zombies
“Death is a portal through which gods and men alike must pass…”
Dec 18th
Even in the metaphysical sense, if you don’t believe in anything higher on the cosmic food chain than ourselves, you should be able to get behind this. After all, couldn’t the transition from holy to mythology be considered death to even the idea of a deity? Or, at the very least, a demotion en route to getting canned, just the first stop on the road to extinction? Though he’s not the first to explore it, my first experience with this sort of thing was thanks to Neil Gaiman, in both Sandman and then American Gods. It’s pretty much been on my mind since.
I’ve also got Sir James Frazer on the brain this morning, hence the title of this post. While I haven’t been reading The Golden Bough, from which the quote is taken, I have been digging through Tim Taylor’s excellent The Buried Soul, which explores the invention of ‘death’, the idea, and the development of the human concept of the soul from an archaeological perspective as some research for the post-Awakening Volume Two book Alex and I are doing. On that same count, if anybody can recommend a definitive, unexpurgated version of The Golden Bough I’d be thrilled. It seems like there are a few too many to choose from for me to be comfortable hunting and pecking through.
In other writing news, I’m pretty excited to note that I finished the first draft on my first non-comic short story in more than five years yesterday. It’s just a baby, only 4,000 words in its current state, but I’m still excited. I’ve mentioned it in interviews, but part of what drove me to write comics when I first started giving it a whirl five or six years ago was my complete distaste with my own straight fiction narrative. A lot of it, all short fiction, read more like an outline for something larger with very cold and detached direction, not unlike a script. After years of studying (not formally, just reading anything and writing comics), I decided it was time to dive back in and see where it takes me. So far so good and I think more is on the way in the coming weeks and months. I’m planning on making 2010 the year of the short…
Some miscellany for you:
Just found this last night, copies of Awakening Volume One which Alex and I signed for Lone Star Comics are available on their website. May be a fun last-minute holiday gift for the noir or zombie fan whom you hold close to your heart. For those of you new to the site, be sure to check out the Awakening Comixography by following the link here, or check out the entire Comixography via the nav bar at the top of the page.
Tweeted by Templesmith, PR Newswire points out the Top 10 PR Blunders of 2009. Some amazing stuff. And when I say amazing, I mean horrifyingly stupid.
Just watched Drag Me to Hell last night, and it was everything I would expect from a fun Raimi horror flick. The last 20-minutes were disappointingly obvious, which led to a bit of a ‘hurry up and end’ face from me but overall I was pretty happy with it. My biggest gripe was the use of CG where traditional effects would’ve matched both the feel of the movie and the history of the filmmaker much better. The same could be said for a few flicks though, (::cough:: Crystal Skull ::cough::), and seems to just be indicative of the times.
I was more enthusiastic about Quantum of Solace. What an amazing movie. Buyer beware though: if you didn’t like Casino Royale, or if you don’t remember it, you may want to stay away or refresh yourself, depending on how you felt about it. This was a direct sequel which picked up shortly after the end of Casino and didn’t explain itself for the benefit of initiates in the audience. I liked that. You rarely see movies with the same type of continuity you get out of, say, sequential fiction, picking up the story with the next ‘issue’ so to speak. It was welcome to not have to sit through 20-minutes explaining who these people were and why I should care, and more welcome that it wasn’t avoided because it was a new story but because they’d already been through all that in the first go ’round. Last I heard this new series is planned as a trilogy or quadrilogy, and I hope it’s true. Looking forward to the next one immensely.
Website note the first, if you’d like to leave a comment you have to click on the title of the entry of choice on the front page. You’ll be brought into that entry and a comment field will be hanging out at the bottom of the page. As I stumble across other quirks, I’ll let you all know.
Off to begin another short while yesterday’s cools off a bit. Happy Friday, everyone.
- Nick
Awakening Halloween Signing Tour – Last Stop This Wednesday
Oct 26th
Being sick and trying to compose a sensible blog don’t really go hand-in-hand. I’m going to give it shot and see what we come up with, though.
