else into the flames: my beloved Denver Broncos’ team logo.

Running up the back of my leg, when I got this custom design of the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four, I added the 13 at the bottom as a tribute to my wife’s father who had just passed away around the time of that session. It was always his magic number.
And placed squarely on my calf is one of my favorite individual pieces, Patrick’s Rydenesque take on Wildfire of the Legion of Super-Heroes.
It’s funny how much I dig that one in particular, because I got the worst skin irritation from that one during the healing process that I had to see the doctor for cellulitis. Ouch!!!
But once it got rehabbed it looked pretty stellar and still does.

1) I know my credit score. And I’m excited about it.

2) I can explain the basics of buying and owning a home, including things like “homestead exemptions”.

3) I have twice as many children as my parents did.

4) My youngest son not only walks, but can identify Hulk and Spider-Man. (Note: I did not train him for this; I discovered it today when both boys were playing with their Marvel MegaBloks. Connor asked Kyle to hand him the Hulk, and Kyle looked around, picked Hulk up, and handed him over.)

5) I own T-shirts that are considered “vintage”, though I remember when I bought them new.

6) The dorm that I lived in during most of my college days has now been retrofitted for air-conditioning. (Weak little bastards.)

7) We’ve been doing Best Shots @ Newsarama for over THREE YEARS.

8) I’ll be 35 on my next birthday . . .

9) Which is STILL nine years younger than Scott Licina. ZING.

10) On June 29, 2008, SHOTGUNREVIEWS.COM will have been online for NINE YEARS.

Wait a minute! Does that mean that I’m making an unofficial announcement that June 29, 2008 will begin the “Counting to Ten” anniversary promotion? I couldn’t possibly.