Long Break

By virtue of Monday being a public holiday, the coming weekend is going to be a bit longer and a bit more restful. Got a game or two I have lined up to play, a bunch of anime and movies to convert to mobile format and hours of sleep to catch up to. Of course, there are some odd chores to catch up on, like pages of art and stuff that will earn me a pretty penny. Hopefully I'll be able to make the most of the break, so I'll free up the rest of my time for the inevitably hectic task of holiday shopping. Ah, just one more day to bliss...

Me Got Game

Three new games for The Sanctum's pleasure. These include the latest tactical-stealth action title, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the swashbuckling run-and-jump adventure sequel Prince of Persia 2: The Warrior Within and the blatant titillation all-female wrestling game, Rumble Roses.

I've played and finished both previous MGS titles, so I'm fully intending on playing and finishing MGS3 as a matter of course. The reviews have been good, and I am dying to get back into Snake's boots again. The story and the new characters look great- there's a whole new crop of freaky villains to take on, which once again reinforces my view of Metal Gear as the Ninja Scroll of military action games. That's something to get into over the long weekend.
I'm not really a big fan of run-and-jump titles- my coordination and attention span is pretty limited- but the cool visuals and storyline of POP:TWW is intriguing. The new Prince of Persia takes up the story a few years after the end of the first game, with the embattled Prince still being pursued by death, this time in the form of a mysterious island swarming with deadly foes. His only hope- to slay the mysterious Empress of Time. Ooh. With Ninja Gaiden-esque play, maybe I can get through this game and see the saucy stuff. Like actress Monica Bellucci's sexy onscreen NPC, Khardreena. Yum.

Finally, Rumble Roses. Let me say that as a DOA fan, I appreciate fan service and beautiful girls doing martial arts onscreen. That said, RR basically stuffs your face into the proverbial crotch. This game is pretty much interested in one thing- and that's to make gamers play with their joysticks. Not that there's anything I dislike about that... this really takes guilty pleasure to a whole new level.

Well! Lots of stuff to occupy myself. Anyway, there's stuff to do as well, so I'll try to keep some hours productive before I dive into these new distractions. Heh.

Upgrade Complete


Pocket PC Full Plate Mail+3

For the past few days since I got my XDA II, my brother and I have been pretty much regularly meeting late in the night when we're both at home. Since we both have the same device, our favorite thing to do now is to show off the newest thing we've discovered, the latest app or game we've installed, or the latest accessory we've added. I guess I was right to convince my bro to keep his XDA instead of going for the P910i. He'd probably be soooo green with envy and bored with the P9 when he sees me tinkering away on my Pocket PC phone.

The last couple of days saw us installing several games, including a version of the classic Ms. Pac Man, the excellent shooter Sky Force and the incredibly addictive Bejeweled. We also installed the demo version of Age of Empires for the PC, which amazingly seems true to the PC original, except for the size of the screen. I am fully intending to get the full version of this great title. I have to say though that I will keep gaming down to a minimum, since it is such a power hog. With minimal use of games and apps and just texting, the XDA II will easily last the whole day on a full charge. With normal use, you may probably reduce the power to about a third by the end of the day (late night). To remedy this, I got an extra charger for the office, so that should keep me powered up no matter what.

The next upgrade is a 1 Gigabyte SD Card, which pretty much lets me stuff hours of anime, action scenes, game and movie trailers and R-rated clips for anytime, anywhere viewing. My old 256 MMC card is now dedicated to music, and I've stuffed that full of tunes long enough for any road trip.

The last addition to my XDA II's arsenal is... armor! Yep. I decided that the leather case included with the phone was just too bulky, and the beltclip was not securely fastened enough for my liking. So I got a metal case that fits the phone like a... well, a metal glove. The effect now is that my XDA II looks like a liquor flask, which is kinda cool. The fit is perfect- there are orifices for all the buttons and connections, and the whole shell is snug and pretty slick. There's even a cool little slot for holding back-up memory cards in the inside. Excellent! But of course, the most important part of the metal shell is the belt clip, which is much more secure and resistant to removal than the simple clips of most other holsters. I tried it out, liked and it, and took it. Excellent!

And so, my little mobile warrior is prepped up and girded for any battle. All I have to do now is take care of it, and see that I take special care from now on, even weeks from now. That is, of course, assuming that I don't find another super phone in the next few weeks. Heh. Kidding... No, really. Gah.

