"JEALOUS MAN" - New Music Video- DONE!!

I've been completing all my projects lately!- Go to www.youtube.com/dynamarcfilms and you can see the music video to "Jealous Man" by the band Michael Todd and the Midnite Circus, directed, shot, and edited by yours truly. Let me know what you think!

BREAK ON THROUGH TO THE OTHER SIDE

I've had a hell of a bad year. For some reason, this Doors song title seemed appropriate to discuss everything I've been going through.
It started at the end of last June, almost a year ago when the person I loved more than anyone in my life decided they hated living in New York or with me. Actually it started some two years before, as I've been prone to clinical depression and was locked into that state despite moments of happiness and love with someone who I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with.
When that person is no longer there, depression gets worse. But I did have some things to look forward to. I was building a new production company, but as always the case, it took much longer than I thought to get off the ground. I was struggling financially and emotionally for the longest time, also working on a book project with a partner that gave me the mental impetus to keep myself alive despite feelings that I didn't want to go on. I kept fighting to stay alive.
Then things got worse. Yes, my company was starting to get off the ground and things were starting to work, but my health took a weird turn. Strange things were going on that baffled doctors and test after test could not lock down what was going on with me. Depression causes stress, and stress can cause ulcerative colitis; a condition that I've had for years and was in remission, and ulcerative colitis can give you a string of seemingly unrelated illnesses, but that wasn't the whole story. Eventually we nailed down what was wrong with me and I'm being treated for it and my prognosis is good. I won't go into the details because I want to concentrate on keeping my spirits up instead of dwelling on what is bad and what could happen.
That was a wake up call. Somewhere amdist all this emotional, financial and physical strife, I found my warrior spirit again. I started rigorously working out, concentrated more on my martial arts, pushed hard to make my company succeed, and tried to find pieces of happiness in a life that was mired in just the opposite. It's working and will always be a work in progress, but I've been left changed by the experience.
I doubt that I will ever open my heart to another human being again. I'm not a masochist and have no desire to potentially repeat history. That's okay. Every person on this planet has to be responsible for their own happiness. Things change. Despite the health concerns, I've been looking my best. The workouts have done some incredible things to my body, as I look stronger than I ever have and I will just continue to progress. My business is taking off and I can see the financial security that has eluded me for a few years, reversing into what I think will be a huge success. It will always be work; something to continue, never take for granted, and continue to strive for the best.
So after one year of hell, I'm indeed breaking through to the other side.
The "Wonder Warrior" has returned!... and I have risen like the Phoenix!

THE COMIC REPORT- 4/1-4/2

UPDATED!- APRIL FOOLS GAG REVEALED! Read the section under the NEWS and before the REVIEWS!

Well, It's Tuesday and Part one of THE COMIC REPORT. So, are you ready for the big reveal? Here goes:

