Imaginos Plus:Kickstarting An Anthology(and other Fall Business)

This year Imaginos Workshop has managed to meet all of it's goals so far. From a business standpoint,We took care of our business status and got our tax id. We were 

able to get our legal house in order and procured Stephanie Hammond as our intellectual property representation. 

Creatively, we got our first 120 page film script done. We also were able to get our Reality show Idea in the hands of people who could help it out and we wrote and shot CHANCES with Wrapped Productions and Mill Movement. 

The last thing we need to do to make this year perfect is RELAUNCH, to a certain extent of IMAGINOS PLUS. When we first concieved the project a year or so ago we thought it would be more of a Sampler, that we could share with our audience to kind of gauge the popularity of our comic book ideas. 

However, as I thought more about it, and found more stories from friends an collaborators that I thought needed to be told, we decided to try to make Imaginos Plus a bi annual ( and maybe quarterly if demand is strong for it) anthology magazine. We want the magazine to be a place where people can show the work and talk about the industry, ideas and people who do the work. Sure we want stories launched from the anthology to move on to other forms of media and other publishers, but we want it help showcase people who we think are really talented and mostly overlooked. 

To kick this thing off, We decided to take some of the heat off yours truly and bring in some help on the penciling side. While I am currently penciling my own contribution, Juda Fist: 7 Deaths of the Yobi, We have hired to amazingly talented young people to do the rest of the penciling chores. 

Enter Dimitris Moore,Cassie Henry,Gary Mitchell,  and CJ Howlett. I met the first two artists at last years Detroit Fanfare and this year Motorcity Con respectively. I knew I wanted to work with them the minute I saw their work. So I showed the rest of Imaginos and they agreed.

Gary and CJ I met on Deviant Art, I saw there work and again, knew they had the inking chops and Unique colors respectively to bring something extra ordinary to the cause.

Returning from last time are veterens Ylenia Di Nopoli, Shauna Grant, Ka Xiong and Brandon Clark. I found Ylenia's work on Deviant Art and she fit exactly the vision I had for how Requiem needs come across. Shauna I met a Youmacon and new then that her playful and vibrant style would make Candy Coated pop color-wise.

Ka Xiong and Brandon Clark along with myself and Ryan Csazar and our extended family formThe Mighty Drunkenstyle Studios.

Back in 1995 we came together because of shared philosophies as it relates to comics, anime, hong kong cinema and visual story telling. So its no accident that Ka and Brandon would be coming in to lend some ink assists to truly make this anthology not just and Imaginos Workshop project but a bonifide DRUNKENSTYLE JOINT!.

So set them calendars for OCTOBER 31th, and before then look for information on this very page and the Imaginos Workshop Facebook pages, as from here on in we will be releasing more and more information up and until and after the launch of the Imaginos Plus Anthology Kickstarter.  I will be at Detroit Fanfare Oct 25-27 sitting with Palladium Books doing sketches and talking up the Kickstarter. The following week is gonna be huge as IMAGINOS WORKSHOP will be at Detroit only anime convention YOUMACON. We will be selling things and giving away Imaginos Plus related Swag. We will also be talking up the Kickstarter and our doing some really cool how to create comics seminars.


Ah here is a treat from CJ's Youtube page Art Tips and Life Blips.Rage .Droppin science.

The Honeycomb Hideout Episode 17: Yet Another Hot-Button

What's the best cure for the hump day blues? A brand new episode of the Honeycomb Hideout, that's what!! So, buck up, 'Combies, and get ready to open your ears and your mind because the gang's delving into uncharted territory. With special guest Sara Jakubowski, this week's discussion cascades around the arenas of gender and sexuality and how the world and counter culture deal with and interpret them. We get serious on this one, but we do it in our own way. So come on down, you may just learn something this time around.  ;)

And don't forget, gang, we're also on iTunes! So, feel free to download the show there as well.  :D  And don't hesitate to comment or suggest topics you like to hear us discuss! After all, the Honeycomb Hideout just ain't the same without the 'Combies.

Download this episode (right click and save)

The Imaginos Double Feature (Spoiler-Free Movie Reviews): "The Wolverine" and "The World's End"

Well, the summer movie season's come to an end but that doesn't mean that there aren't still some flicks worth seeing (depending on your perspective). This time around, we'll be looking at two highly anticipated "sequels" and we'll go into the "whys" of that as well.