OUR TOP STORY…
One more official Halloween Signing Tour stop to go! Everybody in the NYC area, head on down to Jim Hanley’s Universe on 33rd Street on Wednesday, October 28th from 4-7pm to grab your free signed art print, which was created exclusively for the tour, with every copy of Awakening Volume One brought in to be signed or picked up at the store. Then, sign up for the exclusive Halloween preview of Awakening Volume Two debuting at 12am Halloween morning.
Jim Hanley’s Universe is located at 4 West 33rd Street in Manhattan.
THE TOUR THUS FAR…
The other three stops on the tour have been great! Thanks so much to everybody who’s come out to hang with us, talk comics, and celebrate the zombie season. It’s been unreal. Special thanks to the stores who hosted us, Brave New Worlds in Philly, PA and Upstate Comics in LaGrangeville, NY.
For anybody who couldn’t make it to these stops or who can’t make it out to Jim Hanley’s this Wednesday, you’re in luck. Folks in the Albany area can catch me hanging around the Albany Comic-Con this Sunday, 11/1. We may not have any prints left but you can defitnitely grab a copy of the book, or bring yours to be signed, and I might even have the sign-up sheet still available for the Volume Two preview…
And don’t forget, all you folks who’ve got the book but can’t make it out to a signing stop, there’s still time to send a photo with you and your copy of Awakening Volume one to AwakeningComic@gmail.com and get access to that same Volume Two preview. It’s the entire first chapter and it’s definitely our best yet.
AWAKENING IN THE PRESS…
Alex and I got to catch up with Tim over at Robot 6 about the signing tour, sticking it out with Archaia, and defining existential horror. Check it out and let us know what you think in the comments – Talking Comics With Tim – Awakening
Also, for anybody who’s happening on this and isn’t familiar with Awakening, the entire first chapter will be going up on Newsarama tomorrow for free! Keep an eye out and watch the Twitter feed for an update when that goes live.
That’s it for today, I think – I’ve got all sorts of things I want to get down but, for now, I think sleep is what’s going to happen instead. More next time.
- Nick
First Look At Volume Two? Free Prints? Awakening Halloween Excitement!
Sep 28th
OUR TOP STORY…
I love that we’re finally rolling into October this week – I think my whole year is a build-up to this month. Leaves are changing, it’s cooler out, and the spooks and shadows are creeping to life, peering around corners and following you down lonely streets. Speaking of…
We’ve got some exciting happenings coming in October, courtesy of the Awakening Halloween Signing Tour! For anyone who missed it, let’s run this badboy down one more time because there’s something exclusive and awesome for everybody who’s reading this blog:
1 – Do you already own a copy of Awakening Volume One but can’t make it to one of our four signing stops? Then hurry up and send a picture of you with the book to AwakeningComic@gmail.com by 11:59pm EST on 10/30/2009!
2 – Are you waiting to try out the book but can’t make it to one of our four signing stops? Do you want to see some of what comes next so the wait for Volume Two isn’t as excruciating? Pick up the book at your local comic shop (and promote them by taking your photo with the book in front of the shop) or, if you can’t get it there for some reason (and shame on them for not ordering it for you!), go ahead and grab it at Amazon.com (Awakening Volume One on Amazon). Same deal, email a pic of you with the book to AwakeningComic@gmail.com by 11:59pm EST on 10/30/2009.
Everyone who emails a picture in by 11:59pm EST on 10/30/2009 is going to get an email from us at 12am, Halloween morning with an exclusive link and login info to read the entire first chapter of Volume Two!