Battle Angel

James "I'm the King of the World!" Cameron has gone on record that his next film will be an adaptation of the Yukito Kishiro manga/anime Battle Angel Alita. In order to fully capture the image of a lethally-cute cyborg-sprite with octopus lips, Alita aka Gally the Battle Angel will be a fully-CG character. Will the whole film be in CG, ala the Pixar films, or will it be like Who Framed Roger Rabbit with real settings?

Anyway, this should be pretty cool to wait for. The film is supposedly in pre-production already. Still a ways off, this one is. Hopefully, it will be worth the wait.

19 years of bloodshed

Yesterday, Comic Quest, my favorite blood bank, turned 19.

I remember my first experiences with CQ, as a student in my white polo and khakis. I'd go over to the branch in Greenhills to ogle at the colorful rows of comics, graphic novels, toys and other goodies I could only dream of holding and affording. I remember asking the shopkeeper to let me look at the books... and I'd remember them covered totally in plastic, with the man hovering over me, knowing that I could not afford them and just itching to snatch them back from my hands.

Yep, my experiences early on with CQ weren't the best. But thanks to the fact that Vin is nowhere near as hostile as his short-sighted old man was then (Don't displease your young customers, merchants- they grow up to become your valued clients) I buy pretty much ALL my comics at Comic Quest. Doesn't hurt that it's cool to browse and see the stuff you're spending your hard-earned blood on.
Anyway, CQ's my second home, the oasis amidst the chaos that is Megamall, tambayan for the gang and domain of the Time Twister himself, Vin. May it see more comics, fantasies, toys, fun, friendship and bloodletting for decades more to come.

Test Run

Okay!

I woke up LATE and had to rush. I clicked on my XDA II to the belt clip, packed my bag and was off.

Rode the MRT, arrived at Cubao. As I entered Farmer's Plaza, there was a hubbub as a female shoplifter was apparently caught and surrounded by a crowd of angry shopkeepers and cashier girls. A guard came running and collared the sullen bitch, who was defiantly snarling 'My relative is a policeman! A Major!' (In tagalog, of course) even as she was led away (no doubt to be put in stocks).
Rode the second MRT, arrived at Buendia. Rode the FX.

One slight mishap- the belt clip actually LET GO, so I'll be thinking of either putting the XDA in my pocket on commutes, instead of on my belt. Either that or I have to find a more secure belt holster.

Anyway, looked at the power supply. After the night's initial charge, it's half a day and the main power is still at just below 90 percent. We'll see how much it lasts to the end of the day. WOOHOO!!! Looks good and things went smoothly. And even in a hectic commute, I didn't lose my new toy! Yay! Now, back to work.

Um...


Where's my laptop..?

Kidding.

Crash, Crash. Crumble, Crumble.

I got my brand-new O2 XDA II today. My brother eventually decided to keep his XDA since I reasoned that he'd probably feel limited if he got my P910i. So, we went to Greenhills and switched from Sony Ericsson to O2. After an early pizza dinner, we were off home again to charge up my new toy.
It took some time (and one CRASH), but I was able to synch the XDA to my PC and install a couple of apps, including my favorite Smartmovie. I never thought I'd find myself using Microsoft Outlook, but then again, a couple of years ago I never thought I'd find myself using cellphones. Heh.

I was able to text right away, but it still remains to be seen how it performs on a working day. The larger size is also something I have to get used to. I am thinking of getting a metal shell/jacket accessory. Also want to find by hook or by crook a copy of Age of Empires for the PPC. Conquering civilizations in real time on the MRT.... DAAAAAMN!!!! I'm also planning to buy a Gig-size SD or MMC card... perhaps for Christmas. Well, the holidays came early this year... TWICE now.

Well, with no superphone likely to come out before Christmas, I guess this is it. I've run the gamut, from a crappy walkie-talkie Motorola to a portable computer that was at one time the most expensive phone device around (48K, down to these days at about 43K in proper shops). There really is nowhere else to go from here.

Is that a tear in my eye? Oh well.

To Kat: Yep, the O2 XDA II's pretty awesome, but it IS a computer, with computer tendencies and faults (like occasional crashes). But otherwise, it's DAMN cool. It WILL take quite a bit of time for me to get used to this new OS, way of communicating, the various options and the stuff the thing can do.
To Apostle: Thanks for the warning. Anyway, I'm pretty used to charging my phone daily. If the battery lasts me a full day, It's fine with me. We'll see.

Beyond Phone Whoredom


Life beyond my P910i.

When the MADman acquired his P910i, he wept for there were no more phones to conquer.

