Take a Motorcity: Drive for Frees...

In anticipation of Motorcity's premiere next month, Disney released a free gaming app. It's pretty bad-ass. You can fight robots...

And then this happened...

Yeah. It's like that...

Motorcity - April 30th - Disney XD - Be there

So it's official - more down than Downtown, and more mega than Megas, Motorcity is coming to Disney XD on April 30th. If you want to see what we've be up to for the past two years, tune in.

Here's the link and official synopsis:

"This animated series, set in a futuristic Detroit after it has been purchased and built into Detroit Deluxe by evil billionaire Abraham Kane, premieres MONDAY, APRIL 30 on Disney XD. Kane, having banned personal freedoms including automobile transportation, is ultimately challenged by a group of rebels, The Burners, led by 17-year-old Mike Chilton. The Burners retreat to an underground city, customize their fleet of hot rods and pursue their quest to stop Kane from taking over the world. “Motorcity” is executive-produced and directed by noted producer Chris Prynoski (“Metalocalypse”). Craig Lewis (“Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends”) is the story editor and John O’Bryan (“Avatar: The Last Airbender”) and George Krstic (“Star Wars: Clone Wars”) are the writers. The series voice cast is Reid Scott, Nate Torrence, Kate Micucci, Kel Mitchell, Jess Harnell, Brian Doyle Murray, Jim Breuer and Mark Hamill. 'Motorcity' is a production of Robin Red Breast, Inc. and Disney Television Animation."

Anime Conji 2012

I'll be speaking on a few panels at Anime Conji in March. Should be fun. And nerdy. But mostly nerdy. Prizes for best Megas cosplay!

Occupy Comics!

Very proud to be taking part in my pal, Matt Pizzolo's ("Godkiller") new project Occupy Comics: Click on the link and help up fight the good fight! A little info from the Kickstarter site:

What is OCCUPY COMICS and what makes it so special?

Unless you're living under a rock, you've heard about the Occupy Wall Street movement that has spread across the country and around the world. We believe this is an incredibly unique movement that transcends the usual partisan gridlock and could have a profound affect on all our futures. Even if it dissolves completely, it has changed the conversation in the country and around the world in a way that deserves to be remembered.

Ok, but what's this book?

This book is intended to be a time capsule of the passions and emotions driving the movement. We are comic book & graphic novel artists and writers who've been inspired by the movement and hope to tell the stories of the people who are out there putting themselves at risk for an idea. What is that idea? Most of the media will tell you the idea is a vague and befuddled mess, but movements don't coalesce around vague, befuddled messes. We hope that through the medium of comics we can share some of the ideas and experiences driving this movement.

Does it actually support the protest movement?

YES! This isn't *just* about art and time capsules, it's also about direct action.

All of the writers, artists, business executives, and the publisher are being paid to produce this book... and they ALL are donating 100% of their revenue (not profits, but ALL monies they receive) to the occupiers. They want to support the movement through the winter by providing warm clothes, heaters and bathrooms if possible, and other amenities. For a more detailed breakdown on how the money will flow from pledges to production of the book to the protesters, visit www.occupycomics.com and check out the blueprint.

Who is participating?

The starting lineup (in alphabetical order) is:

Charlie Adlard (The Walking Dead)
Marc Andreyko (Manhunter)
Susie Cagle (Notes on Conflict, arrested at Occupy Oakland)
Kevin Colden (I Rule the Night, Grimm's Fairy Tales)
Molly Crabapple (Dr. Sketchy's)
Tyler Crook (Petrograd, B.P.R.D.)
J.M. DeMatteis (Justice League, Spider-Man, Imaginalis)
Joshua Dysart (Swamp Thing, The Unknown Soldier)
Zoetica Ebb (Biorequiem.com)
Joshua Hale Fialkov (I Vampire, Tumor)
Brea Grant (We Will Bury You, Suicide Girls)
Zane Grant (We Will Bury You, Suicide Girls)
Joe Keatinge (Hell Yeah, Glory, Brutal)
Ales Kot (upcoming projects w/ Image Comics & DC Ent)
George Krstic (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Megas XLR)
Joseph Michael Linsner (Dawn)
Patrick Meaney (Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods)
Mark L. Miller (Luna, Nanny & Hank)
Caleb Monroe (Batman: Fearless, Hunter's Fortune)
B. Clay Moore (Hawaiian Dick, Superman Confidential)
Amancay Nahuelpan-Bustamante (Hijos de P)
Steve Niles (30 Days of Night, Batman: Gotham County Line)
Matt Pizzolo (Godkiller)
Steve Rolston (Ghost Projekt, Queen & Country)
Riley Rossmo (Proof, Cowboy Ninja Viking)
Douglas Rushkoff (Testament, media theorist)
Tim Seeley (Hack/Slash, Witchblade)
Simon Spurrier (2000 AD, X-Men: Curse of the Mutants)
Ben Templesmith (30 Days of Night, Fell)
Ronald Wimberly (MF GRIMM: Sentences)

