For our next trick…

As you know, we really only post when AudioComics has news and views to share. Well, we gots some news, and den some views! Let’s start with Starstruck. Recently we had another great comicsference call with Elaine Lee, and the decision has been made to record the off-Broadway play in April. While we were originally looking at February for a recording date, keep in mind that, a) we are recording before a live audience, b) we are recording in Portland, Maine, and c) Portland, Maine gets pretty damn cold in February and nobody wants to come out in zero degree weather for anything. So it will be April, not February, and again we are looking at performances in a couple of different spaces. Moreover we will be doing a couple of performances at each venue, making the editing process that much easier in case of a flubbed line or missed SFX cue or someone forgets to turn of his motherf***ing cell phone. (Plus, if one performance is sold out, you get another chance to catch it. It’s all goooood…) When we have the dates set up and ticket prices confirmed, we’ll give you all the details. So keep watching the skies…! (Oh how freakin’ corny was that…)

Speaking of Starstruck, I would like to direct you to Tym Stevens’ blog ROCK SEX, and his tribute entry to the series, “The Big Bang of Starstruck: the Roots and Branches” of Elaine Lee and Michael Kaulta’s space opera at http://tymstevens.blogspot.com/2009/10/big-bang-of-starstruck-roots-and_08.html. It’s probably the most comprehensive piece I’ve ever read about Elaine and Michael’s masterpiece. Also, there’s not one, but two Starstruck pages on Facebook (one Groups page, one Fan page). If you’re on the ‘book, go sign up! I’m not telling you twice! Even more exciting, there’s a third page in the works co-created by AudioComics co-founder Lance Roger Axt. Worth MORE than its weight in credits!

Also, our partnership with that aforementioned indie publisher is moving along gracefully. And as they’ve already announced our collaboration(s) at San Diego Comic-Con, it’s time to announce it here. The following is the official press release in its entirety:

BLOODFIRE AUDIOCOMICS!
Bloodfire enters the realm of audio drama

July 22, 2009 (San Diego): BloodFire Studios is pleased to announce a collaborative partnership with the AudioComics Company to create adaptations of several titles as world-class audio drama. These pieces will be made available through compact disc, pay-per-MP3 downloads, and any and all other sound-transmitted means communication to the hungry masses.

Once known as “radio drama,” modern audio theatre, under the aegis of such producers as Dirk Maggs (producer and director of the final phases of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy), Roger Gregg of Ireland’s Crazy Dog Audio, and Tom Lopez of Ruby fame, has transcended the boundaries of old time radio to become an art form for the new millennium, the grey area between stage and film where multi-million dollar movies play out in the greatest theater of all: your sick and twisted minds.

Says VP of Publishing and Co-founder Dennis Greenhill: “This is a wonderful opportunity for BloodFire Studios to extend ourselves yet again into an unconventional avenue to bring comic books to a seemingly unrelated fan base. Just one more step to world domination!” Says AudioComics co-Producer Lance Roger Axt: “What makes this such a great fit is that fact that both of our companies are constantly thinking outside the box in regards to marketing inside and outside of the comics industry. That and BloodFire  loves my Christopher Walken impersonation!” Says AudioComics co-Producers Bill Dufris and Dan Bernard: “Please don’t let Lance do his Walken. It’s scary.”

The first series of BloodFire AudioComics will be released in 2010, making BloodFire the only independent comic book publisher to have titles from their growing library presented in audio theatre format.

BloodFire Studios is an underground comic and graphic novel publisher formed in 1998 by two guys and an imaginary friend. Since that time, BFS has grown to become a group of professional artists and writers in the comic, motion picture, television, and video game industries. All united by their love of the comics medium and a penchant for sarcasm. BFS titles include the best selling Kindergoth, and the critically acclaimed titles DNA Hacker Chronicles, Intergalactic, Diary of Night, Vampyrates, and Utopiates.  BFS is also currently helping to develop several TV shows and a sequel to the 2008 indy scifi film The Gene Generation, based on the DNA Hacker Chronicles, staring Bai Ling.

