Elliot Blake

The Package, an Original Crime Graphic Novel on Kickstarter

2011-07-06T15:26:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Mom Palucki!

2010-04-01T15:24:00.001-04:00

Today may be April Fool's day, but much more importantly, it's my mother-in-law Fran's birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom! Hope to see you soon.-EB- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Popgun 4 Is Here

2010-02-25T02:25:00.001-05:00

Literally. It's on my bedside table.You can get one at your local comic shop, and I highly recommend it. Not just for the Mekano Turbo story by me and Alexis Ziritt (although that's reason enough), but because it's 500 pages of comic book goodness, in every genre and art style you could imagine. What more could you want?-EBPosted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Links to Cool Animation!

2010-02-03T14:02:00.003-05:00

I've noticed over the last few days a huge (for me, anyway) spike in blog traffic, so I'd like to say to those of you finding my blog thanks the Blogger navigation bar, welcome. And now to the promised cool links:Do you like Space Ghost Coast to Coast? Here are a couple of "lost" episodes I wrote and produced for GameTap.com.Do you like Tomb Raider? In 2007, I produced a ten episode animated

Popgun Vol. 4 is Coming

2010-02-02T15:29:00.000-05:00

Work in Progress

2010-02-01T15:26:00.007-05:00

I've been scripting my graphic novel, The Package, and I thought it might be interesting to provide a look at my comic book writing process, which I suspect is a little more circuitous than the process of a more seasoned comics writer.Generally, no matter what it is I'm writing, I start with extensive notes in a notebook or on a legal pad. Every project, though, takes a life of its own, and when

The Package

2010-01-19T01:41:00.003-05:00

A crime comic by me and illustrator Alexis Ziritt. We started this way back in the summer of 2008, but due to a variety of circumstances - including our soon to be published story Mekano Turbo, due out February 24 in Popgun Comics Vol. 4 - it's been delayed. But we're back it at it - date of publication TBD.If you like the image above, feel free to copy it - it's wallpaper size for your desktop.

Mekano Turbo in Popgun Vol. 4

2009-11-09T19:16:00.004-05:00

Here it is, folks - the Popgun website has gone live with info and previews for Popgun Vol. 4, due out February 10, 2010 from Image Comics, and featuring an 8-page Mekano Turbo story (previewed previously right here on this very blog) illustrated by Alexis Ziritt and written by me. Clocking in at 512 pages of comics goodness, and billed as "the ultimate graphic mixtape by today's superstar

Open Web Awards Nominations

2009-10-21T19:06:00.003-04:00

Hey, there - another break in the prolonged non-blogging to plug the following:Who are the "us" that I'm plugging for the Mashable Open Web Awards? That would be those of us who made the web series Re\Visioned: Activision for GameTap - me and my colleagues at the world-class animation studio Six Point Harness. I've nominated Re\Visioned: Activision in the category Best Online Web Video Series,

Mekano Turbo!

2009-10-09T00:11:00.001-04:00

What's this? A blog update from Elliot Blake? Indeed, it is. I'm taking this break from prolonged not-blogging to announce that the story I wrote for Alexis Ziritt, Mekano Turbo, has been accepted for publication in Popgun Volume 4, published by Image Comics. I have no idea when this will be out, but as we get closer and I get more information, I'll once again break blog radio silence.

Moved

2009-06-12T01:17:00.003-04:00

One more short break from this prolonged period of move-related not-blogging, this time to let you know that we have moved, and as of Tuesday, June 9, we are once again residents of Los Angeles. Once we have furniture and get ourselves settled, the period of not-blogging will end, and regular blogging will resume.Carry on.-EB in L.A.

Fungus Among Us

2009-05-18T20:57:00.002-04:00

A break from move-related not-blogging, to bring you the following piece of animation recently discovered on YouTube:Fungus Among Us was a Cartoon Network pilot created in 2002 by Wes Archer, who was one of the original Simpsons directors, a director on Futurama - where I met him - and, for a long time, supervising director on King of the Hill. And I think he might be doing the same on the new

Elliot Blake, Where Have You Been?

2009-04-29T09:57:00.005-04:00

Well, if you've been following my Twitter feed, you might be aware that we're gearing up for a big move back to Los Angeles. If you haven't been following my Twitter feed, well, we're moving back to Los Angeles, and all of the planning for the move and the selling of the house here in Atlanta, and the looking for a place to live in L.A, and the looking for a school for the boy and a pre-school

Mekano Turbo! The Package!

