New Blog Post, Horsemen Page 4 with Color. Check it out!

Here is page 4 of Horsemen, penciled and inked by Christopher Hanchey and colored by Rich Cardoso. They have both done a tremendous job with Horsemen. Feel free to leave them or us your thoughts in the comments section, we'd love to hear from you. Thanks!
-Mark

Mr. Bean he is not.

Because he wasn't always Mr. Bean. Rowan Atkinson is one of the funniest men to live as evident in his classic Blackadder roles and his stand up. Dr. House, Hugh Laurie, wouldn't be here if it weren't for playing off Rowan in the Britcom. Please enjoy the clip. You deserve it.

New blog post, Horsemen page 3 colors. Check it out!!!

Here are some new colors that we haven't shared with everyone yet. Pencils/inks by Chris Hanchey and colors by Rich Cardoso. Hope you like what you see!
-Mark

BTW, we added a tip jar at the bottom of the page. Feel free to drop a couple shekels in if you enjoy the work.
  

Horsemen page 2 with color. Check it out!

Okay, so you've seen the full color versions of the cover for Horsemen and page one, so here is page two, pencilled and inked by Chris Hanchey and colored by Rich Cardoso. Both guys have done some tremendous work, please don't be shy with your applause in the comments section. I know they would appreciate your kind words. Enjoy!
-Mark

Guitar poem: Strum?

Strum?

The guitar does not roar

suspended, diminished tones

supplicate silence.

Chords wait in the wood

wondering, withering, waiting

as the steely strings

become tarnished and frail.

The neck and pegs have strained

so long that they could not relax

if unbound.

The hollow body and solid spine are fused.

The bolts have never been unfastened

and the frets fret to let loose

a nervous chuckle

as the steely strings

become tarnished and frail

and cannot be tightened to

tune up, only down.

No standard key will hold

the lock to allow the notes

to flee

the steely stings reverberate

with memory and will not

be replaced easily as

they become tarnished and frail

withering, wondering, waiting

SNAP

Everyday Sunshine Documentary: Tres cool.

An amazing documentary about the amazing band Fishbone. The DVD is for sale on http://www.fishbonedocumentary.com/  and it has numerous extras. This isn't a Behind the Music gloss, candy and predictable biopic. So many cool interviews too with some of the music world's prime players. 

Crazy thing is I actually made a reference to this band in my novel The Excess Road, now on Amazon, and hopefully I'll be able to give them a copy in person when they play The Fairfield Theatre Company. They are a fulcrum of music. Axial even. They are the best live band you will ever be lucky enough to see. Check out the documentary. You won't be sorry.

Cover Page for Horsemen. Check it out!!!

Yeah, I know this took a bit longer than I would have liked. Oh well, sometimes it takes a little longer to do it right. Anyway, to compliment Chris Hanchey's awesome pencils and inks, Rich Cardoso did a spectacular job of coloring the cover. Hope you all like it, I know Josh and I think it rocks. Enjoy!

-Mark

Just saw the new Avengers movie!!!!

A buddy of mine scored me tickets to a sneak peek at the new Avenger's movie (thanks!!!!!!). Let me start by saying WOW!!!! I'm not going to tell you about the plot or any details, I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but they did an awesome job one this one. Plus I want to respect Marvel and their wishes. They took cell phones at the door to make sure it doesn't get out yet and I completely agree that is fair.

That all said, I will tell you that everything tied in perfectly and worked very well. The characters were all distinct and true to their natures. They were all balanced perfectly with no character getting too much face time at the expense of another. Just really well woven together.

The banter was great and elicited lots of laughs. The action was fantastic, I found myself smiling unwittingly at many a scene. If you have a choice between seeing it in 3D or 2D, definitely see it in 3D! The 3D was dead on and added to the action. In the past I've seen movies that were 3D and had trouble following them. Instead, the Avengers took full advantage of the technology and used it to enhance the experience.

So just a quick post. Once it is out for general consumption, I happy to say more. In the meantime if you learn nothing else, go see this movie. If you aren't a fan, see it anyway. You'll become one. Cheers!
-Mark

Caffeine and Faith... No More

The best part of waking up is "Caffeine" in your... (and we don't want to infringe on anyone now do we.) Here's a touch of Faith No More and one of their songs that came in 1992 on the album Angel Dust. Arguably one of the greatest albums ever. The musicianship, tonal variety, dynamics, and thematic complexity of the album is astounding. Enjoy some "Caffeine".       

Situation Tragedy- SitTra

Situation Tragedy

The gleam fails

as dialogue distorts

A clear crystalline

shattered scream

A mosaic of prosaic

storytelling falters and flickers.