AudioComics provides superior audio entertainment with its professional full-cast audio theatre adaptations of licensed and original properties from the world of comic books and graphic novels, accessible in today’s market with today’s sound. The AudioComics team is working to establish relationships with top name comic book companies, sci-fi writers, sponsors and the entertainment industry in Hollywood and New York, and to give these audio theatre pieces worldwide exposure. In addition to their partnership with BloodFire, AudioComics will be working with comics legend Elaine Lee on producing world-premiere audio plays based on her seminal series Starstruck, as well as the Starstruck spin-off for kids, The Galactic Girl Guides.

In response to…

Of course, the one year I decide not to watch the Emmy Awards is the year that they finally decide not to take themselves seriously. It’s official: Neil Patrick Harris can do no wrong. But still,  that ”Mad Men” foot slicing moment was still the better deal TV-wise, yeah?

Lance here, and I wanted to touch on two subjects recently made through the comment blog; first, “Joe” (hi, Joe) asked if we have considered providing the voice-overs and sound effects for motion comics. Our response: “depends? Who’s hiring?”

Joe’s comment ultimately brings up an aspect in the ongoing debate of printed material vs. digital media: very recently I participated in a discussion on LinkedIn, one of the few times I’ve done so, and the question was what people thought about motion comics (and let’s keep it “motion comic” and not something like “motic;” “motic” sounds like something you take for a sore stomach). In my opinion (and I’m not speaking for Dan or Bill, this is me myself and I), motion comics are interesting but they have a looonnngg way to go. Marvel’s Spider-Woman is actually quite good, but that’s because the artwork for the comic was partially done with the motion comic in mind. But the majority of what I have seen are 21^st century versions of those Marvel Comics television cartoons from the 1960’s which were just the Kirby and Heck panels with moving mouths. Timing, camera work, perhaps creating original pieces linking those moments between panels, and of course superior voice-over talent, and this new medium can improve.   

The internet is changing the face of comics, thereby changing the very definition of the name, and of the art form. In the face of today’s technology its an inevitable evolution which is happening faster than some would like. Actually most would like. But evolving it is, and there’s no stopping it. Meaning that there will be an even greater variety of options available as technology improves.

Now take that reality and apply that to what we do: we received another response from the UK (hey, Dave) re: transmission of our first piece, which as you folks know will be Starstruck: we too are somewhat preferential to digital downloads, yet another example of the digital age affecting an aspect of the entertainment industry. Ultimately we are going to make these pieces available in every form possible, but the writing is already on the wall regarding the compact disc. We’ll make them available in that form knowing full well that CD’s are going the way of the buffalo. iTunes has done more damage to the compact disc than the recession has. I rarely buy CD’s anymore; moreover, I believe it’s only a matter of time before the audio book industry burns and crashes because of the general unwillingness to put more focus on digital downloads and bring in new audiences.

Those audiences live for computer screens and iPhone applications. Downloading songs over buying CD’s. Who needs to go to the comic book store for a Wednesday fix when you can buy your books online? Who needs individual issues when you can get the whole kit and kaboodle in the trade paperbacks? And eventually the question will be who needs the trade paperbacks when you can download the whole kit and kaboodle on iTunes? There are a lot of companies taking advantage of the digital mediums that are available to us now, and AudioComics is part of that wave. A comic generation gap? Hell, yes. When that gap will close? I’m thinking sooner than later…and kind of hoping sooner than later. But that’s just me.

The hills are alive with the sounds of STARSTRUCK!!!

“As you can see, the heading is gone, because on Saturday the 15th the hills of Big Sur were alive with the sounds of Starstruck. And I’m not kidding, we were freaking loud. Good thing there’s nothing around for miles except an equally noisy restaurant.”