He was wrong.

To update you all, a week or two ago, my older brother won himself a Nokia 7610 in a raffle (which leads me to believe that our family has finally broken our lifelong curse of raffle-unluckiness). Of course, while most people will probably be overjoyed and be satisfied with the megapixel-fashion phone, my bro wasn't. In fact, a couple of days after he got it he was already thinking of selling it along with his 2-month old K700 and getting a P910i. However, the Sony Ericsson PDA-phone was still to expensive, and in the end he found instead a great alternative in the O2 XDA II, for which he traded in both his phones in a straight swap.
Well, after two days I finally got to look at the XDA II, and I have to say, I'm in LOVE. Or heavily infatuated.

While the P910i is a PDA-Phone, which is basically a phone that has PDA functions, the XDA II is a Phone-PDA... a PDA with phone functions. Which means that it is pretty much a mini-computer you bring around, powered by a hefty 400 MHz processor, 128 MB of ram, Windows programs and compatibility, and the ability to use more mainstrean (non-Memory Stick) memory expansion. In english terms, I can play videos and music with no problems at all, even Windows media and MPEGs (along with my favorite Smartmovie), have tons of apps and games. All this plus I can do Word and Excel documents, surf the web completely (even use my ISP Bonanza cards with it), enjoy WiFi, and Gosh knows what else. Oh, and watch my Smartmovies. TONS and TONS of them since I can load up a Gigabyte-size SD or MMC memory card anytime. WWWWWOOOOOOHHHH!!!!

Which begs the question, why didn't I get the XDA before, instead of spending a bundle on the P910? Well, I wasn't too hot with PDAs before, and it was just too big a risk to take. I also thought it would be too big (it's even bigger than the P910i, but not unmanageable for me). But seeing the XDA now, and feeling it in my hand and seeing what it can do... My gosh. Just the screen- the HUGE screen that dwarfs even my P910's... is mesmerizing...

I have half a mind to march off to Greenhills and get a brand-new XDA II (But I will surely get shortchanged). Or better yet, trade my P910i for my bro's XDA II. It depends on how we go about it. It's not final, but seeing as how gung-ho about these things I am, it's almost a done deal. Maybe. We'll see. Heh.

Marvelous Team Ups


Read the adventures of Crystal for free right now!

Jason Banico of Baylans and Dynatica has put up a cool site with all the recent comic projects he has done alongside various artists. These include Carlo Vergara (Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah), Armand Roy Canlas (Armor Troopers), Honoel Ibardolaza (Homanga, Gomanga), Ner Pedrina (Sanduguan) and Jake Bilbao. Oh, and there's a guy named Marco Dimaano too! Jason works with a lot of people.

The stories are mostly action-fantasy or sci-fi, including Baylans Prologue, Crystal and the Sorority of Light, Bagani, Mystic Machine Maharlika, Tikbalang Nation and The Pact. To ever see these stories, you either have to buy the indie comics at Comic Quest, or wait for the (eternally delayed) Cherry Blossom High. So, take a hint and read them NOW NOW NOW for FREE FREE FREE!

Click here for pages and pages of comics!

Tekken it to the Next Level

The newest King of Iron Fist Tournament game, Tekken 5, is now in arcades in Japan and Asia (though not yet here, I guess). The game shipped out on November 16, and by now fighting gamers starved for a good arcade brawler are probably swarming all over it.
The end bosses of Tekken 5 are Devil Jin and Jinpachi Mishima. Similar to Devil in Tekken 2, the diabolical form of Jin Kazama comes complete with flapping black wings and lazer eyebeams. Jinpachi is actually the father of the late Heihachi, though those familiar with Tekken lore and backstory will already know this. The elder Mishima appears as an even older version of Heihachi, and he transforms into a fiery, demonic incarnation for battle- which kinda looks like a cross between Heihachi and Soul Edge. Monstrously powerful, Jinpachi may or may not be playable, though if he isn't, that would be a first since past end bosses have always been unlockable.

Tekken fan that I am, I'll be keeping my eyes out for this one in the major arcades (those that are left, anyway). The home versions for Tekken 5 are expected in early to mid-2005.

10 Signs that You've Been Reading Too Much George R.R. Martin

1. Your dream pet is a dire wolf.

2. You say 'ser' instead of 'sir'.

3. You find yourself making up cast lists for a Game of Thrones movie.

4. When in restaurants, you often order lamprey pie.

5. You feel very uncomfortable at weddings.

6. You have a soft spot for dwarves.

7. You enjoy laughing at a good jape.

8. You often name your pets after dead relatives.

9. You find villains a lot cooler than heroes.

10. You wish you could shit gold.

Date with a She-Devil


The She-devil strikes in the month of hearts.