The circuit breaks

and the lights fail

spiraling outward

to a single burnt image

History records a symbol

The symbol is intended

Instantaneous folly fools

the frivolous enraptured

captured voyage of digits

The gleam fails

The signal goes down

and all are symbols

Burnt down again

in the prescribed warning

DON’T ATTMEPT THIS AT HOME  

Cool Kickstarter Campaigns

If you don't know about Kickstarter, well you should and you need to get out there and sponsor some of the talented and starving artists that are poring their hearts/souls/minds/(kidneys, gall bladders, whatever, you get the idea) into their art.

Right now we here at Aegis Creative Enterprises are supporting a few different books. I'll post the links below, but don't just support these guys. Check out the whole site and find some projects that you think are worthy. Even just a few bucks can make a huge difference. Enjoy!
-Mark

Retrovirus

Fairy Quest

Honor Brigade

51 Serif St.

Cool Book Releases... comics via CBR

Comic Book Resources new titles.

What a brilliant day for new releases in the comic book world. I mean come on, AvX #1 is out by Marvel. A must get by any Marvel or comic book fan. Well, there is so much to read. So much to be envious of as there are so many great artists and writers working today. And not just for the the big boys. Lots of great work being done by indy lads and lasses.   

My "must gets" are as follows. Netherworld #5, Star Wars: Blood Ties (Dark Horse), Green Lantern: New Guardians #8 (DC Comics) and Frank Frazetta's Funny Stuff. Then the books of two favorite characters pop out. Moon Knight #12 and Wolverine #305. So be sure to check out the link to the Comic Book Resources New Releases page. Get AvX #1 while supplies last. Happy reading.        

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview_srch&by=rel_date&for=2012-04-25&offset=0&v=g&max_per_page=80

On a side note, I will be finishing Don Delillo's "White Noise" today even if it injures me in the process.  

Wolfie Amadeus Superstar!

Poor
Poor
Amadeus... But,
on a side note... when people mention Falco
no one thinks of a nutty German chap. They think of Nurse Jackie
who is a venerable character
if there ever was one.

This isn't  Symphony No. 29 in A major
but still
Rock Me Amadeus.

  
 

Green Jello & 3 Little Pigs. Memba this?

Ah, the classic early 90's video. Memba this version of Three Little Pigs? I think you do. Even if you won't admit it outloud.

Enjoy and Reflect.   

Polymer Envy... poem

Polymer Envy

Melted, formed, imprinted purposes

Momentary freedom instantly purchased

A zip and a current of electrons and digits

Fake flowers, twine, medications and power

Something unseen, seemed distant and unreal

Processes unaware, systems don’t care, unfeeling

Accumulate, accrue, accept the compounded problems

A polymer trap, spun into a fine fibrous web

Celluloid superstitions projected, reflected, absorbed

Serial celebrity promising, reassuring, absent

Wishes and aspirations evaporated and vented

Nothing is larger than life…

Thin laminated screens and light flat consoles

Commerce adverted, three minutes, credits

Operas of the ridiculous and heroes of pretenders

Respect the projection, instead of the reflection

Moving walls and windows whispering wishes…

Aspirations aspirated, spiritus asper

***

A cut, tuck, snip a slice and now everything is nice

Or what others saw in the mirror and smashed it

Dolls of human frailty share true similarity

The spin doctors weave threads of Teflon fiber

Silicon survivors, a simple insecurity may kill

On a vanity a doll rests

***                      

Prosthetic, unnecessary posing, positioning to polymers

Plagiarism of porcelain masks and figurines

Film featuring fraudulent faces grimace and gleam

Garrisons of gleeful drama and uplifting idiocy

Plastic people playing on soulless celluloid and screens

Perpetuating pathetic projections without responsibility

***

Illumination of electric fluidity and radiation entertainment

Traveling at the speed of invention, overwhelming information blooms

Distillates, isomers, refraction contraption enlightens the heavens

Resistant to rust and some flames, fire resistant extinguishers

Cultivated toxins as mistaken panaceas, a synthetic lifestyle

Leading to synthesis, symbiosis---evolution in the

Process the small ripples get lost in the proceeding waves

Of delusion. 

***

To sell the synthetic to the synthetic?

To create the more consistent synthetic aesthetic

because they don’t

Believe in their owned authenticity

Remiss we will see permutation of disparate disparities

Money a creation, plastic credit inventors, insecure ideals of beauty

Caused by what?  Celebrity and misery certainly

Cleft palate is one thing,

But to have surgery to just fix a bump on your nose?