While this entry should have been written last week, Lance, AudioComics’ humble blogmeister has been in the throes of wedding week (my brother’s wedding, that is - Lance), so we’re just now playing catch-up. First thing’s first, we’re happy to hear that Gene Colan is doing much better, and was thrilled with the funds that came from the reading. In short, this month and next, he and Adrienne will receive just over $750 to defray the mountain of medical bills.

As for the show itself, Lance wrote in the program that he and the cast traveled a long distance in a short period of time. In the course of the last month-and-a-half a great cast was assembled despite four, count ‘em four, people flaking out on the show (which means in terms of future projects, those four have gone the way of the buffalo), and over 60 pre-recorded SFX were collected and re-worked for the show. The first issue of the new Starstruck comic series from IDW hit the stores that Wednesday. And then came Saturday…

Now normally when Lancey leaves a sentence hanging with “…” that usually means that the following sentences will detail everything that went wrong before, during, and after the performance. But this time it’s different: things actually went well. Really well. 

“I arrived at the Library just before 12noon to drop off mics, stands, and silent auction items. Magnus and his crew were already setting up the mixing board and pulling cables. So most of the set-up was completed when I left at 2pm to check into the River Inn. And then just before 3pm, the occupants of the adjoining room drove up: Elaine Lee and the original Orga, Ruth Henderson Locke. Followed by Starstruck colorist Lee Moyer, down from Portland with his lovely wife Annalise. And after our meet and greet with the obligatory hugs it was back to the Library for final set-up while Elaine and Ruth settled in.

“Slowly the actors arrived, as did my buddy Kevin Donnelly of the NATF, down from San Francisco as keeper of the silent auction table. Back to the Inn where I served as limo driver for Elaine and Ruth, and back to the Library where we ran into another comics luminary, Elaine’s old friend Brent Anderson (artist of Green Lantern and Astro City), and later another stalwart member of the original Starstruck cast, Karen Stilwell (the original Erotica Ann 333), who Elaine hadn’t seen in decades. Lotsa hugs, in case you haven’t guessed.

“I think the only set-back to the festivities was the loss of our box office person, home with the stomach flu. So I wound up back in the old familiar role of ‘jack of all trades’ (although Ami-Sue’s son was a big help). And 50 audience members later, after a 15 minute late start for stragglers, Ami-Sue Lawless spoke the words that I had been waiting for a decade to hear: Galatia’s opening monologue. And despite a couple missed cues and the customary 9pm cold front that set in, I think I can say with some degree of certainty that we rocked the Library. I don’t say that with any sarcasm, it was a great show. Oh yeah, and Lee Moyer won the doorprize: a Tower of Power 40th Ann. concert Fillmore poster.

“The following day, Ami-Sue and her parents opened their gallery space in PG for us for an after-party, which included a visit from our fight choreographer Mark Shuler (yes, a radio drama reading had a fight scene in it), who offered a quickie class in the fine art of bullwhipping. Then it was time to collapse.

“In closing, the show was, if I may quote Brent Anderson, ‘more fun than a Millenium Falcon full of space monkeys!’”

So now we come to the next phase of the journey up the spiral arm, the official AudioComics recording. This week, Lance is sending off his H2Zoom piecemeal recording of the show to his stalwart partners in Maine. Elaine is already looking at the script in terms of re-writes, translating those sections that are intricately visual into aural. Questions?

When are you going to do it?
We are planning on the beginning of next year, January, February at the latest. This gives us plenty of prep time. Not to mention doing something anything during the holiday season…well, you’re just askin’ for trouble.

Will you do this recording at the Henry Miller Library?
No. This will happen in Maine.

Where in Maine?
We’re looking at potential theatres right now. We’re also looking at the possibility of doing this at more than one space. There will in the end be several performances, period, allowing us more takes for the final edits.

Have you thought about bringing some of the original cast members back for the recording?
It has been discussed, actually! But for right now we’re not going to think about casting; the logistics of pulling this sucker off need to take precedence.