FINALLY! The 8-issue Shanna the She-Devil mini-series has been given a February 2005 release date. A comic about a gorgeous leather bikini-clad vixen taking on dinosaurs and evildoers in steamy jungles? What's not to love??? Of course, the best part of this is that it's being drawn by Frank Cho, one of my favorite artists and one guy who just draws sexy babes right. Mr. Cho has already stated in interviews that he's reinventing the character from the ground up, with little of the baggage (Ka-zar, environmental schtick) and more of the sexy good stuff you'd want to see in a jungle girl comic. Sexist? Without a doubt. But DAMN it should look incredible.
Shanna the She-Devil will be part of Marvel's MAX line, so expect it to be rated mature and have a bit of nudity in the pages. We'll all see when the comic comes out early next year.

Storm of Reading

Over the prolonged break, I started AND finished reading A Storm of Swords, the third book in the Song of Ice and Fire trilogy by George R.R. Martin. Let's just say that I was left at a precipice by the second book, and could not help but be drawn into a snowballing session of more midieval fantasy, high-level political power plays, duels and battles to the death, conquest, journeys and more power plays. The third book sees more crowned heads rolling, leaving the many-sided war started in Clash of Kings pretty much over. But death doesn't seem to be that much of an obstacle for some characters, as the power to resurrect the dead has come back to the world courtesy of the power of a new god; Rh'llor, the lord of light.

Secrets have been revealed, yet more questions, particularly about the futures of characters we follow addictively (whether we hate or love them) have arisen. The power of the books so far come from the way this epic is told from multiple viewpoints, from various sides of the battle. This volume showed us that even the so-called villains of the saga- specifically members of the powerful Lannister family- can be seen with a sympathetic eye and even become 'good'. Which is great since the so-called "good guys" have an irritating way of walking into bloody deathtraps with impunity.

Well, that's it then. I had wanted to save SOS for reading this Christmas, but I just couldn't resist. NOW that I've finished, there's nothing more to do except perhaps track down the side-stories or other stuff by George R.R. Martin. The next book, A Feast For Crows, has yet to get a firm release date, so it's all waiting from here on it. Darn! Oh well, I guess I could just read the books AGAIN. What's an addict to do? Heh.

Ninja Anime


Ninja enthusiasts need no other anime series aside from Naruto.

With the Inu Yasha anime over for now, I've been looking for new titles to get into. One of them is Naruto, which can probably be described as the definitive ninja anime. Set in a world where ninja and their skills are commonplace and large towns or even villages populated entirely of ninja exist, Naruto combines cool animation, long and complex battles, interesting characters and the ninja mystique to form one of the most popular anime out there right now.
In the Hidden Leaf Village of ninja, young Uzumaki Naruto is an outcast; many years ago, a powerful and dangerous fox spirit was sealed into the boy's body. Being a prison for a demon has not made life easy at all for the orphan, but despite it all, Naruto grew up as a good-natured and fun-loving youth, if a bit loud-mouthed and brash. His goal is to one day become the Hokage- the greatest ninja in the village. Naruto's closest comrades include Sasuke, a taciturn young genius who immediately becomes his closest rival, and Sakura, a lovely ninja girl whom Naruto has a crush on. Complicating matters is the fact that Sakura has eyes only for Sasuke, and has an opinion that Naruto is a good-for-nothing windbag.
Naruto's animation is pretty good, and places a big emphasis on the characters' use of jutse, or ninja magic. Along with these powerful special techniques, Naruto and company's battles with enemy ninja are fought with shuriken and kunai- more traditional ninja weapons.

So far, I've watched almost twenty episodes of the series, and I have to say that it's a very leisurely-paced series. A story arc- with Naruto and his friends going on their first serious job- lasts more than 13 episodes, with one major battle between the heroes and two enemy ninja lasting over 8 episodes! The episodes, as it turns out, are pretty short at just a little over twenty minutes each, and often the first several minutes are devoted to flashbacks or scenes from the previous chapter.

Despite this, the series is pretty addictive and cool to watch- and with over a hundred episodes already out, that's a LOT of ninja fighting action to check out. Well, I guess I'm hooked, ninja fan that I am. Fans of ninja action and cool comedy and action would do well to check Naruto out.