AND YOU CAN DIE, AUTHENTICALLY, Really.

Retrovirus by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray. Give. Help.

RETROVIRUS by Jimmy Palmiotti on Kickstarter  click here.

Please read this description taken from the Retrovirus page on Kickstarter and give generously. This idea is well worth the minimum of a $5 donation and the perks are pretty cool. Help Zoe save the world.

Quoted material from the Kickstarter website:

 Hey friends, 

The plan here is to raise enough money to get the RETROVIRUS graphic novel published this fall. We will be using the money from the pledge incentives to pay for the production of the book. We are looking towards the ever growing community of fans of the graphic novel format to support this project like you did for our very successful QUEEN CRAB kickstarter project. 

The video above features work in production from the book itself. I did not do a voice over this time because the art can speak for itself and the story is below. Yes, I cannot stand the sound of my own voice. On to the book itself...
In the vein of Andromeda Strain, Altered States and Jurassic Park, Retrovirus seamlessly blends human drama, action, science fiction and horror in a 58 page graphic novel written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray [ Queen Crab, Jonah Hex, Triggergirl 6]  and illustrated by Norberto [ the tattered man] Fernandez. Design and lettering will be by Bill Tortolini, our guy on Creator-Owned heroes and Queen Crab. 

This will be collected into a hardcover edition, and is for MATURE audiences. 

The cover will be done by the award winning artist AMANDA CONNER.

THE STORY:  When Zoe, a brilliant young scientist who specializes in identifying extinct viruses is offered a job away from the city at a remote research facility in Antarctica, she soon discovers her employer has unearthed a perfectly preserved Neanderthal. That is only one of the many dark secrets lurking at the facility as Zoe races against time to stop a global pandemic.
 We sure hope there is something for everyone in the pledge catagories.
And again, thanks in advance. We know you can spend your hard earned dollars just about anywhere else, so we are doing our best to give you all the best work possible.
Thanks,
Jimmy, Justin and Nomberto.

So ends the quoted material.
BTW, Jimmy Palmiotti is skilled writer and is generous with his time when contacted. He replies to tweets unlike some who will remain nameless. Rock on. Give. Click this link http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1397702842/retrovirus-graphic-novel-by-jimmy-palmiotti-and-ju

A gigalo.

Take a break. Relax. Watch how a music video was made back when David Lee Roth still could do crescent kicks without pulling his back. Bo zee bo zee bop ditty bop.   

Okay, so I'm continuing to build suspense for the cover (I swear it isn't on purpuse though) by showing you the fully colored pages two and three first. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the colored page one. Pages 4, 5, 6 and of corse the cover soon to follow. Once I have them up, we'll add the letters and you can see the completed results. Enjoy!

Museum piece

Museum

A suggested donation is paid as

paint dust, dried rainbow, faded flakes

flutter in the columns of over head light

bouncing off the tile floors dispersing

the diamond flecks of inspiration in

the pristine recycled air.

Avenues of captured sight are lined with

the painted and engraved mirrors in which

few dare to truly gaze.  Plug in and be guided along.

Theories and educated guesses swirl

as invisible smoke that is present

as real forestalling silence. 

A boy dressed in a business suit says

“That picture with the lady and the baby is pretty.”

As his father listens to the prerecorded commentary

from his white plastic covered earphones.

The boy loosens his tie as a pot has caught

his eye and he rushes to the pedestal.

He tries to stop but the body and base

collide.  The pendulum once in motion

cannot find its center.

On to the tile, the Grecian Urn falls

to become pieces, parts of a sum

that litter the avenue so none shall

pass as a claxon call terrifies the patrons

and alerts the curator to call the insurer

but the father cannot hear.

Guards in gray, underpaid and sleepy in their cells

converge upon the disintegrated past

as the reflection of a badge

glitters in the father’s eyes.

Light takes time to deliver the dance

of inverted images into the mind and we

forever chase the present and live in

passed by moments.

The urn was broken before the boy

saw it shatter.  

Spent the day down at the World Trade Center for an event. Good event, but it was tough to ignore the solemnity of the location. Right before everything started, a guy came by with a bomb sniffing dog to check everything out. If the two giant towers going up in the area wasn't a reminder that the world is a very different place than it was a little over a decade ago (it was), then that iced the cake.

On the way home I read Daytripper. Great book and it seemed to really cap the day and serve as another reminder how precious life is. If you haven't, go visit the site, read the book and hug your loved ones. Good night.

Sparkplugs & pens. Give. Help. Rock on.