THE NEWS:
CLONE WARS- No, this has nothing to do with STAR WARS, but instead with Spiderman. Long Rumoured and hinted at for decades, Marvel is finally seeing fit to return to the living, the original Gwen Stacy. I say "original" because previous attempts at bringing her back involved one of the darkest eras in Spiderman's history, the dreaded "Clone Saga." Former Spider-writer J MIchael Strazcynski (or however the fuck you spell that) almost succeeded in bringing Gwen back in the horrid "One More Day" storyline, only to have the idea overwritten by asshole Marvel EIC Joe Schmucksada. Now we know why. Apparently Marvel Uber-writer and Joe Q's "boy," Brian Michael Bendis, who claims to have loved writing the character in ULTIMATE SPIDER MAN, had his own ideas about returning the most beloved dead girl in comics back to life. Unfortunately, the "clone saga" will have to be reopened to understand what happened to, and where Gwen Stacy has been all these years. At least we know she's not a Skrull or part of SECRET INVASION. But HEY! We have Gwen back, and we have her back in her own book too, at least for this 7-issue mini-series before she heads right into the pages of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. Artist Mike Deodato Junior will be taking a 7 month hiatus from THUNDERBOLTS to work on this series. Look for appearances by the Green Goblin, Harry Osborn, Mary Jane Watson, and the Jackal in the series.
LEGAL ACTION- The heirs of Jerry Seigel, one half of Superman's creators, have been awarded the copyright to the internal Superman story from ACTION COMICS #1. I say "internal" because the court ruling does not give Seigel's heirs the right to the famous cover of that comic, due to the fact that the cover (which has to include the back) has material having nothing to do with Superman. So what does this really mean? It means, that until this decision is overturned, which many believe it will be, that DC or the Seigels cannot reprint or publish the original Superman story without the others' permission. Here's some thoughts. While I feel that the Seigel estate may deserve SOME compensation, essentially the rights to the character were signed away decades before anyone knew how big Superman would become. (By the way, DC did compensate Superman's creators around the time of Superman: The Movie.) Thems the breaks. It was a work for hire agreement (although this point is being debated), and frankly this damages DC Comics' ability to do some things with a character that they have nurtured and taken care of for seventy years. It harms fans who may at some point wish to see a reprinting of that historic comic. Superman, may have been created by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics, but he is essentially a character that is "owned" now by the rest of the world. He's an icon; THE icon in comics. I hope that the Seigel heirs appreciate that they are hurting fans in a quest to gain profit from something they had nothing to do with. Sorry!
ANOTHER LEGEND PASSES- We lost another one this week. Comics artist Jim Mooney died this past week. Mooney was connected to the most recent passing of comic writer Steve Gerber. Mooney was the artist for Gerber's original OMEGA THE UNKNOWN, now seeing a resurgence over at Marvel. Mooney will mostly be remembered as "the" Supergirl artist of the sixties, as well as a SPIDER-MAN inker who helped keep the Marvel "house look" on the book. Rest Easy, Jim

APRIL FOOOLS GAG EXPLAINED: So, did you enjoy yesterday's "big reveal?" APRIL FOOLS! Didn't see it coming? Let me tell you what went into this. About six weeks ago, I conceived the idea, and even went on-line looking for new or original art to be my comic book cover. I found this gorgeous Adam Hughes drawing of Gwen, altered some of the background and color, added Marvel's logo, even added a bar-code. All logo designs and captions and choice of writer and artist were done to give this the most authentic look and possibilitity.
It didn't end there. I decided to "seed" the gag ahead of time by posting the thread about a big Marvel revelation coming in April, to which a number of people jumped down my throat accusing me of being self-aggrandizing and just being big babies, whining about how I was teasing them because "I knew something they didn't." One triber Dean, wasn't even man enough to accept a personal message from me where I was going to clue him in a bit, and "Sweeney Todd," used this as an excuse because he feels he has some personal axe to grind. To which I say, FUCK YOU BOTH! I hope you're feeling a bit foolish right now. When have I ever NOT immeadiately shared something? That should have first clued you in that something wasn't kosher here. Secondly, when I began the thread, I referenced the beginning of April, and that was another clue. I even suggested to some who asked, not to think about WHAT the revelation is, but to look at how I presented the tease. And it's about Gwen. Many of you know I have a "thing" for Gwen Stacy.
It still didn't end there. April Fools was on a Tuesday this year, and I knew nobody would buy this if the COMIC REPORT suddenly showed up on Tuesday, April Fools. So, I used a personal issue to "explain" that the COMIC REPORT will sometimes start on Tuesdays and even did the column on Tuesdays for a couple of weeks, to give The April Fools REPORT even more validity. Oh, and some Tribers here were in on the gag!
So, I hope you enjoyed being "hoaxed," maybe even appreciate the work and planning I put into it, and take it in the spirit it was intended, although I'm sure some of you are even madder at me. To those who appreciated it, THANK YOU! To those who didn't GROW UP! To those who think the gag sucked, oh well. I didn't see any of YOU pulling an April Fool's gag! AND...NOT ONE OF YOU QUESTIONED ITS VALIDITY!! And now back to the regularly scheduled column.....