How about any of the actors from Big Sur?
Please see above.

What will the three of you be doing?
This much is definite: Bill Dufris will direct the production. Dan Bernard will co-direct and take on one of the male roles. All casting choices will go through them. Lance will portray the voice of NORM, the ship’s computer with the identity crisis. Elaine and Lance will be going through NORM’s lines to decide which impersonations stay and which ones go to be replaced by updated character voices (WALKEN! WALKEN! CHRISTOPHER WALKEN!).

We think Lance wants to do his Chris Walken voice.

Think good thoughts for Gene and Adrienne.

Starstruck: a Benefit for “Gentleman Gene” Colan at The Henry Miller Library, Big Sur. The original off-Broadway sci-fantasy comedy, and basis for the Elaine Lee/Michael Kaluta comic book series, presented for the first time in 25 years!

Saturday, August 15: 6:30pm reception, 7:30pm performance. $12.80 advance admission, $20.00 at the door. Silent auction! Libations! United Federation of Freedom Fighters! www.henrymiller.org to make reservations.

Featuring Lance Roger Axt, Victoria Blaszczak, Arden Eaton, Renee Infelise, Ami-Sue Lawless, David Manchel, Geoff Mutch, Barbara Smythe, and Jennie Tezak, with Lance Roger Axt, Rob Eaton, and David Manchel on SFX. Special guests: Elaine Lee (Starstruck’s creator) and painter Lee Moyer (colorist of the new series from IDW Publishing).

Lance here: tonight is the second-to-last rehearsal for the show; artwork has arrived that I will be piecing together for a digital slideshow behind the actors; just received the extra mic stands from Musician’s Friend; Lee Moyer is on his way to Monterey (hey, that rhymes), Elaine leaves tomorrow or early Friday from NY, and we’re expecting a few actors from Starstruck past. Friday is printing-and-folding-programs day, and Saturday at 11am it’s off to Big Sur to meet up with friends old and new. And on the seventh day, I will rest freakin’ collapse.

Unfortunately the good vibes are tinged with the unfortunate news that Gene Colan was hospitalized again early this morning, this time with pneumonia, never a good thing for a man of Gene’s age. According to the most recent blog post from friend/writer Clifford Meth (sent by Gene’s wife Adrienne) he is on antibiotics to fight a nasty blood infection, but is apparently in good spirits. Reports from other sources said that he should be well enough to leave late tonight or early tomorrow, but by all accounts he might be there a little longer. Do me a favor and send some good energy his way. We’d certainly like to see him around a little while longer. Like, another decade.

What do YOU want to hear?

Starstruck: a Benefit for “Gentleman Gene” Colan at The Henry Miller Library, Big Sur. The original off-Broadway sci-fantasy comedy, and basis for the Elaine Lee/Michael Kaluta comic book series, presented for the first time in 25 years!

Saturday, August 15: 6:30pm reception, 7:30pm performance. $12.80 advance admission, $20.00 at the door. Silent auction! Libations! United Federation of Freedom Fighters! www.henrymiller.org to make reservations.

Featuring Lance Roger Axt, Victoria Blaszczak, Arden Eaton, Renee Infelise, Ami-Sue Lawless, David Manchel, Geoff Mutch, Barbara Smythe, and Jennie Tezak, with Lance Roger Axt, Rob Eaton, and David Manchel on SFX. Special guests: Elaine Lee (Starstruck’s creator) and painter Lee Moyer (colorist of the new series from IDW Publishing).

So we’re in the home stretch re: the warm-up reading/benefit of Starstruck at The Henry Miller Library. There have been major cast changes in just the last two weeks with actors joining and then quitting and then joining and then quitting…and people say actors are flakey…but as you can see from the above cast list, we have our cast finalized, I’m right now pulling SFX, and we went through Act 2 earlier in the day…so it’s coming together. We also have a few more items for the silent auction!

