The Return of Stickman #1257

I think we will be hearing more about these in the future. I know that a few of these vehicles have been impounded. I would like to be in the audience when that police auction happens.

The Comic Critic Reviews The Mechanic

Are movie audiences less intelligent now than in the seventies? I don’t think so. So why do writers these days feel almost obligated to provide more exposition than before? What made the Charles Bronson version of The Mechanic good was it made us have to think about what was going on. Working your gray cells was part of the pacing of the film. I will admit that the Jason Stratham version of The Mechanic was fairly clever in the ways they provided the exposition. In this case, it was the start of what must have been a slippery slope of changes. Still, they were pretty faithful to the original and paid quite a bit of homage to a film I enjoy so much that I watched it again just a few months ago.

Happy Valentine's Day.

The Return of Stickman #1255

I guess there are worse things in life than having a dog give you diagnosis of colon cancer.

The Comic Critic Reviews Crank

I didn’t really become a fan of Jason Statham until I saw Transporter. Up until then the only other movie I’d seen him in was Ghosts of Mars, in which he was great. So, after seeing him a second time in what I thought was a pretty decent film, I went looking for other films in which he appeared. I’ve seen nearly all of them now. And I saw him just last week in the remake of The Mechanic. So you might be wondering why I’m reviewing Crank instead The Mechanic. Not because it’s better. I’d rate both movies about the same, though I did laugh more during Crank. No, I drew this review first because the script for it popped up in my head almost instantly while I was looking over my notes at the end of the movie. I drew this strip first because I’m a lazy, lazy man. But Jason Stratham’s character in this film is not. Enjoy the ride.

Under the column: What did I do the weekend?
I was proud to be the moderator this last Saturday for the SPGA/Seattle Chapter of the Graphic Artist Guild's Graphic Novel panel. The panelists were
http://www.peterbagge.com – Hate and its precursor Neat Stuff.
Phil Foglio - Hugo Award Nominee – Buck Godot, Myth Adventures, Girl Genius.
Mike Grell – Jon Sable Freelance, The Warlord, Green Arrow.
Jason Janicki – Writer with Wayfarer’s Moon.
Leigh Kellogg – Artist with Wayfarer’s Moon.
Michael Oeming - Eisner Award Winner – Mice Templar, Quixote, and Powers.
I'm a big fan off all of these guy's work, as my bookshelf will attest. It was the first time I got to meet some of them. The audience got a lot of information from them and I hope to get some of the video footage up on the web soon.

The Return of Stickman #1254

This strip was inspired by a news article where two men were arrested for knocking over vases in a cemetery and then loading them into the back of a truck. They had a huge quantity loaded up. The quantity almost made me take this strip in a different direction.

The Return of Stickman #1253

Ask Mark - Purpose of a Kill Fee

I've been writing and advice column for some years now called "Ask Mark." I answer questions about contracts, copyright, ethics and standard business practices for creative professionals. I've been thinking it might be a good idea to create some short videos and see how folks like them. This is my first one. I'm hoping my production values will improve as I do more. If you want to read some of my older article you can find them at the Graphic Artists Guild website.

I think I need some better lighting. And maybe a less goofy expression.