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)

Rolling Along...

Hope 2011 is treating everyone well. Lots of stuff going on here - the space-pirate script is moving along at SyFy, graphic novel project is about to lock an artist, and the current show I'm writing for is looking amazing - Megas fans should be very happy...

And speaking of, above is a great piece of art sent in by Sean Raymond. You'll notice the modifications that bring Coop's tech up to date. Thanks Sean!

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!

Imagine Greater...

This morning, Variety broke the story on my new project at SyFy:

"Orion, described as National Treasure meets Firefly, is a space opera centering on a female relic hunter and he(r) team. The crew looks to sell valuable items on the black market while avoiding bounty hunters."

I'm lucky to be working with a great team including Ryuhei Kitamura (director of Midnight Meat Train), F.J. DeSanto (producer of The Spirit), as well as Dirk Blackman and Howard McCain (the team behind Outlander).

Look for more info soon!

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...

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!

The Examination of Megas

A recent Examiner article breaks down Megas. Not bad - it make us look kinda smart, as if we knew what we were doing...

And the above image has nothing to do with Megas - I'd just love to see Captain Harlock (yes Harlock) take on an Imperial fleet.

Season Two Buzz...

Reviews have been coming in for the season opener, the second part of which, "Cargo of Doom," I was lucky enough to script, and the positive response has been rolling out:

-From Kotaku: "All I can say without spoilers is wow, this series is heavy. There's torture, actual dead people on screen and zombies. Freaking zombies! No wonder Clone Wars is doing so well on Cartoon Network with the 6-12 year olds – it's not talking down to them."

- IGN: " I have to stay quiet on the plot points of these episodes, but I will say this --They were very strong, and included some of the darkest and creepiest material the show has ever done, even delving into horror movie territory to some extent."

Additionally, the Chicago Tribune put us on its list of must-sees for the upcoming season. So although it’s no Megas, Star Wars fans, as well as mecha nerds should have fun on Friday night…

And if you’ve got a few minutes to kill, check out our most recent “nerd-cast” where “Collect all 21” author John Booth and I discuss our love of Blue Snaggletooth, toy hunting in Ohio, and a bit of Clone Wars second season shop-talk.

Clone Wars, Season Two Premiere Oct. 2nd

Had a blast writing the second season opener - check it out on Cartoon Network October 2nd at 8pm!

And to get you in the Star Wars mood, here's a super-nerdy podcast where author extraordinaire John Booth and I discuss his book, "Collect all 21: Memoirs of A Star Wars Geek." Sincerely a must read, if like me, you've ever driven to 24 hour Walmart in the middle of the night to snag that damn exclusive...

Megas Rocks Itunes!

Yep, we're on Itunes and killing it. And to celebrate, here's a pic from our pals at Mecha Image of the Day.com - witness the most bad-ass team-up (or throw-down) in the history of awesome...ever...

Storm Over Ryloth

So if you've got nothing else to do on Friday, Feb 27th - check out my next Clone Wars episode, "Storm Over Ryloth". Megas fans should dig it as we got to blow up lots and lots of stuff.

First part of the Ryloth trilogy, these episodes will serve as the season finale. And we'll be going out with a bang...

Check out the extended trailer, as well as the episode guide and preview. Until then - Rock On!