Okay, here’s a question for you: we have Starstruck lined up for next year. We have quite a few adaptations in the pipeline with the aformentioned publisher in San Diego (secret identity to be revealed soon…), and once again, here is our wish list:

Doc Savage, The Escapist, Arrowsmith, The Dresden Files, The Elementals, A Killing in Comics, Torso, Coyote, American Flagg!, The Looking Glass Wars, The Waiting Place, Watchmensch, Grimjack, Ignition City, Jon Sable: Freelance, The Pilgrim, Hawaiian Dick, Noble Causes, Tarzan, John Carter of Mars, Buckaroo Banzai, The Metamorphosis Odyssey/Dreadstar, Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, The Goon, Moonshadow, Spawn, Battle Hymn, Grendel, Ghost, Zenith, Madman, Athena Voltaire, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Black Coat, Crossfire, Leave it to Chance, Miracleman (now Marvelman), the complete Lensman series, Sabre, The Spider, The Yellow Kid, Rip Kirby, The Saint, Terry and the Pirates, Mandrake the Magician, The Green Hornet, Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom, Ghost Zero, True Story Swear to God, Tor, the Defiant Comics line, THUNDER Agents, The Red Circle/MLJ Heroes, Mage, Rising Stars, Mr. Monster, Nexus, The Phantom, and eventually Astro City, Global Frequency, Steampunk, Planetary, The Authority, Hellblazer, Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, Shazam!, The New Gods, Batman, The Flash, Blackhawk, JSA, Capt. Britain and MI13, Werewolf by Night, Cloak and Dagger, Moon Knight, Daredevil, Captain America, Doctor Strange, Squadron Supreme, The Fantastic Four, and of course New York City’s friendly neighborhood wall-crawler…

Okay, so you know what we’re interested in. This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds, nay thousands of other titles out there. So our question of the day:

What comics. comic strips, and graphic novels, would YOU like to hear as full-cast state-of-the-art audio dramas? Let us know by responding below!

Starstruck Update #2

Starstruck: a Benefit for “Gentleman Gene” Colan at The Henry Miller Library, Big Sur. The original off-Broadway sci-fantasy comedy, and basis for the Elaine Lee/Michael Kaluta comic book series, presented for the first time in 25 years!

Saturday, August 15: 6:30pm reception, 7:30pm performance. $12.80 advance admission, $20.00 at the door. Silent auction! Libations! United Federation of Freedom Fighters! www.henrymiller.org to make reservations.

Featuring Lance Roger Axt, Victoria Blaszczak, Arden Eaton, Adam “Pablo” Gonzales, Ami-Sue Lawless, David Manchel, Geoff Mutch, and Barbara Smythe, with Lance Roger Axt, Rob Eaton, and David Manchel on SFX. Your host: Steve Kane of the original community-supported KAZU. Special guests: Elaine Lee (Starstruck’s creator) and painter Lee Moyer (colorist of the new series from IDW Publishing).

It’s been a while since a post from the AudioComics team, but while June was a bit of a slow month, things are starting to get cookin’, so let’s have some Starstruck news:

First, we’re happy to announce that both Elaine Lee and painter Lee Moyer (colorist of IDW’s new Starstruck title) will both be in attendance for the August 15 benefit reading/recording prep. Their rooms have been booked (despite the forthcoming shmooze-fest known as the Monterey Concourse) and barring flash floods, stormy weather, or other assorted acts of God, they will be in Big Sir for the rilly big shoe. Rehearsals begin next week in nearby Pacific Grove (Lance’s home); furthermore,  items for the silent auction are flyin’ in fast and furious and include (as of 7/1/2009):