First up is the latest "sequel" to Fox's X-Men franchise, "The Wolverine". Now, after the utter disaster that was "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (this is my personal opinion, but I've met people that actually liked it... somehow), Fox decided to change directions, so after doing "X-Men: First Class" (and to maintain their license on the X-Men property), they went back to Logan for another solo romp inspired by some of the character's most popular stories. This time, they took him to Japan in a story inspired by the character's history with the country and culture but placed timeline-wise after the events of X-Men 3.

The story centers on Logan as he's returned to seclusion while still reeling for the death of Jean Grey in X-Men 3. He's sought out by an associate of someone from his days in World War II; a dying soldier whose life that he saved has sought him out, wishing to return the favor. Unfortunately, things get even more complicated as the soldier's granddaughter is targeted for death and the mysteries continue to build as Logan's healing factor inexplicably starts to fail.

Now, considering how much I hated the first Wolverine solo film, my expectations were extremely low when I heard about this one. Even when I started to see the cool trailers, I still can't say I was "excited" to go see it; the biggest of my "lukewarm" desires for it was "I just hope it's not as bad as the last one". And honestly... it wasn't. Like all the X-Men films, comics continuity means absolute jack, so don't go into it hoping for that. Some comics fans will recognize many of the characters, but trust me, don't go see it for that. But just as a story/film, it was actually quite good. The action was exciting and well done, there's significant character development (there could've been more, in my opinion, but oh well) and there was a more honest sense of continuity. For action lovers and fans of the X-Men films, this definitely is not a film to miss! For the more casual movie-goer, it's not a terrible way to spend an afternoon.

 

Now, this is definitely one of the films that I personally was looking forward to all summer! As a fan of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, I've been anxiously awaiting the finale to the trio's "Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy" and I'll go ahead and say it now... it did not disappoint.  :D

As the trailers imply, Gary (Simon Pegg) attempts to pull his more successful and responsible childhood friends (played by Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Martin Freeman and Paddy Considine) back together for an epic, 12 pub crawl (dubbed the "Golden Mile") in their hometown that they failed to finish in their youth. And despite the inherent difficulties in gaining momentum, things start to escalate as their homecoming goes from odd to weird to, in the ever-repeated words of Oliver (Martin Freeman's character), W-T-F.

The boys did their diligence with this film as it's chock full of actors that have appeared in the previous two films "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" in various roles. This film actually has a little bit of everything; cameos, drinking, fighting, drinking, interpersonal conflict, drinking, character development in various forms, drinking, plot twists galore... did I mention drinking?

If you're a fan of anyone that was involved in this movie, you'd be doing yourself a disservice not seeing it. This is definitely a must-see for serious and casual movie-goers alike!

-Joe  

The Honeycomb Hideout Episode16: "THe Magical Negro" and other sociological schisms

Look, 'Combies!! Less than a month between episodes! Progress!  ;)

The gang's back on the counter culture commentary kick and they've brought some friends (new and old) to shed more light on the subject. Partake in the discussion as Joe, Mark and Nik are joined by Kelly Guillory, Jen Kitzman and Kristina Neuville as they discuss in greater depth than before an extensive range of counter culture tendencies, good and bad, discuss Pacific Rim, Matt Smith's successor on Doctor Who and the ridiculous reactions it's elicited, the concept of the "magical negro" and so much more.

Be sure to stop by the Ashur Collective to see the awesome works that Kelly and her partner are shelling out!  :D

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Download this episode (right click and save)

The Imaginos Double Feature (Spoiler-Free Movie Reviews): "This is the End" and "R.I.P.D."

Alright, gang! The summer movie season has born fruit and we're gonna let you know just how they taste! (Hey, the analogy sounded like it worked in my head, so I'm going with it.)

"This Is The End"

With the entire cast playing exaggeratedly douchey versions of themselves, the film follows Seth Rogen, Jay Barouchel, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill and Danny McBride as the attempt to whether the apocalypse. Now, as yet another entry in the Apocalypse movie craze from last year, it'd be easy to write this one off. Not to mention that this film had nothing but hilarious trailers during its initial press hype, so that automatically makes a lot of us weary as that sometimes means that all of the funniest stuff was in the trailer. Surprisingly enough, that wasn't the case.

The film is surprisingly well written and it actually has a lot of surprises to its credit. The first 20 minutes of the film alone took me by surprise, despite knowing what the movie was about. And the number of cameos by other stars of the core cast's level and above took me by surprise as well; Aziz Ansari, David Krumholtz, Paul Rudd, Emma Watson, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Channing Tatum to name a few  and you all will likely be able to name even more after watching it (Emma Watson makes some interesting appearances and let's just say I'll never be able to look at Michael Cera the same way again after this).