SELECTED MINI-REVIEWS:
SECRET INVASION #1- Marvel's big event series of the year kicks off in high gear with some surprising Skrull reveals (and some not so) right off the bat. The series is well structured, and maintains a sense of mystery and surprise throughout the pages. Artwise, Leinil Yu is inconsistent, providing either truly beautiful panels or visuals that are hard to figure out what's happening. You'll get a big kick in the several occupants of the crash-landed Skrull ship, and its implications. All in all, a very solid start to what I'm sure is going to be a thrill-ride of a series.
SUPERGIRL #28- Normally I wouldn't even buy this series anymore. It's still directionless, but this issue has some priceless gems, including Wonder Woman giving Kara a bloody nose just to prove a point, and the return of Resurrection Man! Worth it just for these two things alone.
THE BOYS #17- Hooboy! Once again, writer Garth Ennis proves that he can do shock humor like no other. Hughie gets his "blood wings" (don't ask me to explain this if you don't know what that means), while someone once dead, is looking for his gerbil.... Don't ask me to explain that either. Look, here's the bottom line; if you haven't been buying this book, you really don't know what you're missing, and you should seriously invest in trades and back issues!
THE TWELVE #4 and PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #2- I'm reviewing both these books in one section because they are very similar, even to the point of coming out on the same day. Both books deal with World War II superheroes that find themselves out of place in the modern day. THE TWELVE though is about completely new characters whose history has been lost, and is mostly about the group trying to fit into modern society while personal agendas get played out. PROJECT SUPERPOWERS however, utilizes actual past characters that existed during Comics' Golden Age, and brings them into modern day with personal vendettas that need to be addressed. Both are similar and recommended reading. Even the covers are different from the mainstream. TWELVE utilizes a Marvel Golden Age feel while SUPERPOWERS uses just a symbol and logos of two characters on each cover.
TRIALS OF SHAZAM #12- The series concludes with a satisfying end and the introduction of Freedy Freemen possessing the complete powers of SHAZAM, which is also the name he will be known by. Writer Judd Winick truly surprised me these last few issues and the art by late-comer to the series, Mauro Cascioli has been truly beautiful.
COUNTDOWN TO FINAL CRISIS #4-..And speaking of another member of the Shazam family, Mary Marvel is back in black, having now clearly succumbed to Darkseid's machinations. With only three issues left to go, clearly there's more going on here than originally thought. Hope it goes well to the end..
ALSO OUT THIS WEEK:- ACTION COMICS features the conclusion to the Legion arc, with a preview of a new George Perez Legion series!!!. Gary Frank continues his ever- incredible eye popping art. ATOM and NIGHTWING both show marked improvements compared to previous teams on their respective books.

So, that's it. Next week the COMIC REPORT is back on Wednesday's. Hope you still wanna read it after the April Fool's gag. See ya in 7!

CAMPAIGN PROGRESS

While in-fighting among the Democrats seems to remain a constant, and the Republicans just tow the line of ruining our economy because of their war mongering, ONE candidate has managed to pull ahead of his competittion. That candidate is none other than CLARK, a dog for our times. Yes, He wants a fire hydrant at every corner for neighborhood protection, trees everywhere for his "Green" policies, stricter "Curb Your Child" laws, and general freedom to roam around unleased, embodying the freedom our Forefathers wanted for us. Yes, it IS time for a change and it's time for a REAL dog to run our country. Clearly he's smarter than our current President and is known for his staunch loyalty. This is what you get with a VOTE FOR CLARK!

Presidential Candidate Update

Dogocratic Candidate Clark has made leaps and bounds in his election campaign. When asked about the other politicans running, Clark claimed that they are all "Barking up the wrong tree and just act as if they're chasing their own tails," and he's right. That's why we need a change.
VOTE CLARK FOR PRESIDENT IN 2008!

Paid for by friends of the Dogocratic Party.