Audio Podcast 6 - Two Tins

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Audio Podcast 6 - Two Tins.mp3 (16.11 MB)

Woohoo! Episode 6 is up for your delectation and possible enjoyment. Listen with awe as David dazzles you with his amazing grasp of English! Wet your pants as Kevin assaults your senses with his aural beauty! Well hearing anyway.

This week, we discuss the following;

True Blood
Lost S5 opening
Ben Templesmith interview
'What If?' potential interviews
Resident Evil 5 demo
Movie news including Tintin, Preacher and Predator

Sound isn't as balanced as I'd like this episode. Kevin is much louder. Will work on it.

Ben Templesmith is a guy myself and Kevin have had a lot of time for following 30 Days of Night hitting comic book shelves in 2002. Since then, we have seen his career shoot into the stratosphere working alongside the likes of Warren Ellis on Fell. Not happy resting on his unique stylistic approach to comic book art, he has started writing also. He now creates, draws and writes the likes of werewolf thriller Welcome to Hoxford and something you have heard us speak about extensively here on Sonic's Ring; Wormwood: Gentlemen's Corpse. He is currently working on a Doctor Who one-shot with Leah Moore and John Reppion due for release later this year.

When I spotted Ben was on Twitter (@Templesmith) I made a beeline in his direction and asked him for a wee interview. He kindly accepted. Here goes nothing...

You disturb me. What are your influences for Wormwood and for your writing in general?

'I disturb me too. It started when I woke up in a cold sweat one night & there was a dead hooker next to me. Well, half of her was next to me. Most of her internal organs were on the other side of the room. What's up with that?

Influences for Wormwood are basically the old Doctor Who TV show, especially the Douglas Adams written episodes... a dash of Hellblazer and the general "monster hunter" genre of things, of which there are numerous examples. I generally try to take the piss out of all of it in a quirky fashion. It's basically my version of Doctor Who, but with demons and he actually has slept with some of his companions.'

Out of all the fucked up comic dudes out there, you rank highly. But what comics do you read and which writer and artist fuck-ups are you always on the look out for new stuff from?

'My mother says "thank you". My comics "coming of age" was reading things like "Transmet" and "Preacher"...I'd read superhero stories before that, but it wasn't until I stepped outside of reading adolecent power fantasy that I realized you could do pretty much anything in comics.  These days I still try to read anything Warren Ellis puts out, but am huge fan of the writer/artist as one, so Mike Mignola , Paul Pope and Geoff Darrow (with Shaolin Cowboy that never comes out alas) are people I immediately follow with new works. I actually don't read too many comics these days though.'

I used to get off to regular porn. Now when I jerk off, my mind drifts off to leprechaun strippers (thanks for that mate!). What approach do you take to drawing women in your books?

'Well, I'm not a Yank. I've noticed American men in general seem to think "bigger is better". The US is the land of fake big boobs to me. Why? WHY?? I hate them. I'm a big fan of living with what you can grow yourself. I have done life drawing since I was 15 (not that it shows I know) but have always preffered the skinny, lithe, small/natural breasted types. So many comics have impossibly proportioned women, with huge spherical breasts and tiny waists. Not for me. I actually want to get more into photography at some point and do a book of nudes. No peroxide blonde huge fake boobs for me in that though. Just "real" women. Larger or small.'

Maybe it isn't your fault you have these issues. Maybe it is where you were raised? Do you feel being brought up in Austrailia has held you back or helped you in any way?

'Coming from Australia but currently living in the USA just means I have a different perspective. On all things, including lifestyle and politics too. I mean, it's why I like public transport, taxes, that sort of thing. Because in my country you actually get things out of it, or it works properly. Outside of NYC, public transport seems like a dirty word in the US. Which is sad. I hate the amount of dependency on jammed freeways and the prison cars become in California.

Coming from Perth in particular (which is as far away from the rest of Western Civilization as we know it) has probably made me more independent. Lots of creatives/actor types have come out of Perth. We simply have to leave to get anywhere because the rest of the world is so far away. The net makes things easier, but you still need to go see these places to network or do some work. I see it as a strength though and adds to our character.'

You bastard! You stole our idea for the Hi-Ex comic convention here in Scotland. Isn't it true that you're just working with Leah Moore to get to her dad?

'No idea what the "Hi-Ex" comic con is. Do they sell meth on the side? How do you get high at the con? I just use coffee myself. I know you Scots do things a little differently up there!  Nope, am not working with Leah just to get to her dad. Infact, I have not mentioned her dad to her at all that I can remember. I'd imagine she gets that a lot and it may bug the shit out of her. I can't fault her pedigree though, but John and her have been exceptionally nice to me, and I thought it'd be real fun to bring them in on a Doctor Who thing, since they'd obviously be very familiar with the source material and be able to do it justice!'