• “Comic Book Dreams” print by Todd Klein and Alex Ross;
• A selection of prints from artist Tom Fleming: “Green Lantern,” “Elektra,” “Superman’s Funeral,” and “Avengers;”
• A limited edition Tori Amos poster courtesy of painter Lee Moyer;
• Jazz concert posters courtesy of artist Dennis Loren and PosterPlanet
• A gift basket of pet toys and treats from Diggidy Dog in Carmel, CA;
• A framed/mounted ”Eric Clapton” Fillmore concert poster (from the personal collection of Lance Roger Axt);
• A framed/mounted “King Crimson” Warfield concert poster (from the personal collection of Lance Roger Axt);
• An audio theatre/audio book basket featuring CD’s from Blackstone Audio and the ZBS Foundation;
• A one-of-a-kind original multi-media art commission created specifically for this event by artist Frankie B. Washington: “They’re Looking at Us…” featuring Gentleman Gene standing side-by-side with Daredevil.

And there’ll be a few other goodies to come. At least 15 items available.

Second, we want to give a big thanks to Elaine, Lee, and Mike Kaluta for their shout-out about the benefit and AudioComics in the recent Newsarama interview! Here’s the link: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/060918-Starstruck2.html.

Third, the “official” recording of the play: when? Where? Who? How? Well, for now we’re keeping that under wraps, but we should have some announcements for you soon. Right now the focus is obviously on the reading, but we are working toward something exciting. And yes, Elaine and Lance have discussed how the new Starstruck stories would happen, and its a damn good idea.

Oh yeah, please send your well wishes to our very own Bill Dufris: to put it bluntly, SHE SAID “YES!”

(Yes to what?
Marriage, ya dope!
Oh, cool…)

Starstruck update! Starstruck update!

Starstruck: a Benefit for “Gentleman Gene” Colan at The Henry Miller Library, Big Sur. The original off-Broadway sci-fantasy comedy, and basis for the Elaine Lee/Michael Kaluta comic book series, presented for the first time in 25 years!

Saturday, August 15: 6:30pm reception, 7:30pm performance. $12.80 advance admission, $20.00 at the door. Silent auction! Libations! United Federation of Freedom Fighters!

Featuring Lance Roger Axt, Victoria Blaszczak, Arden Eaton, Adam “Pablo” Gonzales, David Manchel, Geoff Mutch, and Barbara Smythe, with Lance Roger Axt, Rob Eaton, and David Manchel on SFX. Your host: Steve Kane of the original community-supported KAZU.

It’s Lance again, and yes, that’s right, boys and girls, we have a Starstruck update! To quote Monty Burns, “Huzzah!” I’ve begun the process of seeking out donations for the silent auction, and hopefully will have quite a few items available for I leave for New Mexico.(http://playitbyear.wordpress.com/2009/05/20/you-have-five-minutes-2 for more information)

Recently I had the opportunity to visit the Library for the first time in a while. I would like everyone reading this/interested in attending to visualize this: just off of Highway 1, a little ways up from the Big Sur campgrounds, is a little enclave on the left side of the road. Not a lot of room for parking, which is why carpooling is always preferred. You walk up the path and to your right is a huge patch of grass with strings of white Christmas lights above it, and staffs for votive candles. To the side is a small bookstore dedicated to the works of Miller and his contemporaries, and a deck is being built next to that (which will be finished by the time of the show) for pre-show shmoozing and standing room. All surrounded by majestic redwoods with just enough natural lights seeping in through the cracks.

Showtime: round tables on the grass, with rugs in front in case people want to sit, chairs behind the tables. August tends to be hot in that neck of the woods, so by 6:30 it’s warm winds blowing through, followed by a late evening fog. Lights overhead, votives burning, and a few choice images from the Starstruck comic series projected onto a screen behind the actors.

Comic books, libations, comedy, and Colan. All in the great outdoors. Seriously, why wouldn’t you come?

Why audio? Why comics?

Starstruck: a Benefit for “Gentleman Gene” Colan at The Henry Miller Library, Big Sur. The original off-Broadway sci-fantasy comedy, and basis for the Elaine Lee/Michael Kaluta comic book series, presented for the first time in 25 years!