2009-04-06T21:42:00.006-04:00

For your enjoyment, the first page of MEKANO TURBO:Created and drawn by Alexis Ziritt, written by me, headed for Popgun Vol. 4. Volume three of Popgun is out this week I believe, and sports a great cover by Tara MacPherson, who worked with me briefly at Rough Draft Studios back in the day.And for your further enjoyment, page 1 of THE PACKAGE:Created and written by me, illustrated by Ziritt,

Making of Re\Visioned: Activision - The Backstory

2009-04-02T12:36:00.008-04:00

I've been promising this on Twitter for several days now, so let's get to it - a behind the scenes look at the making of each episode of Re\Visioned: Activision. But first, a little history:Re\Visioned was created by my former boss at GameTap, Ricardo Sanchez, who thought it would be cool create some original animation based on existing videogame IP from the GameTap library. But rather than

At Last, Re\Visioned: Activision

2009-03-28T16:33:00.006-04:00

I am pleased to announce that at long last, after spending a little more than a year in the can, Re\Visioned: Activision, the last web series I produced for GameTap.com, is available for your viewing pleasure. Apparently, the fine people at GameTap uploaded the six episode series - presenting new and original takes on the classic Activision games Pitfall, Cosmic Ark, Pressure Cooker, Kaboom,

Comics, Big Stack Of

2009-03-27T09:35:00.004-04:00

Went to the comic shop yesterday with some birthday cash in hand and bought a big stack, which is always fun. But before I get into what I bought, I want to relate a little story about the store itself. While I was browsing the new releases, the manager and a staffer came over with the new order book and started trying to figure out what they should be ordering, by looking at what was on the

Goodbye 38, Hello 39

2009-03-26T10:44:00.006-04:00

A somewhat self-indulgent post today. But this is my blog, so aren't they all self-indulgent?Anyway, it's my birthday, it's gray and rainy outside, and so I thought why not take a few moments to reflect on the last year - which, in many ways, was not what I expected it to be. First, a year ago I was gainfully employed, nominated for several southeast region Emmy awards, and, while I had pretty

I Watched the Watchmen

2009-03-20T11:31:00.004-04:00

I wanted to call this post "I Watches the Watchmen," as a jokey kind of answer to the "Who Watches the Watchmen" graffiti tag featured prominently in the Watchmen comics and its movie adaptation, but I figured everyone would I assume I had just made a typo. Anyway...I finally saw Watchmen last night, and I'm still processing it. But here are some quick thoughts on the subject, because I'm sure

Great Ribs

2009-03-18T20:49:00.004-04:00

Over the last couple of days, two people I follow on Twitter have mentioned Memphis and asked about good restaurants. Now, I've only been to Memphis twice, but both times I was sure to eat at one place: Charlie Vergos' Rendezvous, known for their legendary dry-rub Memphis ribs. That's good eatin'.I learned about the Rendezvous back in 1987, thanks to a John Hiatt song called Memphis in the

Jeffrey Brown's Sketchbook

2009-03-13T10:26:00.004-04:00

Cartoonist Jeffrey Brown is blogging, and today he's posted about an animated project we're collaborating on called Jeffrey Brown's Sketchbook. Check it out, won't you?Just about four years ago, I approached Jeffrey about the possibility of adapting his superhero parody/homage Bighead into a cartoon. But over time, the idea of doing something completely original became appealing, which resulted

Mekano Turbo!

2009-03-04T22:45:00.006-05:00

Above is the character line-up from Mekano Turbo (click for full image), a full-on crazy pastiche of post-apocalyptic road movies, Japanese robot cartoons, and Venezuelan mythology, created by my collaborator on The Package, Alexis Ziritt. Alexis recruited me Tuesday night to help him out with a story for the Image Comics anthology book Popgun, which he needed to pitch today. So after

AIG AAAAAGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

2009-03-02T22:51:00.002-05:00

The debacle that is AIG is just stunning in its size and scope. But until today, I don't think I really had a grip on just what AIG was up to or why the government keeps bailing them out with our taxpayer dollars. After all, aren't they just an insurance company? The answer to that is NO. AIG is much, much more, and it's looking like if AIG were allowed to collapse, the rest of the world

Once Again, I Am Blog Delinquent

2009-03-02T22:44:00.003-05:00

So I looked up and suddenly a week had gone by without a blog update. Bad blogger. BAD BLOGGER!Busy week last week. Busy week this week. But I will endeavour (yes, I spell it British-style) to be more topical this week. Hopefully, I'll have a link to post for the trailer I produced for Wildstorm, an imprint of DC Comics. That would be cool.Here's something I'm excited about: one of my

My Big Oscar Prediction....