Oh yes I can...

Working on a new original pilot for Nickelodeon - it's got a robot, and a bunch of bad guys, and it's going to kick all kinds of ass. More updates soon...

Phat!

Gone But Not Forgotten...

IGN's latest Lost in Translation blog post gives Megas a shout-out, "Even though it came out in 2004, the series also makes numerous pop-culture references that have stood the test of time (well, as much a test as 6 years is…) well."

Damn, it's been that long since we were shut down?

Well, keep checking back in for more badassery and news on upcoming projects for 2011, including Motorcity - a sci-fi action series that'll be re-uniting the team behind Megas, Orion - a live-action show for SyFy, and a as-yet-unnamed 100 page graphic novel project so chock full of giant robots, it is destined to blow minds.

Have a safe and happy holiday season!

And Japan Too, I Guess...

Interesting article on Z-Chan.com about the cross-pollination of anime, that not only mentions my pals' Emmy-winning series Afro Samurai, but another much more lowbrow show about giant robots bashing the crap out of each other...

Numa Coop

In honor of Comic Con, I present to you...Numa Coop.

Hot & Heavy Q & A

Part two of Screw Attack's Megas Q&A - yeah I know it sounds sexy, but it's actually not.

Enjoy!

The Force is Strong

For those in the area, I'll be speaking at the annual Ohio Star Wars Collectors Summer Social this Saturday in beautiful Lake Milton, OH.

Not sure what the topics will be. Something about some "Space Wars" movie and the junk they put out to promote it or something...

Me Talk Pretty One Day

Super-Otaku, WB animation producer and good pal Will Feng will be hosting me on his panel "Breaking into the Animation Industry" this Saturday at Anime Expo. Stop by, say hello and nerd out.

Megas Media Round-Up

Strange Kids dig giant robots, yet another list that pairs us with Invader Zim on the awesome scale, and part one of a Q&A on the genesis of Megas with yours truly.

Wichita Digs Giant Robots

Megas got a bit o' love in today's Examiner.com article, Americanime 101: Megas XLR.

To quote Wichita, "The show aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami block, back when it ran on Saturday nights. Why the show was cancelled remains a mystery as it was a great show that had a lot of potential. It had great action, a rock oriented score, and was packed to the brim with great jokes and dialogue."

Always cool to see the show bob up here and there in the pop culture mind-stream.

The Zim-Megas Connection...

So I've noticed that Zim and Megas seem to be rubbing elbows on a number of "Best Of" lists - most recently; "Sketch's Top 5 Great Cartoons Cancelled Before Their Time."

I find this interesting as both of our shows were considered to be "failures," but for some reason, they still seem to keep popping up in the zeitgeist...

I've discussed this at length with Jhonen and we've come to the conclusion that this psychic residue may be a side- effect of the fact that while he sacrificed human souls to the Dark Ones to power Zim, we sold our fealty to the Machine Gods - both of which are almost as powerful and undying as the corporations that own our creations, but certainly not as vengeful...

And with that, a quote for the ages:

"It was a show for this generation to be sure. In the height of giant robot series featuring mal-adjusted bishounen teenage protagonists fighting only because they were forced to it presented the exact opposite in Coop the 20 something out of shape gear head who fought in his giant robot to have fun while saving the world was mostly an afterthought. "

Anime Expo Panel - July 3rd @8PM

Anyone interested in the animation industry, how to break in, and/or anime's influence on domestic productions - come on down to Anime Expo on July 3rd, room LP2 at 8PM as a number of my colleagues in the biz including William Feng of Warner Bros. Animation and I will be talking about the joy and the horror of making cartoons...