We're guessing that you are a bit of a coward given that you have yet to tackle any of the big-gun superstars. Which comic book character would you like to tackle most in the future?

'You consider coming up with your own original ideas and putting out your own comics, essentially taking risks and working for yourself being cowardly? I'm sure I could beg Marvel or DC for some work and change my style and work on some of the big corporate characters for some decent money, but honestly, that's not what drives me and that's the easier option for many people in the industry. Creator owned and generated work is the way to go. Being just another name working on a 50 year old character is not. Not that it's bad, there are some great books and talented folks out there, but I reject utterly the idea that it's "cowardly" to not do them. I consider it the exact opposite infact. I wish more talented folks would try their hand at new creations, like at Image comics etc etc.

I just spent a whole paragraph on your use of the word "cowardly" heh. Oops. Anyways, if I was to do some "superstar" characters I guess Batman, Lobo, Ghost Rider etc...would always be fun, but again, they're not what drives me. They'd just be fun diversions if I ever got to tinker with them.'

Oh, look at you with your Big Budget Hollywood Extravaganza(TM)! How did you feel 30 Days of Night turned out? Are you proud of it and would you have changed anything?

'You know, I've never been asked that question before. Heh. yes I was very happy with it. Especially considering, how many people even get the option to have a film made off their original creation? I'd be a right bastard if I said I was unhappy with it (well, unless it turned out to be as good as The Love Guru or some crap) but David Slade did a bang up job. Visually, he really honoured me and the raw visuals I created. I owe him muchly.'

Well Templesmith, you have ungodly abilities now with both the word processor and the paint brush. Which do you prefer working on and can you always see yourself both drawing and writing in the future?

'Doing both seems natural to me, though I can do art on it's own with other writers just as easily usually. There are a few people I definitely want to work with, but other than that I am more than happy to work on my own things. I plan on never writing anything unless I'm also drawing it though. I don't think I'm that good. I prefer to craft the whole thing and have it suit my own art really.'

Should we be nervous about any new projects you have coming in the future?

'No, you should just contact your local authorities and warn them basically. Mutant crotches in Groom Lake will probably get the new book banned in several places. But you Scots are a tough bunch. It's not like you're from the bible belt in America and get freaked out by nipples right?'

Finally, can good neighbours every really become good friends?

'You tell me. England have been giving you blokes up in Scotland crap for centuries! Hey, I watched Braveheart and Rob Roy! Australia just prefers to have a drink with everyone. So long as we're not waking up with no pants, it's all good no? having said that, I probably offended numerous groups in this interview ( large fake breasted blondes in particular ) but hey, I prefer being honest.'

To say Ben was a complete star throughout this process is the understatement of the century. We had his replies back from him within 24 hours of sending the interview and I think the sense of humour he displays so cynically in his writing is pretty apparent here . I hope you all jump out and snaffle up some of his work, including the sublime Wormwood and new Doctor Who. Thanks again Ben.

Welcome back peeps to the fifth installment of our wee show. We are once again hundreds of miles distant so be prepared for glitches ahoy! This week we discuss the following;

Oscars nominations
Breaking Bad
Battlestar Galactica
Fables
Valkyria Chronicles
Guitar Hero: World Tour

Audio Podcast 5 - Glitter.mp3

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Audio Podcast 5 - Glitter.mp3 (15.58 MB)

That's the new episode up and available for all you unappreciative morons. Highlights include me making a muppet of myself on Rock Band. Lot of ground covered this episode including the following;

Movies to look out for in 2009
The Wrestler
Appaloosa
Wormwood: Gentleman's Corpse
Rock Band
God of War PSP
Consolevania (RIP)

Big thanks to Ally and Tori again. Hopefully see all you guys at www.hi-ex.co.uk on 15th February in Inverness!

In preparation for season five hitting our screens, this week's episode is a Lost special. Guest starring Ally and Tori Law from www.cainitegames.com.

The Hatch mural:

The map and comparison shots concerning the Hatch inconsistencies:

http://www.cs.iastate.edu/~andorfc/paint.html

Audio Podcast 4 - Finding Lost.mp3

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Audio Podcast 4 - Finding Lost.mp3 (17.13 MB)

Whilst the content may continue to be gash, technical improvements continue abound. The sound is much clearer and balanced between myself and Kev this week I think. Hope you all enjoy. This week we discuss;

Burn After Reading
Downfall
Dead Space: Downfall
Gunnerkrigg Court (www.gunnerkrigg.com)
LocoRoco 2
Metal Gear Solid and Call of Duty (briefly)

Audio Podcast 3 - Four Skin.mp3

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Audio Podcast 3 - Four Skin.mp3 (14.5 MB)

This is a wee list of comics which I have and would recommend you all partake in. This list is not conclusive or nowt like that, but they all come recommended highly by me for what that's worth.