3 – Now, let’s say you’re near one of the four signing stops listed below. If you come by and pick up a copy of the book, or bring your copy to be signed, not only will we take down your email so you get a link to the exclusive preview, but you’ll also get an exclusive, signed print created by Alex just for this Halloween tour! Mark these dates on your calenders:
Oct. 10, 10 a.m. -6 p.m.; Oct-11, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Artist Alley Table #60, Baltimore Comic-Con
The Baltimore Convention Center
One West Pratt Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
(Separate admission fee required for entry into Baltimore Comic-Con)
Oct. 17, 1-5 p.m. [Nick Tapalansky only]
Upstate Comics
Freedom Business Center
1097 Route 55
LaGrangeville, NY 12540
(845) 432- 3320
Oct. 24, 12-4 p.m.
Brave New Worlds Comics
45 North Second Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 925-6525
Oct. 28, 4-7 p.m.
Jim Hanley’s Universe
4 West 33rd St.
New York, NY 10001
(212) 268-7088
I wish we could branch out further but, for now, we’re limited in our travel distance – sorry Mid-West, South, and West! If this tour is as big as I think we’re going to make it though, we should be able to go much wider for Volume Two next year!
Hope to see a ton of people at these stops – maybe some folks dressed as Derrick or Cynthia? Zombies, anybody?
AWAKENING IN THE NEWS…
Lot’s of interviews and reviews abound, so hold on to your pants:
First, we catch up with Kris over at Broken Frontier about the launch of the book and what comes next – Zombie Awakening - Lowdown
Jill Pantozzi aka The Nerdy Bird says of Awakening, “Forget Zombies for Dummies. This is Zombies for Intellectuals.” – Read the whole review here and then check out an amazing interview for GEN where Jill and I talk about zombie survival, Alex’s anatomy, and Mexican brothels! - GEN Interview -
Speaking of reviews, here’s one in its entirety from Ain’t It Cool News (link!) that made Alex and I blush heartily:
“Too many zombie comics start with the outbreak and move right into an examination of the human condition when faced with the end of civilization as we know it. We’ve seen it a million times. And frankly, I’m pretty sick of reading that story. While AWAKENING focuses on the beginnings of what looks to be the zombie apocalypse, this isn’t your usual stow a bunch of random people in a house/mall/army bunker/prison/whatever and see them tear each other apart story. At its core, AWAKENING is a detective story, where one private dick is investigating what at first seems like a missing persons case, but soon turns into something a whole lot more diabolical and dire. Detective Peters is a bit jaded, as all good detectives are, but he’s good at his job. When the town crazy woman starts spouting stories of zombies, everyone (including Peters) thinks she’s just nuts. But then some crazy things start happening and unlike most outbreak stories, this one takes its sweet old time. Literally months pass in this story before anyone even believes there may be a zombie outbreak occurring. It’s an extended version of the initial outbreak scenes in SHAUN OF THE DEAD where the dead are walking, but no one is noticing. A very cool statement about the apathetic world we live in and there’s no better backdrop than the jaded world of detective noir for this scenario to play out on. Unlike most zombie books that mix genres, this one isn’t winking at the reader. This is an all too serious look at one man who is opening his eyes and noticing that there’s a problem going on right under everyone’s noses that will most definitely get out of hand soon. I love the tension that permeates from every page. Nick Tapalansky has more patience that I’ve ever seen a writer have, doling out tiny bits of info to disbelieving characters making those who know what’s coming chomp at their own bits in anticipation. Artist Alex Eckman-Lawn literally evolves as an artist as you turn through all five issues collected in this novel. His style starts out blocky and overly dark, but shifts almost seamlessly to a more softy, cloudy tone by the end of the book. But in every page, this looks like a detective/horror book with stark blacks with hints of colors peeking through the scribbles. This is a phenomenal achievement in writing and artistry and proof that when done well even when utilizing the most worn out of genres there still can exist something special.”
Another fun interview, this one with Gavin over at The 4th Letter – if you’ve ever wondered what characters I’d want to write at the big two, or how I’d tackle Johnny Storm’s pal Wingfoot, this is the interview to read. - The 4th Letter -
FOLLOW AWAKENING…
…on the interweb:
Follow Awakening on Twitter: http://twitter.com/awakeningcomic
Trailer for Awakening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qJQB68NkP0
Nick Tapalansky’s website: http://www.nicktapalansky.com/
Alex Eckman-Lawn’s website: http://www.alexeckmanlawn.com/
Keep it locked here for updates as we blow through the best month of the year. First stop: BALTIMORE!