2009-02-22T19:43:00.002-05:00

(drumroll)...I will be asleep before the end of the ceremony.-EB

The Package - In Progress

2009-02-21T09:57:00.004-05:00

Illustrator Alexis Ziritt has been hard at work on our crime comic collaboration, The Package, and he sent me a preview of page 1, in progress (click for larger image):This is going to be gorgeous comic, done in a European pulp style. To merely say I'm excited about it would be an understatement. For more amazing work by the talented Mr. Ziritt, check out his Flickr photo stream, and this

Decatur Book Festival 2009

2009-02-19T12:08:00.002-05:00

I had such a good time last year being part of the Decatur Book Festival as a professional writer that I decided to volunteer this year to help with programming. We're trying to get Neil Gaiman, the brilliant author of novels (American Gods), comics (Sandman), and children's books (Coraline) to come this year, and you can help by clicking on the widget below:View all Atlanta events at EventfulGo

Late to the Game

2009-02-17T21:55:00.005-05:00

I admit it, I was late to the game on this whole Obamicon thing. Created by the fine people at Paste Magazine (headquartered right here in Decatur!), this web application allows you to put yourself in the now iconic Obama poster created by artist Shephard Fairey. You know, this one:Great poster. Here's the Elliot version. Well one of two Elliot versions, depending on how I feel at any given

An Apology To My Blog and Random Notes

2009-02-15T20:49:00.009-05:00

Hi, elliotblake.blogspot.com -Elliot here. Clearly, I have been absent from you over the past week. And it occurred to me that perhaps you feel neglected. I don't have a great reason for my delinquency - I just haven't much felt like posting, which I realize is not a great way to keep up traffic to the site. I'm sorry. But hey, I haven't felt much like twittering either, so, y'know it's not

Motion Comics Are Here

2009-02-08T22:23:00.002-05:00

The big news coming out of the New York Comic-Con this weekend - mainstream superhero comics news, anyway - was the announcement of in-continuity Spider-Woman motion comics by Marvel Comics' top writer, Brian Michael Bendis, and his brilliant long-time collaborator Alex Maleev. You can read interviews about this new venture here and here. I was particularly encouraged by what Bendis had to say;

The Meaning of Bipartisan

2009-02-05T12:39:00.003-05:00

From the Merriam-Webster dictionary:bi·par·ti·san: of, relating to, or involving members of two parties ; specifically : marked by or involving cooperation, agreement, and compromise between two major political partiesThe new meaning of "bipartisan," based on the actions and complaints of the Republican congressional leadership: Compromise? Hah! Do it our way, or we're not going to vote

The Truth About "Lost"

2009-02-04T22:51:00.002-05:00

Back when Lost first came on television, I watched it with my lovely wife Laura. She quickly gave up on it because it just wasn't her thing. But between the two of us, we quickly came to the conclusion that Lost was really an updated, much more complex Land of the Lost, the Sid and Marty Krofft show from the 1970's that has now been made into a Super Bowl-promoted Will Ferrel feature. After

And Another Thing About Obama...

2009-02-04T22:40:00.003-05:00

He should “would wear a suit coat and tie.” This from Andrew Card, former White House Chief of Staff for former President George W. Bush, on the syndicated "news" program Inside Edition, as reported on the New York Times blog The Caucus. With all that's going on in the world, I think it's important to pick on our new president for choosing to take off his jacket and actually do some work while

Names We Did Not Consider For Our Children

2009-02-02T21:14:00.001-05:00

Sixth in an occasional series.Santonio.-EB

Wall Street Follies

2009-01-29T17:42:00.004-05:00

A Play in One Really Short ActThe scene: It's December 2008. The global economy is going down the tubes thanks in part to bad investments in subprime mortgages made by Wall Street firms. Two titans of the now-dying giant investment banks meet for lunch at a hoity-toity Manhattan dining room.Banker #1: Hell of a year, huh? Who would have ever thought that we, the engines of American capitalism,

Names We Did Not Consider For Our Children

2009-01-29T17:40:00.002-05:00

Fifth in an occasional series.Prunella.-EB

Motion Comics

2009-01-24T14:47:00.008-05:00

There's been a lot of talk lately about "motion comics," which is the process of taking an existing comic book property and turning it into a video by adding some limited animation, voice work, music, and sound effects, as has been done with the high-profile "motion comics" adaptations of Watchmen and Batman: Black & White (both of which are available on iTunes). "Motion Comic" itself is an

Good Comics Writing

2009-01-20T14:48:00.011-05:00

We'll take a break from politics in order to turn to another obsession of mine: comic books. It's no secret that I like comics, and that I have strong opinions about what makes a good comic. So, as a writer, I've decided to discuss comics writing that I think is of exceptionally good quality, and fully embraces the strengths of the medium to tell compelling, gripping stories. First on that

Hail to the Chief...