Sparkplug needs help.

Donate, grant, bequeath, boon, bless, whatever.... give and you shall receive. It's indy. It's cool.  Cheers to you oh fevered monkey of the implicate order.  

http://www.indiegogo.com/sparkplugbooks

Epic. Truly epic.

This is truly Epic. A classic video from a simpler age. Well... not really. No age is actually simpler. It's how we create new problems in novel epics that is the difficulty. Bah. Watch. Enjoy. Faith No More is epic.

Golden Retriever camoflage

I can see you. Can you see me? Here I muck and tumble through the golden leaves. 

Invisible car?

It seems they're still working on the cloak for the invisible Honda Accord.   

Today's poem: BLOOM

BLOOM

Delicate streamline tendrils holding firmly into familiar soil

A stable flexible base to stand in the rain and unrelenting zephyrs

A staff of veins and smooth shiny skin reflecting and absorbing

The individual coming together as the collective organism

Each process and purpose in sequence and balance

A simple saturation of sunlight as strength

but shade is comforting in the heat of midday

When Hyperion is at zenith and projects and radiates the cosmic wind

the stem grows straight as the leaves extend to embrace Tellus

Petals spun in beauty’s loom and fragility’s thread

remind the elements of the persistent instinct

The eventualities of withering and desiccation of form

exist in the certainty of winter imbuing the frail fabric

A scent wafting, permeating all inquiring olfactory beings

drawing each closer to be present in the full potential, efflorescence

of the aromatic sensations and memories created and stored

its effect momentary, the intended eternal aim is true

Pistil, Sepal, Stamen, Anther, Pollen, Pollinium, Pedicel, transportation

is an act of desperation and never assured by numbers

The petals discolor, leaves recoil and fall in sequence

to the greeting earth, where the worms wait in the first layers of soil.

***

The cold surrounds, halting all growth instantly

To cease to be annual or perennial, a determination of birth

Some fortuitous fruits are born in the perpetual summer

where the waves of rays may not lose intensity and frequency

so is the luck of the equatorial tropical zone

Where the winter’s wrath is never known

Page 1 colors. Sorry, I'm going to make you wait for the cover. Patience, patience.

Here's the logo for Horsemen. When the cover page is all done, Cary Kelley is going to attach it to the page. I think he did an awesome job on the logo, it is going to look great on the cover Chris drew and inked. Josh and I got a look at Rich Cardoso's flats, the coloring is going to look awesome when it is all done. Put that together with Cary's logo and the cover is really going to pop!

Curiosity killed the cat?

Of course it wasn't curiosity that killed the cat... but fire sure came damn close.

That is, or was, Murphy. He was a grand alley cat with a torn ear who put a 110 pound dog in his place everyday. Sadly, curiosity didn't kill the cat. Cancer did... but only after surviving two years after the vet said he should have been dead in a month. He rocked.   

A horse of a different color.

This is the genetically engineered Unicone. Great for traffic duty but not so much for kid's parties.    

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, a novel.

Basically, go read this book if you haven't. The voice is lean and without too much exposition as to mirror the world Jasper creates, a world in which a color hierarchy has been created and much lacks color. And no one dares challenges it. Until....

It does start a tad slow but it is intriguing. And I'm glad he doesn't let the old " Show don't tell" BS get in his way. (Right now only successful authors can afford to do it but I'm glad they do. Just ask Lee Childs what he thinks of it) In my opinion, it's "Show but when appropriate Tell, if it enhances the text." In any case, Mr. Fforde is a wonderful writer and I don't say that without serious consideration. There are few wonderful writers.  

Actually, read all of his books. Happy reading.

PS: if you have any suggestions for speculative fiction, please comment and let us know. We're always out for a new good novel. Who knows, we might even review the book and pass it along our through our sphere of influence. 

A lesson for bullies.

This bully forgot a few things. 1) Don't taunt with your shirt off. 2) Beware the kid who walks slowly up to you. 3) Don't get knocked the f%&k out.

http://youbentmywookie.com/wtf/watch-a-bully-learn-why-you-shouldnt-pick-on-the-fat-kid-16147   

Thank you YouBentMyWookie.com for posting this video.

(Advisory--this video contains violence!! And though righteous, we at Under the Aegis do not support violence in any shape or form-- except in comics, novels and movies where it is a metaphor for the human condition or if it just looks cool.)

In vino veritas, a new blog poem

Today's poetic installment.

In vino veritas

Drink in the past

of the particular grain

and mineral of the soil

Drink in the day,

consume the humidity

of the air

and the tilt of the Earth.