- Nick
Awakening Volume One – Out NOW!!!!
Jul 31st
OUR TOP STORIES…
Ho. Lee. SHIT! It’s out! It’s out! It’s FUCKING OUT!!!
Sorry, had to freak out for a minute there because it FINALLY happened! Awakening Volume One hit comic shops on Wednesday, 7/22 and hit ‘em hard. Shops I’ve talked to have been selling out and placing re-orders which is the awesome.
I’ve also heard that folks who ordered from Amazon started receiving books this week. In other words, those of you who were waiting to see if it was the real deal this time before ordering are in for a treat – get thee to your LCS stat! Failing a local comic shop, hit up Amazon and help us speed our way up the bestseller lists there:
As always, your friendly neighborhood Barnes & Noble is able to pre-order for you too.
To everybody who stopped by the booth at San Diego Comic-con, thanks for the love and support! More about the con coming in next week’s blog, including pics and anecdotes galore.
SPREADING THE WORD…
Alright kids, listen up: The book is out. The trick now is to make sure EVERYBODY knows. Post the trailer hither and yon, cry forth to the heavens (and to everyone you see on the subway), and recommend it to your friends and loved ones. Especially grandmothers – they dig existential horror and zombie noir. Well, MINE does anyway but she may be partial.
A big part of self-promotion that I think gets overlooked in comics is the library circuit and, with it, reading groups. I’m talking to as many reading group heads and librarians as I can to suggest the book as a monthly selection (for horror, graphic novel, and mystery reading groups) and to make sure a copy is available in any and every library I can get in touch with, but I need your help! If you’re following this blog it stands to reason that you dig the book, so do me a favor: check out your local Barnes & Noble, Borders, comic shops, and/or small indy bookshop (my faves) and see what reading groups they have – if they fit with a group which would enjoy Awakening recommend it to them! Likewise, if you frequent a library, whether at a university or just a city or town branch, recommend the book be stocked in their graphic novel section. Heck, show them your copy so they can see how loverly it is!
The short version is that we couldn’t have gotten this far without you and any help you can give would be hugely appreciated. To anybody in the Southern New York or Philadelphia, PA areas: feel free to e-mail me if you get any bites at the libraries/reading groups – either Alex or myself (or both) would be happy to stop by and talk about the book, comics, writing, art, or just the weather. You can reach me at Nick.Tapalansky@gmail.com
AWAKENING IN THE PRESS…
First of all, if you’re not following us on Twitter you’re not as cool as your friends! Don’t be uncool, follow @AwakeningComic for the latest updates on your favorite comic dudes.
Second of all, if you haven’t already checked out http://www.NickTapalansky.com what are you waiting for?!
Now then, on with the show…
More reviews for Volume One are starting to roll in! Below is one from The Quarter Bin which has one of my favorite quotes ever:
“Nick Tapalansky and Alex Eckman-Lawn are the perfect team for Awakening.”
Read the whole review here:
http://thequarterbin.com/?p=7001#more-7001
We also had the great pleasure of meeting Stephanie from ComicMonsters.com after our panel at the con – in her recap of the day she had this to say:
“One of the surprise moments of the day was the Archaia panel. Now that Zachary Quinto, of “Heroes” fame, is involved with the company, HUNDREDS of people were in attendance for the Archaia panel and gathered in the hall to hear about the recently released “Awakening” by Nick Tapalansky and Alex Eckman-Lawn. Here is Nick (left) and Alex (right) looking stoic and thoughtful immediately after handing out issues of “Awakening” to fans and attendees.