UPDATED: So the panel is officially titled "Breaking In! Working in Animation!," Room LACC 502.

Wait for it...

These guys got it right. Proof that chicks do indeed dig giant robots.

And we dig chicks who dig giant robots...

Megas FAQ - The Anniversary Edition

(This pic makes me happy - check out the attention to detail: Mega-slushes, Coop with like six burgers, and they're at a Five Guy's Burgers - one of my favorite joints. Well done gents & Neko Sasuke Kun!)

In honor of Megas' upcoming Sixth Anniversary on May 1st, here's the answers to the six most popular questions that have crawled their way across the internets to my inbox.

Without further ado...

6. Where can I see Megas?

Officially, you can find both seasons for purchase and download on iTunes, Zune and Roadrunner. Unofficially, I know Youtube has all the episodes posted, but I think they' re cut into thirds. There also seem to be quite a few foreign sites that host full episodes, with varying levels of quality.

And I've heard from a number of fans that Megas seems to still be on the air in various countries across the globe - just not here in the U.S....because that would make all the other shows look bad...

5. Where's the Megas toys?

I was actually in a Toys R Us a few years ago, hunting for some damn Star Wars exclusive repaint that Hasbro was tricking me into buying for the sixth time when I overheard a distraught mom asking the customer service rep this very same question. And all I can tell ya, is what I told her, and I'm sure you'll be just as pissed - there really are none.

If you missed out on the online exclusive four-inchers, or the DC Direct statue you're pretty much out S.O.L. Jolibee put out a couple of items a few years ago with their happymeal-style promotions, and although they rocked, I wouldn't really class them as toys. (More like trippy cup lids).

Now should Megas ever be revisited, this may change, but as of right now - ebay, or making your own customs is the way to go.

4. How did the soundtrack come together?

We ran out of money. Simple as that. Our soundtrack budget was pretty much zero, so after we blew what we had on the opening theme, we were forced to use the Turner Library to pull almost all of our tracks and needle-drops - that's why you can hear "Megas" music on CNN, TBS, TNT, etc. Luckily, Turner owned a massive music collection that actually had a lot of great tracks - tracks that made for excellent robot-fightin' mood-music.

And no, there are no plans to release a soundtrack - although it would cost CN about two bucks to do it since they already own the rights to all the tracks...

3. Will there be a third season?

I've learned never to say never in this business - stranger things have happened, and although there has been some interest in revisiting Megas by a third party, it seems that CN kinda has their dance card full of robot shows currently. Also, since they own the rights, and hold all the cards, it falls to them if they want to do anything with Coop's little DIY project.

If it were up to us, we'd be well into our sixth season right now, and in fact when CN pulled the plug, we were writing a feature and roughing out a third season.

2. Where is my damn DVD/Blu-Ray set!?

Ah, yeah I get this question about once a week and the answer is - never. Or at least I don't know. Again, since the show is owned by CN - it is their call to either release the series, or not. And so far it's been not.

As for Blu-Ray, from what I recall, we actually did the second season in HD with the intention of broadcasting and releasing it in high definition, but obviously that plan fell by the wayside with our cancellation.

Not sure how much it would cost to put Megas on DVD, or BR, but with the whole market collapsing in on itself, it just might be a bad time.

But there is this guy who has a bootleg table at all the cons...

1. Why did you shut down Megas?

Truth be told, CN shut us down, and not the other way around as some fans have conjectured. As to why, the new brass didn't feel that we were speaking to the audience they were interested in reaching, even though we were actually breaking records - until they started moving us around.

Not sure if they ever did find that demo they were hunting for...maybe those live-action series did it for them?

That's it for now. This Saturday, celebrate May 1st as Megas Day - watch an ep, have six hamburgers, a mega-slush and creep out your pals with your giant robot trivia knowledge while vomiting on their shoes - just like Coop would!

Ya Got Balls Kid...

Nuff said!