Art Voice Best of Buffalo Voting!!!

Hey guys,

The Art Voice Best of Buffalo is coming up here and yours truly and others would really appreciate your vote!

For best really small gallery - Sugar City
For best new arts/performance space - Sugar City
For best painter - yours truly - Kyle J. Kaczmarczyk
For best sculptor - Matty Mask (Matt Patterson)
For best video/film artist - Jay Mager
For best writer - Tom Waters
For best music store - The Guitar Factory
For best gift shop - Rotten Jack's Creep Shack
For best tattoo shop - Don's Nickel City Tattoo
For best annual festival/carnival/fair/lawn fete - Rotten Jack's Creep Show
For best rock act - Lemuria

Head on over to: http://artvoice.com/best to vote! Thanks so much for all your support!

- K.

Watching the Watchmen (SPOILERS WITHIN)

I know I'm a little late on the blogosphere on this one, but I really wanted to put my two cents in. Zakk Snyder's take on Watchmen is truly a fucking triumph. Now, this is coming from a fan. Watchmen is in my top five greatest comics of all time, and it's my favorite limited run series. Ever. If you didn't like the film you probably fall into one of two categories. Either it was over your head and you don't want to admit it, so you're calling it pretentious. Or you're a hardcore fan who wanted every last frame to be recreated. Whichever category you fall into I feel really fucking bad for you, because you are missing out on a spectacular piece of cinema.

For the hard-line insane fans, there was no way in hell you were going to fit every last goddamned detail into any film adaptation of Watchmen. Alan Moore's work is just too layered for that to happen with overlapping themes and story arcs that occur with minor characters. Did we need to know about the lesbian couple's relationship problems in the film? No. Did we need the dialogue between the two Bernards? No. (Though we do get a quick glimpse of them just before they die... a wonderful touch for fans of the book.) Hell, do we need to see Rorschach's psychiatrist's relationship with his wife crumble due to his working of the case? No. I'm sure it was tough enough to cover all six main characters in two hours and forty-five minutes. And I don't want to hear shit about The Black Freighter not being in the film as it is coming out March 24th as an animated DVD.

But this happens all the time when a piece of literature is adapted for cinema. That's why it's called an adaptation. Why would Watchmen be any different? Hell, have any of you read Jurassic Park? It's remarkably different from the film but both are still brilliant pieces of fiction in their own way.

But seriously, there is no way in hell we could have gotten a better adaptation of Watchmen. If you honestly think I'm wrong, then you are sadly mistaken. Zakk Snyder showed true love for the series and fought the good fight for you people. This was extremely apparent from everything from casting relatively unknown actors, to the song choices for the soundtrack, to the tiny bits of detail in each scene meticulously recreated in the film. So, give it a second go and if you still don't like it, well, then I feel bad for you.

"There don't seem to be that many laughs around these days."
"Well, what do you expect? The Comedian is dead."

Zombies VS. Monsters ROUND 2!!!

Zombie Ink Comics founder Kyle J.
Kaczmarczyk spent 11 hours with Tom Waters of Monsters of Verse earlier this month and it's all captured on audio! So head on over to the Monsters of Verse Podcast! Tom and I talk about all sorts of things from the first issue of Pulp, the new Spirit and Watchmen films, the Brian Azzarello Joker graphic novel, and lots more! So head on over check out Episodes 10 (plus the bonus) and 11!!!

PREVIEW: Pulp: The Old Kingdom Issue #2

Here it is people. The preview for Issue #2 of Pulp: The Old Kingdom in this issue Bernhardt and Nori will face off against a giant dragon and other perils! Hold on as this Epic Tale of High Adventure continues!



- K.

Double Creature Feature This Weekend!!!

Hey all,

I'll be making a couple of appearances this weekend so come on out!

I'll have the following for sale:
The Red Eye: Lost to the Future Issues #1 - 6
Pulp: The Old Kingdom Issue #1
Zombie Ink Comics posters
Zombie Worx Productions tees
And all sorts of paintings (ranging from $10 to $50)

Here be the details...

Monsters of Verse Book Signing/Appearance
Saturday February 7, 2009
FYE #1974
6743 Transit Rd.
Williamsville, NY 14221
1pm - 4pm

Tom's Atomic Kegger Book Signing/Appearance/Party
Saturday February 7, 2009
Don's Atomic Comics
6354 Transit Rd.
Depew, NY 14043
6pm - ???
Bring or buy a copy of a Tom Waters book or J.R. Finlayson book and drink for free!
Bring a female and get 20% off!

The Red Eye Busted Pt. 2

Hey folks,

Here's a sneak peak at how the Red Eye busts are coming along!!! Photo courtesy of Matty Mask.

Enjoy!!



- K.

Not so Marvel-ous...

I'm sure a lot of comic fans have already heard the grim news. Marvel comics plans on raising the price of their single issues from $2.99 (already nothing to sneeze at) to $3.99. (It's not on all their issues yet but if it's successful don't be surprised if you see their full line go up in price.) Now let me put this into perspective for you. I charge $4.00 an issue for 22 page comics (technically 24 but there's 2 pages of ads) and I don't print anywhere near the number that bigwigs like Marvel are putting out.

And let's face it. We're far from in a golden age of writing and art with the big two. Marvel and DC have been putting out mediocre product for a very long time with a few glaring exceptions (the recent Brian Azzarello Joker graphic novel springs to mind). And why should folks pay an extra buck when they can plunk down $2.99 for amazing comics like Hellboy, The Goon, The Walking Dead, Invincible, Fear Agent, etc.?!? And most folks don't mind paying a little more for a smaller press book either. I know IDW has been charging $3.99 for some time. But it's definitely not the same tripe that Marvel is putting out. I'm sorry. And I sure as shit don't believe in having to buy twenty plus titles a month to keep up with a storyline (I'm looking at you Civil War and Secret Invasion).

Perhaps it's just time for some of us comic geeks to let go. Hell, I haven't been able to afford to buy individual issues since the summer and I was only buying 3 titles a month. But I know guys who easily drop $200 a month on comics. And you DC fanboys can bet your asses if Marvel fans keep buying DC will quickly follow suit. The best way to fix all this? Don't buy Marvel's $3.99 titles. Vote with your wallet folks.

- K.