The Sun’s peculiar angle is trapped

so delicately when the bottle is right

Time is stored on the vine and released

so we can remember.

Sip from the fluted glass

That chimes with fire

and was forged by the hands

that pluck the grape

and expel seed

Be intoxicated by the will of the vineyard

envision the ancient amphoras sailing

the seas bringing cultivated celebration

and tidings from those long gone.

A book of dirty secrets.

The Excess Road ain't straight and narrow. A novel.

All at once upon a time, a boy chased a girl and lost his mind. On a pastoral college campus, he sought love but only found a treacherous bind. The legacy of the lotus eaters drifts through the honeysuckle scented lawns and dorms. The intoxicated wonders of the night's slippery potentials slipped and whoops there goes the boy's mind.

There be: drugs, booze, sex, fights, college parties, stupidity, jail for a night....

And... hallucinations. Sorry guys, no lesbian or rough three-way sex scenes.

This novel was inspired by Brett Easton Ellis's work as well as William Styron. Tis an existential satire and an allegory to be sure but this has a crippled drug dealer and girl with motives impure. A shotgun goes Boom ! Boom!  and echoes across the sylvan setting.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Excess-Road-Volume-1/dp/1475079176/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332547775&sr=1-4  

        

Blogger is being uncooperative. I really wanted to add the pencils for the 1st page of Horsemen too, but it doesn't look like I'm going to be able to make that happen. In lieu of that, I thought I would share the cover page from something I wrote. Pencils and Inks were done by Chris Hanchey, Colors by Rich Cardoso and the Logo by Cary Kelley. Enjoy!
-Mark

Horsemen page one, inked and ready for color! 

This is Ziggy. He will be a character in a comic one day. Perhaps "The Adventures of Pittle Puppy" and his arch-nemesis will be the evil Shoe King who makes all expensive shoes taste like beef jerky to dogs so they can't help but chew them up; thus, they get in trouble just as the Shoe King wants. Why? because the Shoe King really really wants a puppy but is allergic... so if he can't have one... no one will if his master plan works. Muah ha ha ha.

BTW, Ziggy is a 12 month old Havanese and is significantly more cunning with his tiny teeth than when this photo was taken.

Now go have a scotch...  

Cheers!

Yes, we here at Under the Aegis enjoy poetry... well one of us does and this one actually has more than a few published. Here's one.

Under Synesthesia

Sight stretched to a thread

tied behind the mind

the knot tightens and cuts

into the available light.

(masked marauders mime a play of cruelty).

Taste with the texture of sand

melts in the forge of breath

and drops as tears to burn

away the memories.

(trembling and thirsty, no water is given).

Sounds of bitter harmony

blend into thick vinegar

a sour damp flavor

rings with the hiss of air.

(the bells and whistles mock rhythm).

Touching the fragrant white

pressure, lavender bleeds in

germinating roots, thin tendrils,

along stale still appendages.

(blood is drawn on the wall).

Scents of violet and platinum light

scatters through a prismatic field

and attaches to the attendants

as they become a transparent illuminated stench.

Okay Marvel, wow us. 

Comic Book Resources always does a good job. Yup. I'm intrigued. Hopefully "Everything Burns" will be cool and Gambit is always a favorite. Funny thing is that we actually know one of the dudes mentioned in the article but we can't tell you right now.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=38181

Life on Mars search?

Oh Mars, god of war, brother to Earth, please show us that we're not alone because then a whole bunch of silly small minded people will have to restructure their feeble paradigms. 

http://news.discovery.com/space/mars-life-search-nasa-120416.html

Diamond-sends-single-photons-flying-LED

We here at Under the Aegis not only like Science Fiction, we like science fact. The more more you know about the natural and synthetic world the less likely you will get duped by primitive ideas.  And a seperate link just for good measure-- http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2012/04/doped-diamond-sends-single-photons-flying.ars?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

http://fcagno.deviantart.com/journal/The-wait-s-over-THE-LOST-KIDS-ART-CONTEST-IS-HERE-296264058

This is an art contest on Deviant Art called "Lost Kids Art Contest". Prizes are $250 for 1st, $150 for 2nd and $100 for 3rd.   Figured we share.

Here is our new Facebook page. Check it out and like away if you do.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/Horsemencomicseries

Meet War. This is the inked cover for Horsemen. Chris Hanchey did a great job capturing the perspective from a fallen enemies point of view. If the hoof doesn't getcha, the blade will!

If all goes as planned, Josh and I are looking to debut Horsemen at NYCC this October.

Colors to follow.