Back into the War

After reading a cool article in Dragon Magazine, I finally got back into reading the second book of George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire saga. Continuing the saga of noble houses, knights, assassins, warriors and warfare in the midieval land of Westeros started in A Game of Thrones, the second book, A Clash of Kings, sees the land divided among no less than five would-be monarchs. But as is the way with war, there are cullings and crowned heads are laid low. Meanwhile, far in the north, the faltering strength of the Night Watch prepares for a deadly battle with the Wildling army of Mance Rayder, and whatever strength the bandit lord is gathering.
As before, following this multi-faceted fantasy/political/midieval epic unfold through the eyes of various individuals has its ups and downs- ups when you follow characters that totally capture your interest (Tyrion, Catelyn, Jon, Daenerys), down when you are forced to look away and focus on other, less likeable or interesting plots (Theon, Bran). Still, the whole reading experience is absorbing and irritatingly addictive- I have to read it in the late hours, and before I know it, it's MORNING and I still want to move to-the-next-chapter... Aaaah...

I really should slow down. The fourth book, A Feast of Crows, isn't out yet, and I have only the third book, A Storm of Swords, after Clash of Kings. I hate the idea of being left at a precipice waiting for the saga's continuation, but that seems to be inevitable. Oh well.

Change

After a pretty exhausting week full of mad scrambling, we can all finally look forward to a long weekend break. It's with a bit of pain that I found out that my favorite shopping place for games, gadgets and videos, Virra Mall in Greenhills, is going to be renovated, or worse, torn down to make way for a new mall. It was inevitable, given that the main Virra Mall building has been there since I was a little kid.

I remember several years ago, Virra Mall on the 3rd Floor was THE hub for electronic gaming and entertainment, with all the major and always updated game shops and arcades present in force. Every week was Christmas with new games. It was cool to just watch gamers have at it with the latest Tekken, Streetfighter or other new brawler released. Heaven.
That all changed with a fire that gutted the nearby Jollibee, and drove all happiness from the floor. It would take a long time for things to become regular again- in many ways, the old world and the glory was lost forever. Nowadays, Virral Mall is still rife with bootleg videos, games and dvds. The pirates are irritating in their intrusive persistence, and the place literally stinks of decay sometimes. Yeah, it's about time for change I guess. At least make the place cleaner, better lit and less shady-looking. Will it also entail the place be more expensive? Part of Virra's appeal was the rock-bottom prices of goods, but perhaps even that is something that we cannot bank on forever.

Tomorrow, I'll try to pass by and see what's left, or what's happening to a place I both love and hate. It's gonna hurt to say goodbye to it, but not too much. Well, nothing a trip to other Black Markets won't fix. Heh.

Snake Eater


Snake’s back in MGS3. Or is he?

The latest Metal Gear game is almost upon us. Once again, players will be injected into the combat boots of super agent Solid Snake as he once again takes on a mission of utmost importance, international espionage, impenetrable conspiracy gobbledygook, eccentric villains and the titular giant mech waiting in the wings.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater takes some different roads from the past MGS games. For one, the game is set mostly in the outdoors, specifically in some pretty thick jungles. In addition to battling balaclava-clad soldiers, Snake has to deal with the local wildlife, deadly booby traps and the challenge of keeping alive and regaining health by hunting and eating some of the local fauna.
But of course, despite having new gameplay mechanics gleaned from some survivalist handbook, MGS3 still has your requisite heavy-handed plot, complete with hours of codec communications, non-interactive cinematics and dramatic dialogue.


The beautiful and mysterious Boss.

There’s a new cast of characters, including new main villain Volgin, a beautiful but cold female soldier known as The Boss (who seems to be Snake’s former mentor), new love interest Eva and the token scientist in peril, Sokolov. Snake Eater’s equivalent to Foxhound is Cobra group, an odd group of misfit characters which include guys with names like The Fear, The End, The Sorrow, The Pain and The Fury. The HELL? Who does these names? Well, lucky for us ol’ Revolver Ocelot makes an appearance, as his younger self. Yep, since MGS3 is set in the 60s, Ocelot is a young, arrogant Soviet soldier who has a particular affinity for pistols. How he eventually starts liking six-shooters and cowboy boots may be explained in this game.

Now, with the game being set in the 60s (with Snake being sent in to stop a planned coup by Volgin and The Boss to upset the balance of power in Russia with nukes and the new/old Metal Gear), we therefore are wondering WHY Snake is there. Is the Snake in Snake Eater the same Solid Snake in the previous MGS games? Or is the main character actually Big Boss, the father of good ol’ Solid, Liquid and Solidus Snake?