It's pretty clear that everyone involved was pretty cool with each other outside of the film and that everyone was very enthusiastic about and while filming it. And in my opinion, it definitely adds to the fun of the film. I'd say that if you're a fan of any of the core cast in any fashion, this movie is definitely worth checking out. I laughed my ass off and "Oh shit!"-ed on more than a few occasions. This movie is definitely more than it seems and is worth at least one viewing. Hey, an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes must count for something, right?

P.S.: If you're Catholic or another form of Christian but can't deal with humor in relation to your beliefs, this movie might not be for you. Just a warning.


"R.I.P.D. (Rest In Peace Department)"

Now, this is definitely one of those movies that is exactly what you think it is. But the thing of it is, this movie's strengths don't lie in its premise (though it's definitely high-concept and cool in its execution), it's strengths lie in the characters.

Starring Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Mary-Louise Parker and Kevin Bacon (he was a surprise for me because I never saw him in ANY of the trailers or promotions for this movie), the film centers of Reynolds and Bridges' characters (Reynolds playing a recently deceased cop and Bridges a sheriff that lived during the days of the Old West) who, in exchange for a little padding on their records when it comes time for their final "Judgement", agree to protect the world of the living from souls that slipped through the cracks. Now, there are the standard tropes to endure due to it being entrenched in the buddy-cup genre (but I'll avoid listing them off for the sake of "spoilers"), but all in all, they don't hurt the film as it makes fun of them as well.

While this film was based off of a Dark Horse comic series, I can't speak on how faithful it was because I never read the series (or heard of it, for that matter, but that's another topic for another time). But I will say that the movie was absolutely entertaining and I think that it was all thanks to the characters. And as a fan of high-concept films populated by interesting characters, I enjoyed a great deal more than I expected. "R.I.P.D." is definitely the kind of movie that fans of films like "Ghostbusters", "Men In Black" and buddy-cop comedies in general will love.


-Joe

The Honeycomb Hideout Episode 15: "Counter Culture Shock part 3" or "The Great Milenko's Thunder-Love!!"

New entry in the Imaginos Workshop dictionary:
"Blackwash": An instance in which a fictional character that is traditionally portrayed by white person is portrayed by a black person in modern adaptations without actually changing or affecting the fundamentals of the characters.

Your patience has been rewarded! Here's the final piece to the "Counter Culture Shock" series... for now. This time the gang's coming together to discuss the generational-based issues inherent in counter culture, often ranging from hipster-style fandom-based elitism to flat-out infighting and geek bullying to unfortunate remakes and adaptations. I know, right?!

Joining the boys this time around is long-time 'Combie Kristina Neuville making her return to the 'Hideout and first-time 'Combie Imaginos Workshop art student/intern/gopher Joseph Young making his 'Hideout debut! This episode is a bit crazy as the gang jumped in face-first but you'll get the gist with some quickness. Come on down and see what shakes out but watch your head because it gets a little raucous. You know how we do.  ;)

Beware the great Milenko and his thunder-love!!  LMAO!!

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Download this episode (right click and save)

Pacific Rim Brings The Pain......(Oh So Much Lovely Pain)

OK, myself and the Imaginos Gang went on an excursion to see Guillermo Del Torro's Mecha vs Kaiju romper-stomper Pacific Rim. As a student of Robert McKee, I found that the film did have its holes and certain pieces we could see a mile away. However, the film was very enjoyable.

It managed to transport me back to the days of Ultraman, Giant Robo and the week-long Godzilla  and Gamera marathons, particularly the venerable Godzilla dust-up DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Pacific Rim manages to keep the best of the Kaiju movie traits without giving in to the the foibles that plague the genre, such as hyper non-believability and camp. Though Del Torro decidedly based the Kaiju on the old men in rubber suits creatures of the genre, the 3D special effects more than create monsters that are scary and at times absolutely frightening. 

What I really loved about the film was the believable relationships between the various characters. The protagonists  Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam) and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi) are both scarred by traumatic incidents in their lives and over time grow sympathetically close because of it. There is a father and son team of Jaeger Pilots who we get to see grow through the adversity they face. The most compelling character is by far Marshall Stacker Pentecost, portrayed by Idris Elba. Behind his focus and hard as nails demeanor is a truly compassionate soldier who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save his people.  

I can relate to Del Torro's needing to make this movie. He remained true to his (and my) childhood fascination with all things Kaiju and managed to create a film that makes me not feel so bad for still getting a little bit excited at seeing and loving new Kaiju movies like the Gamera: Gaurdian of the Universe series and Godzilla: Final Wars. Pacific Rim is a thrill ride and you feel truly happy for the protagonists when all is said and done. If you haven't seen it DO SO ASAP!!!

Mark