As a fan of the story for over a year, it was great to see them get the exposure they deserve. And congratulations to them both for reaching the best-seller list on Amazon.com on their first day of pre-order: #2 for Mystery (Graphic Novel) and #6 Hardcover (Graphic Novel) and even selling out of copies at Wizard World Philadelphia! Way to go, guys!”
You can read her whole recap for Saturday here:
http://www.comicmonsters.com/ftopict-11751.html
Oh! For you art enthusiasts in the world, Alex was interviewed by our pal Patrick McEvoy for his Ninja Mountain podcast while we were all at the show. You can check out the podcast here (Alex starts around 22:50 if you’re just in it for his purdy voice).
“I’m gonna get edited out of that entire episode, aren’t I?”
http://ninjamountain.blogspot.com/
IN OTHER NEWS…
First, an amazing scientific discovery:
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/07/14/oldest-male-organ.html
“Now we’ve actually found it, a specimen with an undoubted clasper with a knobbly end.”
Now, exciting Archaia releases!
Both The God Machine and Starkweather: Immortal are in this month’s Previews for an October release! You can wander in to any LCS and tell them you want it but I’ll have more exciting means, like pre-order coupons and links to various sites, posted here in the coming days. In the meantime… Just go tell your shop you want ‘em, damnit!
LOCAL SIGHTINGS INCLUDE…
SUMMER/FALL!
New York Anime Festival (September 25th – 27th in Artist Alley with Jackie Santiago)
Baltimore Comic-Con (October 10th and 11th with Archaia)
Albany Comic-Con (November 1st with Jackie Santiago, Mark Holmes, and Luke Mierisch)
KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST AWAKENING UPDATES! WE WANT YOU TO JOIN…
Meh, fughedit for now! I appreciate the sign-ups guys, but at present the idea of writing a separate e-mail newsletter containing largely the info your finding here anyway seems a bit silly. I’m gonna take it back to the lab for a bit of reworking and come back strong though so be on the lookout…
Awakening Release Countdown: Zero Hour!
Jul 20th
Just a short one today, folks. Making some last minute preparations for San Diego (leavin’ tomorrow!) but I wanted to make sure you all heard the news…
GET TO YOUR LOCAL COMIC SHOP WEDNESDAY TO GET YOUR COPY OF AWAKENING VOLUME ONE!!
The countdown is OVER and we’ve FINALLY arrived. Thanks so much to everyone for sticking with us through the roller-coaster getting here. I’m pretty confident it’ll go much smoother from here on out.
Be sure to come by booth #2635 and say hello to myself and Alex as well as the rest of the Archaia crew. We’ll have Awakening Volume One on hand for you to check out and Alex and I will be happily signing all week (Alex gets in on Friday for all you folks who want to touch true greatness).
Alex and I are also participating on a panel on Saturday, 7/25 with the amazing Chandra Free (The God Machine), Matz (The Killer) and… SPOCK?!
5:30-6:30 Archaia: New Titles— Come hear about the great titles Archaia has in store, including Awakening (with writer Nick Tapalansky and artist Alex Eckman-Lawn), The Killer (with writer Matz), and The God Machine (with creator Chandra Free). Then: You’ve watched him for three seasons on NBC’s Heroes playing Sylar and on the big screen as Spock in the new Star Trek movie, but what do actor Zachary Quinto and his colleagues at media production company Before the Door Pictures have to do with Archaia? Find out exclusively at this panel, which will feature Quinto, Corey Moosa and Neal Dodson of Before the Door Pictures, plus appearances by top-secret special guests with additional announcements! Room 5AB
See you on the left coast, me scallawags. More release news, signings, and all that fun stuff next week.
We love you.
- Nick
www.NickTapalansky.com
Awakening Volume One Trailer!
Jul 1st
So, Blogspot was being unhelpful yesterday… Let’s try posting this here again.
And, failing that, you can always get your existential horror fix on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qJQB68NkP0
Now then, on with the show:
Watch. Love. Pre-order.