I am thinking perhaps Time Travel may have something to do with the whole thing. Or maybe I could be wrong. Well, anything is possible with MGS, that’s for sure. The only way to find out is to play the game when it comes out on PS2 in the next couple of weeks.

Low-budget meal, big-budget dream

I had another fantasy/action movie-quality dream this morning. Perhaps it had something to do with me eating a Fat Dog and a Chicken Teriyaki Crispy Pao from a Mini-Stop in the wee hours of the morning.

Anyway, the dream starts off with a red-headed femme fatale dressed in D&D-style leathers emerging from a cavern with a pre-teen male companion and a donkey. She tells the kid to stay behind and hide himself while she goes off to finish whatever it is she has to finish. I am then treated to a quite lovely panoramic view of a vast forested mountain realm. Pretty cool and grand in a Discovery Channel sort of way. Anyway, it doesn't last and soon the dream cuts to a pretty austere ancient Japanese-style midieval fortress, complete with long lines of soldiers dressed in maroon overcoats and pennants marching here and there.
Our heroine entered the fortress without being challenged by the guards, and inside she met with her contact and discussed their plans, while smoking an odd pipe tabacco. It is here that I learn that the maroon-coats are soldiers of a corrupt regime Red Sonja and friends are attempting to unseat.
Later, there's some action as our heroine starts sneaking through the fortress interior, dodging guards and patrols as she makes her way closer to her goal. Finally though, as she enters a crucial hallway, there's a sudden noise and alarm, and I hear... The Green Hornet theme?!?

Argh. I wake up to the daily alarm of my cellphone, the Green Hornet score from Kill Bill shaking me from sleep, dreams and the kingdom of the maroon tyrant. As much as I tried to get back to sleep, the dream did not come back. Oh well. I'm sure Red Sonja can handle herself without my prying eyes. Maybe if I eat at Mini-Stop again I'll find my way back to that dream. Maybe.

Prelude


Cape Manipulation is one of the Siths' more obscure skills.

All together now... Evil... is... Good!

Well, not really. But you'd be fooled into thinking that with how much everyone seems to be finding the newly-evil Anakin Skywalker so cool in the upcoming Star Wars Episode Three: Rise of the Sith. Now armed with an even more sullen expression and yellow contacts, the former Jedi Padawan and soon to be Dark Lord of the Sith is set to exterminate his goodie-two shoes brethren in 2005. The teaser trailer for the last SW film (or so it has been said) is already online and ready for download in numerous sites.

The short but sweet trailer fittingly enough starts with footage from the original Star Wars: A New Hope, with Obi Wan Kenobi (Sir Alec Guinness) telling young moisture farmer Luke Skywalker about his pupil, Darth Vader, and how this dark jedi led the Empire in destroying the Jedi Knights. What follows then is a storm of footage crammed with space battles, lightsabers, wookies and... the Black Suit. Oooh.

Okay, the first two Prequel Star Wars were more hype that anything else, and here we are at the end. It's a given that we'll be all watching the finale, but lowering expectations should be in order to prevent the backlash that inevitably followed after watching Episodes One and Two. Let's see if Mr. Lucas can at least end his flawed saga with a reasonably cool final foray into the Galaxy of Far, Far Away.

Unfinished Business


Urge to kill lazy MADman rising...

With 2004 fast coming to a close, there is one thing I have on my plate to polish off before closing my book on this year.

K.I.A. has been delayed for quite some time, but considering that I started the project just early this year I don't think it's that straying far from the path... especially when you consider that many comic projects have been in development for years and years yet have yet to see the light of day! Well, K.I.A. will see print very soon. There are two remaining hurdles to be overcome- one, to finish the last remaining artworks, and two, to bring together the funds to pay for the book. Both of these stumbling blocks can be handled with some time and careful bartering. In the end, once it's all done, we'll have a 160+ page anthology with some of the top names in local comics... not bad for several months' worth of running around like a headless chicken (as El would say), enlisting artists and writers, chasing up pages and pinups, and saving money like a miser (in between indulging in my Phone Whoredom). Heh.

Anyway, I am looking to concentrate all my efforts on this book by this weekend. Fates willing, we'll have it to the printers late November or early December. Then we'll be working on getting the word out, fixing up a spiffy new webpage for Kai and preparing to unleash our deadly new heroine.

Wait for it. She's coming soon. Promise.