Review of "Maniac", Report on Stumptown, and More News

I’ve wanted to see Maniac ever since I saw a before-and-after shot of a woman being scalped in “The Bloody Best of Fangoria, Volume 1.” Oddly enough, that was in conjunction with then-editor “Uncle” Bob Martin’s article on why Fangoria prints disgusting pictures. What he said in 1982 still remains true today: when hanging out in a morgue, some of us just want to look under the sheets. I put off my viewing for several years. I was surely doomed to watch it alone on DVD because few others shared my enjoyment of grisly, (and often pointless to the story) practical special effects. Then I learned that Justin Giallo was going to present Maniac at Grindhouse Theater, a monthly event currently hosted at Tacoma’s Grand Theater. How could I resist a chance to see this film in its 35mm glory in a theater filled with my fellow sheet-peepers? And how marvelous that one of the sponsors would be “Fangoria Magazine?” The next morning, I showed up bleary-eyed at Norwescon. My friend (and fellow table vendor) Matt Youngmark, creator of Chooseomatic Books, asked for a report. I told him that if you enjoy old grindhouse films involving maniacs and nothing else, this one would be a classic choice. I also confessed that I wanted to see the original so that I could make an accurate comparison to the 2013 remake, starring Elijah Wood.

I drew this strip while Matt Youngmark and I were sharing yet another table at yet another convention. This time we were in Portland, Oregon doing combo deals at the Stumptown Comic Festival. I drew a lot of sketches in people's books. If you would like to see photos - go here.

More news! A fun blog called "Sensational Adventure Club" interviewed me. The interview was posted just a few days ago here.

There's lots more to tell you, but it will have to wait until tomorrow's post.