2009-01-20T13:41:00.005-05:00

...he's the chief of all we hail too. (Photo swiped from the NYTimes)I really thought that was an outstanding speech by President Obama (I like typing that!) - he didn't shy away from the challenges that face us, he didn't shy away from challenging us as citizens to do our part, and he also didn't shy away from reminding us of that the tone of politics of the last eight years, by necessity, needs

Micro-Blogging the Inauguration

2009-01-20T13:31:00.003-05:00

And now, presented in chronological order, my twitter posts from the inauguration. Hard to be deep in 140 characters or less:I am just knocked out by the sheer number of people in D.C. for the inauguration. Fantastic. about 4 hours ago from twitterrificI'm always amazed by the orderly transfer of power we have here in the U.S. about 2 hours ago from twitterrificThey just said it was 25 degrees

Twittering, Continued

2009-01-20T10:18:00.003-05:00

I have just added a Twitter widget to the sidebar of the ol' blog - look to your right. Not my right, your right. Screen right. Now scroll down a little. Just below the "Links." That's it - you found it. I am now so Web 2.0 it hurts.Perhaps there's a salve for that?-EB

Really!

2009-01-19T14:51:00.003-05:00

I'm going to get to that comics writing post spotlighting Jason Aaron's Scalped. Tomorrow, even. I shall dare to post about comics on Inauguration Day.Quite possibly I will live-blog Obama's inaugural speech, as well.-EB

While The Nation Celebrates...

2009-01-18T20:44:00.003-05:00

A great day today on the National Mall, as the inaugural celebration for Barack Obama was kicked off with a fun two hour concert including performances by The Boss and a typically great U2. I think the best part, though, was when Bruce brought out folk legend Pete Seeger to sing "This Land is Your Land," which in many ways is what this whole election was about. Here it is if you didn't see it:

Chimp in Lingerie

2009-01-17T13:15:00.004-05:00

Found today in the birthday card section at Target. Is it me, or is putting a chimpanzee in a negligee for our own amusement cruel? Perhaps even worse, the card plays an annoying song when you open it. I'm all for monkey-based humor, but no chimp deserves to be debased like this.-EB

Memo to President-Elect Obama Re: New Cabinet Post

2009-01-16T10:22:00.004-05:00

Dear Mr. President-Elect:I'm sure that you've heard - despite how busy you've been with things like the transition and trying to figure out how to save our faltering economy - that your issue of Amazing Spider-Man (#583, above) has been a runaway success, and that people were lining up at comics shops all over the country to get a copy of it to celebrate your inauguration.We all know you're a

Update Overdue

2009-01-14T09:12:00.002-05:00

There are several blog posts I have planned that I just have not had the time to get to. I'm going to have the time soon, but I have to take care of more pressing matters first. But here's an early look at one of the planned posts: it's about comics, it's about writing, it's about writing comics, and with an in-depth look a fantastically well done action sequence in Jason Aaron & R.M. Guera's

Twittering

2009-01-10T22:59:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I've got a Twitter account. I don't know why, to be perfectly honest. I've got this here blog thang, and I've got the Facebook for my witty one-line status updates, and wisecracking about other people's updates, so do I need the Twitter? Probably not. How connected does one person need to be? But we're living in a Web 2.0 world, so here we are, with all these digital connection points.

Is There a Beer Finer than Shiner?

2009-01-08T14:49:00.003-05:00

I don't think there is. Which is why we here at elliotblake.blogspot.com have decided to officially endorse Shiner Beer as our everyday "Beer of Choice." A cold Shiner Bock, like the one pictured above, is refreshing, smooth, and most importantly, delicious. I'm getting thirsty as I type this. Haven't had a Shiner? What are you waiting for? Try one today!-EB(Shiner marketing folks, you can

Wild Kingdom

2009-01-07T22:50:00.005-05:00

We hung a bird feeder on the fence in our backyard, and while squirrels ate most of the apparently delicious nutty suet - mmm... nutty suet... - on one particular morning, we had about four different birds taking their turns going for the suet dregs, including a sparrow, some kind of finch (we think), and these two in the picture below:Obviously, the red one is a cardinal, but we're stumped as to

