When [[[The Matrix]]] burst on to the scene in 1999, we were wowed. Not only was it visually dazzling, but it seemed like a delightful science fiction concept that made you think. The backstory seemed fascinating and viewers wanted more, which Warner Bros and the Wachowski Brothers delivered. Now we know to be careful for what we wish since the two sequels really didn’t live up to the expectations. And maybe they couldn’t since there was just enough background material conceived to make the main story plausible. The Wachowskis clearly didn’t have a sequel in mind and when asked to fabricate one or two, they had to not only top the thrill of the first, but make their imaginary realm come alive.

[[[Matrix Reloaded]]] and [[[Matrix Revolution]]] were loud, noisy affairs that really didn’t make us fall deeper in love with the characters or trippy world. In 2007, Warner Home Video collected the trio of films and released them in the then current HD-DVD and Blu-ay formats and now, the first sequel, Matrix Reloaded, is being released as a single disc.

In this installment, we delve deeper into the Matrix philosophy, gaining greater understanding of how things got so convoluted and so out of control. We open with Neo (Keanu Reeves) the acknowledge Messiah and he has been busy, freeing humans from the control of the world-dominating computers that have taken control of the ravaged planet. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) remains his prime disciple and speaks for him in Zion, the underground city for the free humans. There’s a faction that wants a military solution to end the machine threat once and for all. Neo thinks there’s another way and sets out to prove it, complicated by the resurrected form of Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) who is out to destroy the humans’ savior. Introduced into the mix is Niobe (Jada Pinkett-Smith), a pilot and former lover to Morpheus and they go hunting for the Keymaker, possessor of secrets.

(more…)

Five hundred dollars.

When people talk about putting regular, old-fashioned comic books online, keep that $500 in mind.

That’s about how much it costs for an average page of comic book art, in terms of labor. Figure $100 for the writer, $150 for the penciller, $130 for the inker, $90 for the colorist, and $30 for the letterer. Those numbers go up and
down depending on talent and publishers, but that’s a nice round number for us to work with.

Let’s consider another number: 22. That’s the average page count for a monthly comic book story. It’s also the number of pages most average pencillers can produce a month. Neat coincidence.

Now start multiplying. That means a penciller will make $3300 a month, or $39,600 a year. With covers, round that up to $42 grand a year. Not a lot of cash there. And the penciller’s the highest paid talent on the book. A writer will make $2200 a month, and nobody pays him to write covers. He’ll probably have to write two books a month to make his nut. And so on.

But if you’re expecting professionals to create your comics, that’s what you’ll have to spend.

Graphic novels? From scratch? You’re looking at about 120 pages minimum– that’s $60,000 in labor costs. Unless you’re economizing and doing a lot of the work yourself, that’s going to almost insurmountable unless it’s commissioned by somebody– most writers don’t have a spare $48,000 to spend on an outside artist. This, of course, is one reason why many “literary” graphic novels are solo jobs– David Mazzuchelli, Darwyn Cooke, Alison Bechdel, Brian Fies, et cetera– because the economics simply aren’t there to support five hungry mouths.

Any proposal for getting books in print in paper– or publishing online– has to keep those numbers in mind. You either have to generate enough money to cover those upfront costs, or find some way to mitigate or reduce them.

So how would you do it? (And no, you can’t pay in Monopoly money.)

Is there a single person on the planet who could actually make me feel sorry for that walking train-wreck, Lindsay Lohan? Well, as it turns out, there is!

Just before his 60th Muscular Dystrophy Telethon this weekend, 84 year-old Jerry Lewis discussed Lindsay Lohan specifically and some of his fellow craftspeople generically on the syndicated teevee gossipfest Inside Edition. “I think they need a fucking spanking and a reprimand,” Jerry Lewis said.

Wow, Jerry. 
So you want to spank a 24 year-old woman, huh? Well, I understand a lot of old geezers feel that way.
Okay, so you’ve got a father complex. But exactly what sort of father do you want to be? One who beats his kids?

Zeroing in on Lohan, Jerry Lewis went on to rant “I’d smack her in the mouth if I saw her. I’d smack her in the mouth and be arrested for abusing a woman.” Gee, Jerry, ya think? By the way, you’d also go down for assault and battery. And probably hate crime. “I would say ‘you deserve this and nothing else.’ Whack! And then if she’s not satisfied, I’d put her over my knee and spank her.”

If she’s not satisfied?
Is that how you satisfy women, you sad pathetic has been?

Hokey smokes, Jerry! And to think Mel Gibson got his badass self in trouble while you get to go on teevee and act condescendingly toward your children.

Lohan’s got enough of her own problems, and Jerry, so do you.
 

Bone: Tall Tales

By Jeff Smith with Tom Sniegoski
128 pages, Scholastic Graphix, $10.99 (paperback), $22.99 (hardcover)

Scholastic’s Graphix imprint is wisely repackaging all the [[[Bone]]] material, turning it into a uniform library for the young adult readers who can’t get enough of the denizens of Boneville. The latest such entry is[[[ Tall Tales]]], which is the color edition of 2000’s [[[Stupid, Stupid Rat-Tails: The Adventures of Big Johnson Bone]]],[[[ Frontier Hero]]], which in turn collected a 1999 miniseries. The key differences are that “RIblet” is not included here while a story produced for the late, lamented [[[Disney Adventures]]] magazine is added along with some new material.

Additionally, the versatile Tom Sniegoski penned three of the four tales collected here with Smith handling the honors for the framing sequence and the first story. Essentially, Smiley and Bartleby take Ring, Bingo and Todd camping and tell stories around the campfire. So, the frame is set post-Bone and the stories themselves are all prequels.

In all cases, they are delightfully told stories with all the usual drama, action, and humor one can expect from the Bone universe. Steve Hamaker once more colors the stories and does his usual superb job, making this a valued addition to the line.

The first story is a quick one-off while the second, “Old Man Winter” tells of Johnson Bones’ exceptional birth, followed by “Big Johnson Bone vs. the Cobbler Gobbler” where the great adventurer may have met his match. All of which establishes the resourcefulness of the legendary figure. He was prone to long, exaggerated tales but also showed a resourcefulness that gave credence to his abilities. About half the book is taken up with the final Tall Tale, “The Lost Tale of Big Johnson Bone”, establishing why rats do not have tails.

After Bone, his mule and talking monkey are caught in a twister, they find themselves in a valley filled with sentient, avaricious rats. They also find several other animal lifeforms that have been subjugated by the rats, including Stillman, a dragon unable to breathe fire. Once he convinces the animals here’s there to help, it becomes a battle of wits between Big Johnson Bone and Queen Maud. There are some twists and turns but you pretty much know how it will end and are entertained every step of the way thanks to skillful storytelling from Smith and Sniegoski.

By all means, pick up this wonderful collection and enjoy the stories.