Saturday, August 15: 6:30pm reception, 7:30pm performance. $12.80 advance admission, $20.00 at the door. Silent auction! Libations! United Federation of Freedom Fighters!

Featuring Lance Roger Axt, Victoria Blaszczak, Arden Eaton, Adam “Pablo” Gonzales, David Manchel, Geoff Mutch, and Barbara Smythe, with Lance Roger Axt, Rob Eaton, and David Manchel on SFX. Your host: Steve Kane of the original community-supported KAZU.

My initial thoughts and memories are probably similar to many of yours (depending on your age)…immersing oneself in the world of rich and colorful fantasy, action and gaudy illustrations found only in the very private world of comic books. I spent much of my very minimal change (earned and begged) on them, bought at a local variety store in whose cool and dark racks one could find a wide variety of Marvel, DC and other titles.

One big event was buying a subscription to “Batman” one summer, I believe it was. I was appalled, however, to realize that they came in a paper sleeve and often had been bent or rolled in transit. No matter–my personal hero was right there in my own, privately held titles. So, for awhile, the now billion-dollar-bat was someone I really was into.

My point is really that comics fed my mind with rich ideas and characters…while living in a small town in Maine, and dreaming of becoming a great writer or scientist one day. I think comics and works of fantasy probably still fulfill those needs in people who feel lonely or unstimulated in their little burgs. And thus we are all linked by our common private experience with the comics. How many of you were insulted whenever tv or film characters who read comic books were universally portrayed as mentally weak and intellectually lame? Now they are just portrayed as sex-starved, socially clumsy geeks. What a relief.

Highevah–in later years I even got away with writing a college psychology paper on how The Fantastic Four each represented an area of the psyche.

Now, as for the audio–as a child, we had sturdy little record players that had covers that closed like little suitcases. Luckily, my parents had a wide variety of music–from jazz to comedy to musicals–and gave us a supply of “story records” to listen to. While we could tolerate the pompous orchestral “Peter and the Wolf,” what we really loved were outlandish stories of outer space, cowboys, you name it.

My younger brother, who was the one I shared them with mostly, never really recovered. He’s been a professional ventriloquist/juggler/magician/fire-eater etc etc all of his life, and became rather a celebrity in Scandinavia (see www.steveandjack.com ).

As for me, the double impact of comics, audio (and there was that momentous visit as a child to the NBC Radio Studios in NYC, where GROWN MEN made sound effects!!), theater (our parents were involved) and an early addiction to music and recording devices, and some sort of genetic gift for mimicry and expression all brewed some probably pathologic desire to create such things.

So here I am, a middle-aged man, creating “stories” with other middle-aged men and women, and luckily working with a wiiide array of talent–from producers to actors, musicians, engineers and so on. I really do get to write and perform audio as part of my living, and I owe it all to the previously described influences. Sad, but true. James Joyce I’m not…nor am I Stan Lee. But I think we each bring from our childhood influences something that will add to the cultural stew. I’m hoping mine is more than a dumpling.

We’re all a little Starstruck these days…

Starstruck: a Benefit for “Gentleman Gene” Colan at The Henry Miller Library, Big Sur. The original off-Broadway sci-fantasy comedy, and basis for the Elaine Lee/Michael Kaluta comic book series, presented for the first time in 25 years!

Saturday, August 15: 6:30pm reception, 7:30pm performance. $12.80 advance admission, $20.00 at the door. Silent auction! Libations! United Federation of Freedom Fighters!

Featuring Lance Roger Axt, Victoria Blaszczak, Arden Eaton, Adam “Pablo” Gonzales, David Manchel, Geoff Mutch, and Barbara Smythe, with Lance Roger Axt, Rob Eaton, and David Manchel on SFX. Your host: Steve Kane of the original community-supported KAZU.