The Package

2009-01-07T14:58:00.003-05:00

I'm writing a crime comic called "The Package" with the amazing illustrator Alexis Ziritt of Calavera Comics, who sent me some rough ads he mocked up before the holidays as a tune-up of sorts for diving into the art for the story. I thought I'd share them here:To say I'm excited about this project would be a serious understatement. More on this to come.-EB

And Now for Something Completely Different

2009-01-07T11:14:00.002-05:00

Poking around online today, I found a copy of a special promo I produced for the Re\Visioned: Tomb Raider series. Here it is:&amp;lt;a href="http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-US&amp;amp;playlist=<

Gaza Follow-Up

2009-01-07T11:07:00.002-05:00

Perhaps hearing the public outcry about the tenor of the media coverage towards Israel, CNN last night ran a vivid report from correspondent Nic Robertson during Anderson Cooper's live report from Israel, showing a rocket attack and its immediate aftermath from the point of view of Israelis living in the border town of Sderot. The report showed people waiting in a bomb shelter, waiting for the

Gaza

2009-01-06T13:48:00.003-05:00

Since the end of the election, I've pretty much stayed away from news, politics, and the like, and kept it light here at elliotblake.blogspot.com, but what's happening in Gaza right now between Israel and Hamas is really troubling, as is the coverage of the conflict.First, the coverage, which is making Israel the villain in this untenable situation. Hamas broke a cease-fire agreement and started

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T21:02:00.004-05:00

To the 282 visitors from 159 cities in 20 countries who have stopped by here to see what I have to say 877 times since I started watching traffic on September 30 of 2008 - you fantastic people know who you are - best wishes for 2009 from all of us here at elliotblake.blogspot.com.Which would be me.Elliot Blake.Cheers,EB

Overdue

2008-12-30T22:11:00.004-05:00

Yes, I'm overdue for a post. Cut me some slack, man! It's the holidays. The kids are home from school, we had some family in town, and I just haven't had the time to sit down and craft the kind of good, solid post you've come to expect from elliotblake.blogspot.com.But I've got some things knocking around the old skull cage for the first week of 2009. Here's a preview of topics I aim to cover

F---in' Yankees!

2008-12-23T20:42:00.003-05:00

Let me start this post by making one thing absolutely clear: I am a long time Yankee hater. Hate the New York Yankees with a passion. When everyone was rooting for them to win the World Series back in 2001, and worldwide sympathy was with New York, I was rooting for the Diamondbacks - because if I rooted for the Yanks, despite the terrible thing that happened there that September, I would have

The Holidays Are Upon Us

2008-12-21T20:42:00.003-05:00

Tonight was the first night of Hanukkah, and, naturally, the kids were thrilled. Sam got a new kiddo watch; Hannah some new pajamas. And they gave each other gifts: Hannah gave Sam a Transformer, and Sam gave Hannah a Play-Doh set. Everyone was happy. Laura got me a very cool book on cocktails - I'm looking forward to making some new drinks.I'll still try and update the blog, but with family

New Service from Nine Panel Grid

2008-12-21T20:36:00.004-05:00

I came up with a solid idea the other day - a new service my company, Nine Panel Grid, LLC, could offer. I pitched the idea to a former colleague of mine from the GameTap days, and he came on board as my chief collaborator. Now we have a client. And we're doing something cool.More on this as it develops.-EB

Look Out! It's Norman Osborn!

2008-12-16T21:36:00.004-05:00

Yes, it's another comics-related post. (But I swear this one won't be as long.)Here's a question about the end of Secret Invasion/the beginning of Dark Reign in the Marvel Universe: how is it that no one knows outside of the superhero community that Norman Osborn is a bad guy? That he was the Green Goblin? (Okay, two questions)It never really made sense to me that a known villain, no matter how

Canada Dry Ginger Ale

2008-12-13T16:16:00.001-05:00

I find that it's not too sweet.-EB

Comic Book Crossover Events Done Right

2008-12-13T16:01:00.002-05:00

WARNING! The post title and the image above should be a dead giveaway, but this rather long-ish opinion piece is aimed at my fellow comic book peeps. If you don't read comics, you might not have any clue of what I'm talking about, and while I'd be thrilled if you read the post, you do run the risk of glazing over at your computer. However, if you do like and/or read comics, read on! You might