Watchmen: It's become almost a bit of a cliche to like Watchmen these days and it's only going to get worse in coming months with the film release. Ignore all the hype and the bullshit and simply accept that Moore's parable for the frailty of society is as good as comic writing gets. I've never cared particularly much for the artwork but the when the story is so gripping and intrinsic a human allegory, you can't help but bow down to what the book achieves. Everyone should own this, comic fan or not.

Preacher: Watchmen may be the greatest comic ever written but Preacher will always be my favorite. Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon combine what initially appears to be a mishmash of traditional stories. From the Biblical end of the world to the spaghetti Western, the Irish vampire to a simple, unbreakable love, Preacher should, by all rights, be a complete car crash. What we end up with is the ultimate tale of love and friendship which always feels real and true no matter how fantastical. Utterly genius and life-affirming.

Transmetropolitan: If Hunter S. Thompson and Patrick Stewart got together and made babies, Spider Jerusalem would be the offspring. In a simultaneously horrifying and alluring near-future, Spider plies the pen of journalist who knows he must paint the picture of the mega-city he detests. Ellis has our heroes on one page shooting up and pissing on cats to taking down presidents in the next. Funny, depressing, challenging and essential.

Fables: The question Bill Willingham poses is a simple one - if the characters we remember from fairy tales were forced to co-exist with us in this world and deal with the problems we all have to face, how would they cope? From the Big Bad Wolf and Little Red Riding Hood to Beauty, the Beast and Snow White, few of the stories we remember as children are left unmined. Willingham gives his characters purpose and emotion demonstrated by few other writers while the artwork (particularly the covers) continually dazzles and draws you deeper in.

We3: I've mentioned this one in one of our early podcasts but to recap - a cat, a dog and a rabbit are caught and manipulated by the military into machines with the addition of sophisticated biometrics. Unfortunately these awesome weapons reach their sell-by date and are due to be terminated. Spurred by a sense of survival and the wish to find the one place where they can be happy - 'home' - they escape. As a one of trade, there is a much smaller barrier of entry financially so I highly recommend grabbing this.

100 Bullets: What if you had had one unlucky turn which had destroyed your life? What if you were presented with evidence pinning this to one person? What if, in the case beside the evidence, was a gun with 100 bullets which you have been told are completely untraceable - any crimes committed with this weapon would not be followed up or investigated by any lawful authority? With this simple premise, we are lead through a dark world of film noir which for my money surpasses anything else in the crime comic genre, including the mighty Sin City.

Powers: In a world full of superheroes and supervillians, who takes charge when it all goes wrong? Who are the lawful administrators of justice? Powers follows two cops from a superpowers department in a US city police station. They are the ones left to tidy up when things go wrong, to make sure the public are safe and to keep the villians and the heroes in check. Of course, things are not all as they seem as the back stories of our two main cast unravel and intertwine. Beautiful, distinctive artwork makes this well worth your time.

Walking Dead: You have heard me wax lyrical enough about the Walking Dead by now. The ultimate zombie apocalypse comic book.

30 Days of Night: Yes, the film was more than a little bit 'meh'. The comic book is far superior. The series has dipped a bit in later trades but Templesmith draws the world Niles scripts so dynamically that the first four should be in everyone's collection. The original, which the film was based on, is still far and away the best.

Y: The Last Man: To finish off the list, is Yorick's recently finished tale. After the entire male half of the human race is wiped out by a mysterious plague or disease, he finds himself as literally, the last man on Earth. What follows is a tale where Yorick must reconcile his responsibilities to himself, the woman he loves and the human race. I was terrified there would be no way he could pay everything off towards the end of Y's magnificent run but Vaughan does so in a way that makes you look at comics and life in a forever-changed way

I have to say, I never heard Matt Smith mentioned anywhere in the last few weeks as a potential replacement for David Tennant. Very, very impressed that the BBC managed to keep the new Doctor Who under wraps.

Welcome to episode 2 of the audio podcast guys. I think this episode went a wee bit better but there are still some sound issues including a brief Skype dropout five minutes in. Ach well, getting there. This week we discuss the following;

Doctor Who - the new Doctor and Christmas special
Tropic Thunder
Auditorium (www.playauditorium.com)
Dead Space - game, movie prequel and comic
Upcoming movies

PS - The new Doctor Who has been confirmed as Matt Smith, 26. So we were both miles out there.

Audio Episode 2 - Marginally Better.mp3

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Audio Episode 2 - Marginally Better.mp3 (16.94 MB)