On May 1, IDW Publishing finally announced that they would be reprinting Elaine and Michael’s Starstruck series, beautifully re-colored, complete with the Galactic Girl Guides spin-off as a back-up feature. Bill, Dan, and I were fortunate to see the cover for the first issue before the general public, and of course our response echoed those now found on various message boards: WOW.

We will have lots more Starstruck benefit and audio news as the months progress, but for now we’d like to point you to the gorgeous Kaluta art above. This was the original promotional art for the off-B’way show and playscript. What do you think about it as a, say…compact disc cover? MP3 art, maybe?

Here’s how you can help:

Starstruck: a Benefit for “Gentleman Gene” Colan at The Henry Miller Library, Big Sur. The original off-Broadway sci-fantasy comedy, and basis for the Elaine Lee/Michael Kaluta comic book series, presented for the first time in 25 years!

Saturday, August 15: 6:30pm reception, 7:30pm performance. $12.80 advance admission, $20.00 at the door. Silent auction! Libations! United Federation of Freedom Fighters!

Featuring Lance Roger Axt, Victoria Blaszczak, Arden Eaton, Adam “Pablo” Gonzales, David Manchel, Geoff Mutch, and Barbara Smythe, with Lance Roger Axt, Rob Eaton, and David Manchel on SFX. Your host: Steve Kane of the original community-supported KAZU.

Hi all, Lance here; so our first entry was Faulkner-esque in length, yes. But thorough, though! Don’t worry, this one’s a shorter one, I promise:

Last year I created a store on Zazzle. Zazzle, in case you didn’t know, is an online store where you can upload images onto shirts, mugs, mousepads, etc, and set the profit per item. And, “Zazzle is the only on-demand retail platform to offer billions of products that ship in 24 hours.” And they are! All the more reason to work with them.

The store, called “Biff! Bang! Pow!” features T-shirts, magnets, mousepads, cards, tote bags, and even postage featuring classic comic book covers from the 1940’s and 1950’s from publishers whose characters and/or issues fell into the public domain, forgotten parts of the tapestry of comic book history.

You know Batman and Spider-Man, how about The Black Terror or The Green Lama? Ms. Masque? Dynamic Man? There’s a huge golden age revival happening now with the “Next Issue Project” (and the original Daredevil in Savage Dragon) at Image Comics, and Dynamite’s “Superpowers” mini-series arcs. Here’s a chance to get the cool merchandise kids couldn’t get with their cereal box tops way back in the day. http://www.zazzle.com/biffbangpow* is the site. Go ahead, take a look, then come back and see me.

No, it’s okay. I’ll wait.

…

You’re back? Great. There are over 30 images on over 100 different pieces of merchandise. Plus you can customize the images, make them smaller, larger, or add text if its a gift. There will be other images and merchandise added over time.

Here’s the thing: all proceeds raised from the “Biff! Bang! Pow!” store will help fund AudioComics in its early stages. Everything from LLC payments to feeding actors at a recording session. C’mon…you know you want that sheet of Princess Pantha postage…

Okay, one other thing: recently, comics legend Len Wein…you know, Len Wein? Creator of Wolverine, Swamp Thing, The Human Target? Editor of Watchmen? Writer of just about every major character DC and Marvel created? All-around nice guy? Yeah, that Len Wein…lost most of his home in a fire on April 6. He and his son got out in time; his wife was not home when it happened. Tragically, one of their dogs perished from smoke inhalation. He also lost 40 years worth of comics, books, artwork, awards, etc. Yes, the Weins have insurance, but many things won’t be covered, including his comic book collection, specifically the books he wrote. Books you might have in your collection! Another all-around nice guy, writer Mark Evanier, has spearheaded an initiative to replace Len’s lost books. Evanier’s web address is: www.povonline.com. Go check it out, find the entries on Len’s comic book collection, and see from the updated list which books he still needs. Then check your long box!

Seriously, Len Wein has given us a lot of great books over the years, and here’s a chance to give back, thus proving an old addage: sometimes nice guys finish first.