Things I Learned About Trucking From Patrick Swayze

2008-12-10T20:54:00.006-05:00

While I was getting my hair cut today, I had a tough time keeping my eyes off the television, because AMC was showing the Patrick Swayze trucking docudrama Black Dog.Just take a look at that cast: Swayze, Randy Travis with a beard, and Meat Loaf. Anyway, you see something like that on television, and you just know you're going to learn something, and this fine 1998 primer on the grim realities

Names We Did Not Consider For Our Children

2008-12-10T17:08:00.002-05:00

Fourth in an occasional series.Rod Blagojevic.-EB

The Map, Redux

2008-12-10T11:29:00.006-05:00

It's been awhile since I've done a post about site traffic and the Google Analytics map, and since I'm procrastinating about getting some other work done, I thought, why not do one today? So here it is:Google recently updated their analytics tools, making it easier to view your site information by the day, week, month, or year, so I decided to see how I've done since I started tracking the site

Government Bailouts and Me

2008-12-09T20:47:00.004-05:00

I think I'm going to reorganize as a bank holding company so I can tap into the $700 billion TARP fund.-EB

Names We Did Not Consider For Our Children

2008-12-07T22:19:00.001-05:00

Third in an occasional series.Asdrubal.-EB

Names We Did Not Consider For Our Children

2008-12-07T22:18:00.000-05:00

Second in an occasional series.Yorvit.-EB

Names We Did Not Consider For Our Children

2008-12-07T22:16:00.004-05:00

First in an occasional series.Plaxico.-EB

The New Pornographers

2008-12-05T17:11:00.004-05:00

Now, before anyone unfamiliar with The New Pornographers gets in a tizzy, this post is not about any kind of pornography, but rather about the excellent band that goes by the name The New Pornographers. My good friend Jim Wiseman (he of the brilliant op-ed piece about Georgia's antiquated election runoff system in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution a few weeks back) turned me on to them a little

Live-Blogging the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show...Wrap-Up

2008-12-03T23:02:00.002-05:00

The editors of elliotblake.blogspot.com kind of regret the last six posts. We'll be taking the subject of this eponymous blog behind the woodshed for a good thrashing, and return to the sober and serious blogging the ten or fifteen regular readers of this website have come to expect.Our sincerest apologies,The Editors

Live-Blogging the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show...Part 6

2008-12-03T22:50:00.002-05:00

-It's almost over. Thank goodness. I'm starting to feel like I've somehow sullied myself by undertaking this endeavor.-They just showed a shot of John Stamos, and he looked bored.-The tension! Will Karolina make it on stage despite the torn outfit? -I'm not sure I'll ever know.-For my money, I'd buy Agent Provocateur. But perhaps not the pirate collection.Peace out.-EB

Live-Blogging the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show...Part 5

2008-12-03T22:40:00.002-05:00

-Do all the guys really want to be Usher? The man can sing, but it never really occurred to me that I should want to be him.-Trellis with underpants? Thumbs up.-What if, when the stage directors yell "Go go go!", one of the models got too excited, and ran? Like a greyhound? Would that throw off the whole thing?-Okay, the model with the tree branch accouterments looked like she was in some

Live-Blogging the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show...Part 4

2008-12-03T22:26:00.002-05:00

-Where's Sarah Palin? (Not as a model, as limelight-loving audience celebrity. Get your heads out of the gutter.)-Laura wants to know, "Do we really need all this extra crap, the capes and corsets and fringes, or can we just wear our underwear?"-I think Marisa Miller is kind of hot, but she has an abnormally long trunk.-Laura says she's inspired to wear more glitter, but I think she's just

Live-Blogging the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show...Part 3

2008-12-03T22:18:00.003-05:00

-Is the behind-the-scenes stuff really necessary?-And who the hell is Jose Moreno? Apparently this is the Latin section of the show.-"Go go go go!" Try not to trip.-I'm wondering how some if this stuff even qualifies as lingerie.-There's not enough metal or shiny silver in everyday lingerie.-Babalu? Is he channeling Ricky Ricardo? Don't get me wrong, the music is fine, but "Babalu?"-Brett

Live-Blogging the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show...Part 2

2008-12-03T22:16:00.001-05:00

Is the Victoria's Secret Fashion show really "The sexiest night on television," as the CBS announcer just claimed? I think the fine folks at Skinemax - I mean Cinemax - might have something to say about that.

Live-Blogging the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show...

2008-12-03T22:09:00.002-05:00

...because I'm not all about politics, and my wife said I could. Seriously, if there was ever an opportunity for both snark and staring at scantily clad women, this is it.Of course, I'm coming to it a little late, but thanks to the power of TiVo, I can say the following:-less camera shots of Usher. No one is tuning in to see him, they're tuning in to see the models.-more ass. I know this is on

I Just Got a Robo-call from Sarah Palin...

2008-12-01T17:39:00.003-05:00

...and it gave me the heebie-jeebies.Fortunately, moments later (not an exaggeration), I also got a robo-call from Barack Obama, which effectively counteracted the Palin-induced heebie-jeebies.(FYI - We have a big runoff election here in Georgia tomorrow, for a Senate seat, which is why we're getting robo-calls from political luminaries and dim-bulbs alike.)-EB

What I'm Thankful For

2008-11-26T21:30:00.004-05:00

It's been an interesting year. It's not often that you lose a great job due to downsizing and then win awards for the work you did there, and then not find work for the next six months. But that's the position I find myself in. I could be crabby about it (and sometimes I am), but the truth of the matter is this: I'm a pretty lucky guy, and I have a lot to be thankful for this year. I'm

Comment on a Comment - Georgia Runoff

2008-11-25T20:46:00.003-05:00

I got a comment today from someone going by the moniker "An American Idiot," sort of related to last week's post about the Georgia Senate Runoff election, and I felt like it was worth posting up front so I could respond:Elliot you are a guy with too much time on your hands! One good reason to vote Republican in this runoff is to insure there IS the ability for the minority to have a voice. As we

Mustaches I Have Admired

2008-11-24T22:06:00.004-05:00

Don't worry, I'm not going to grow one.-EB

Chinese Democracy

2008-11-24T21:57:00.002-05:00

Can a nation of more than a billion people ever truly be a democracy? And why does Axl Rose give a damn? And how can Guns'n'Roses be Guns'n'Roses without Slash? I assume the new album Chinese Democracy will sell, but more out of curiosity than anything else. Honestly, though - does anyone really care that this album came out, other than the apparently millions of people who are going to cash

Deep Thought of the Day

2008-11-21T15:56:00.003-05:00

On my way to pick up Sam from school today, I noticed a car festooned with bumper stickers expressing a certain political and lifestyle view - "Be a Vegetarian!", "Nice Truck, Buddy! Sorry About Your Small Pee-Pee.", "Kucinich '04", that sort of thing. It was really a case of vehicle as mode of expression, and I've seen it across the cultural spectrum, from NRA-W the President-Love It or Leave

Big Website Update; Jeffrey Brown

2008-11-20T17:45:00.006-05:00

As indicated in the title of this post, I made a big update to my website today, adding a section for my current projects, cleverly titled "Current Projects." Go there. Click on it. You'll be glad you did! I'd make a money back offer if you were to find the experience unsatisfying, but I'm not charging you anything to visit.One of the projects you'll find on the Current Projects page is

The Map, One More Time

2008-11-20T17:21:00.006-05:00

As I've previously mentioned, I am fascinated by the Google Analytics Map. Here's the latest, detailing the worldwide Elliot outbreak:And as I've also previously mentioned, my wife is a data connoisseur; she deals with data every day, and is really interested in the visual representation of quantitative information to explain studies and provide context. So she was really in love with CNN's

Not People's Sexiest Man Alive...Again.

2008-11-20T17:09:00.002-05:00

For the 17th year running, I have inexplicably been passed over by People Magazine for the title of Sexiest Man Alive, this time by this guy:That's Hugh Jackman, best known to comic book geeks as Wolverine of the X-Men. Yeah, he's a handsome guy, but I can only assume that I was not chosen because the editors at People did not see any pictures of me running along the beach without my shirt on,

Memo to The Blogger Team Re: Comics Addiction

2008-11-18T16:47:00.003-05:00

Dear Blogger Team:I received your email about my other blog, Comics Addiction, being identified as a possible spam blog. As requested, I've submitted it for review, but just in case you investigate the other blogs in my Dashboard to determine the validity of Comics Addiction, I wanted to post something here to let you know it's not spam. I just haven't done anything with it yet. I've been

My Wife is Also Famous

2008-11-18T13:23:00.004-05:00

My lovely wife Laura is the type of person who prefers not to have the spotlight on her, but today she was mentioned in the blog of the Teagle Foundation, a major foundation providing grants to educational institutions, including Agnes Scott College, where Laura works. Here's a link spotlighting Laura's professional awesomeness (along with that of Katherine Smith and her art and art history

The Map, Again

2008-11-18T09:43:00.003-05:00

I really do find the ability to see where the hits for elliotblake.com are coming from to be fascinating. I added a continent since the last map post: South America, specifically, Argentina. Very cool. (Click map for larger view.)I also checked the traffic for this blog, and yesterday, I got a hit from Beijing, which was a surprise. Either the person who wound up here from China was very

Georgia Sentate Runoff Election

2008-11-17T13:50:00.002-05:00

Georgia has been in the news quite a bit lately, due to the runoff between incumbent Senator Saxby Chambliss (R), and his opponent, Jim Martin (D). The outcome of this runoff is important nationally because if Martin wins, it puts the Democrats one seat closer to having a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. I'm not going to get into the politics of this; instead, I bring it up because my

Two pitches...

2008-11-14T21:55:00.000-05:00

...out the door to the network.Keeping fingers crossed.-EB

The Map

2008-11-14T21:39:00.005-05:00

My lovely wife, a true data connoisseur, is very much in love with the touchscreen electoral map so ably navigated by John King on CNN, but now that the election is over, she's suffering from a little withdrawal. I mentioned in my last couple of posts the quantity of hits my website has received over the last few days - a teeny, tiny amount by commercial standards, but good for me - and where

Website Update

2008-11-13T10:29:00.002-05:00

I updated elliotblake.com this morning to include the Jim Lee Talks... interview series I did for GameTap. Those videos have been available on YouTube for about a year now, but I thought they were worth aggregating in one place, now that GameTap has dispensed with all video programming.If you have not seen these videos, but you're a fan of Jim Lee (he's a living legend amongst comic book artists

More On Google Analytics and Web Hits

2008-11-13T10:19:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I noted that thanks to Google Analytics, I knew that my website received 34 hits in about a week's time. Well, yesterday, I posted a "situation wanted" ad on the industry newsletter and website Cynopsis, and thanks to that ad (and my continuing networking on LinkedIn), elliotblake.com received 33 hits in one day. Which is more than double my previous record, which was something like

Project Updates

2008-11-12T09:57:00.005-05:00

Before I get into the project updates portion of this entry, I just want to say a word about Google Analytics, which is a tool that helps you track website traffic. Using Google Analytics, I'm able to see how many hits my blog and websites get on a daily basis, where those hits are originating, and whether or not the hits came from a referring site, like LinkedIn or Facebook. This is just

Draw Every Day For a Year. That's An Order.

2008-11-11T11:44:00.004-05:00

My old pal Albert Calleros, whom I worked with at Rough Draft Studios back when I was a design coordinator and he was a storyboard guy, has a fascinating blog called Draw Everyday For a Year, where he does, in fact, post a new drawing just about every day. Albert is an animation director now, working on Fox's American Dad, and he's really just a phenomenally talented artist, able to work in a

Looking for a Comics Artist Collaborator

2008-11-07T22:00:00.002-05:00

I have written the script for the first chapter of a webcomic which I'd like to submit to DC Comics' online comics venture, Zuda Comics. But I need an artist, one who can handle crime fiction. And finding a good one who can or will work on spec - i.e., for no money up front, just like me - is not easy, because odds are if an artist is good, he or she is getting paid for their work, and paid

Teasing a Project

2008-11-07T21:54:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I received a package from one of my favorite indie cartoonists, with whom I've been developing an animated series off and on for the last three-plus years. Over the summer, the development has been more on than off, and now I have in my hands the final art for the series proposal, which will be hand-delivered to the network sometime next week. To say that I am excited about getting

File Under: From the Mouths of...

2008-11-05T22:08:00.002-05:00

"Hannah - do you know who won the election last night?"Her reply? "Rocko Bama!"Godspeed, President-Elect Bama...-EB

File Under: Kids Say the Darndest...

2008-11-05T17:25:00.002-05:00

Today as we were pulling up the driveway, a clip of Barack Obama's speech from last night came on the radio. I turned and said to Sam, my five-and-a-half year old son, "Buddy, we did a great thing last night in electing Barack Obama. You're going to grow up in a United States where anyone can do anything, with no barriers--""--or vampires?" he interrupted?"Um, right. No vampires.""What would

Live-Blogging Election Night: Relief

2008-11-04T23:05:00.003-05:00

I am completely overwhelmed right now. This is a great thing for our country, and I pray that President-Elect Obama can be the great, transformational president that we need right now. I was really worried that somehow McCain would pull off an upset - but now I feel a tremendous sense of relief, and that we, as a country, have a real chance to climb out of the deep hole we're in. He's got a