More old blog entries

Sneak Preview
Category: Writing and Poetry

Not sure why, but I tried to post this last night and it never went through. Or something. Here’s to a second try.

I’ve been working on my comics again (I set them aside for a while recently), and I’ve made some changes. Meltdown has been renamed Union of Heroes, which I think is a bit more fun, evokes a Silver Age feel, and is even somewhat ironic (the “Union” is funded by the billionaire father of one of the main characters). I ended up renaming Nymph, as too many people seemed to draw the wrong conclusions regarding her name, and I got tired of explaining that it’s a reference to Greek mythology. Instead, she’s now Psyche, which is actually more appropriate for a telepathic teenaged girl. Oddly enough, Psyche, the Greek goddess of the soul, was a nymph before she was elevated to godhood.

I’ve thrown out the previous version of the script to the first issue. It was too slow in the beginning, and didn’t catch your attention from page one. I’m hoping to do better on this draft. I’m posting the first five pages of the script-in-progress below. Let me know what you think!

Union of Heroes ..1 – Neophytes

Page 1
Splash Page
Beauty shot of PLASMID fending off simultaneous attacks by PYRE, VERSIPELLIS, & SINGE, while in the background, PSYCHE helps a dazed SPHERE, NUCLEUS stands in dumbfounded shock, and the crowd in the ballroom flees.
1. Caption:
In a world where superhumans have existed for decades, the superhero is a rare exception. Today, a young team of would-be heroes has had their debut rudely interrupted. This Union of Heroes is made up of:
2-7. Captions (over each character):
Pyre
Versipellis
Singe
Psyche
Sphere
Nucleus
8. Caption:
But today, they are just…
9. Title:
Neophytes.
10. Credits:
Created by Jeffrey Harlan.

Page 2
Panel 1
Flashback to a few months earlier. Pyre aka John Chambers is sitting on a board evaluating potential members of the new team. The candidate in front of him has a homemade costume, complete with cape. It looks ridiculous, but he’s just so damned excited to be there.
1. Caption:
Several months earlier…
2. Candidate:
Call me Leafmaster!
Panel 2
John isn’t quite as thrilled. He’s been through dozens just like this guy.
3. John:
Uh, OK, Mr.– uh, Leafmaster. What exactly–
Panel 3
Leafmaster cuts him off, putting his hands around a potted flower decorating the table.
4. Leafmaster:
What can I do?
Panel 4
The flower’s nearly doubled in size.
5. Leafmaster:
I make plants grow! Any plant!
Panel 5
The flower’s getting so enormous, it’s now a bush that covers the entire table.
6. John:
Oh-kay. Thats… different.
7. Leafmaster:
Imagine! Giant Venus flytraps to capture our foes! Living vine handcuffs that grow stronger when–
Panel 6
John’s still not impressed.
8. John:
Yeah, that’d be great…
Panel 7
Leafmaster is overjoyed. Speechless, even.
Panel 8
John’s not done. Get out the needle. Ready the balloon.
9. John:
…if we were in Wisconsin. But this is Vegas. A desert. Sorry.
Panel 9
Pop! Leafmaster’s bubble has been thoroughly burst.
10. John (off-panel):
Next!

Page 3
Panel 1
As the next candidate is ushered in, thankfully wearing normal street clothes, the table collapses under the weight of the mutant flora. John hangs his head in resignation.
1. SFX:
Crack!
Panel 2
The candidate stands across the broken table from John, who’s about ready to throw in the towel. It’s Nucleus.
2. John:
State your name and power…
Panel 3
Nucleus holds up a fist. It’s glowing, surrounded by crackling, green energy.
3. Nucleus:
David Brown. I can generate a kind of bio-chemical energy. I guess you could call it a–
Panel 4
Back to the present, boys and girls, in a splash panel that dominates the bottom 1/2 to 2/3 of the page. All off for the latest dose of ugly truth, as Plasmid is showing his true colors namely the familiar greenish glow of his own bio-chemical plasmid, identical to Nucleus’.
4. Plasmid:
–Plasmid!
5. Plasmid:
My goddamned name is Plasmid!

Page 4
Panel 1
Sphere, who’s off on the sidelines with Psyche and Nucleus, is a little confused.
1. Sphere:
Damn, Nucleus, dude’s got the same powers as you!
2. Nucleus:
Not surprising, really…
Panel 2
Nucleus stands up on his own. Sphere’s jaw drops.
3. Nucleus:
…he is my brother, after all.
Panel 3
Plasmid’s head snaps around toward Nucleus.
4. Plasmid:
Half-brother! HALF-brother, you son of a–
Panel 4
Nucleus cuts him off.
5. Nucleus:
Don, have some respect for mom.
Panel 5
Plasmid’s too wrapped up in his own anger to care.
6. Plasmid:
Go to hell. You don’t know what it’s like to suffer. You don’t know pain. None of you do.

Page 5
Panel 1(left) Singe
Another flashback, with Singe in the hot-seat this time. Her story runs down the left side of the page, while Versipellis’ runs down the right. We see a young Singe aka Nicole Harris being beaten by her father, who’s a drunken slob.
1. Caption:
You don’t know what it’s like to suffer…
Panel 1(right) Versipellis
Versipellis’ turn for a flashback. He’s just a boy, about eight or nine, walking on a Los Angeles street with his father.
2. Caption:
You don’t know pain…
Panel 2(left)
Close up of young Nicole protecting her bruised face with her arms.
Panel 2(right)
A car careens around a corner, with gang-bangers shooting out through the windows.
Panel 3(left)
Nicole grabs for her father’s shirt, electricity crackling between her fingers.
Panel 3(right)
Versipellis’ aka Jim Williamson’s dad shields him from the oncoming fire, taking the bullets squarely in the chest.
Panel 4(left)
Nicole’s father is arched backward in agony he’s being electrocuted.
Panel 4(right)
Jim is standing over his father’s body in tears, screaming… and shapeshifting for the first time.
Panel 5 (across bottom of page)
Nicole is backed against a wall in fear, as smoke rises from her father’s chest.
3. Caption:
None of you do.

Stop the “Don’t Let the People Decide” Act
Current mood: angry
Category: News and Politics

Congress apparently likes irony. Why else would a bill that would narrow our choice of candidates in elections, be named the Let the People Decide Clean Campaign Act? This bill, H.R. 4694, would prohibit private donations to candidates to the House of Representatives, give a funding advantage to the incumbent over the major-party challenger, prohibit individuals from using their own money independently to support or criticize a candidate’s views, and impose absurdly small spending caps on most third party and independent campaigns. The laws we already have overwhelmingly favor incumbents and the two major parties who make government bigger year after year; this bill would put the nail in the coffin of all meaningful opposition. We must let everyone in Congress know that this is completely unacceptable to the American people. Click here: http://action.downsizedc.org/wyc.php?cid=42 to send a message to Congress urging them to oppose the misnamed Let the People Decide Clean Campaign Act.

Update

Just thought I’d say it’s been way too long since I posted here or made any updates. I got my cable modem turned back on here in the dorm, and got a part-time job at Fry’s. Thanks to the Fry’s job, I’ve got very little free time anymore. I also found out that I got orders to Incirlik AB, Turkey, this week. I’ll be leaving in June.

A lot of stuff has happened in the last few months. Some of it good, some of it not so good. I’m finally getting several of my bills paid off. I thought I met the woman I was going to marry, but that ended badly. I got to visit my family in Wisconsin for Christmas, and surprise them all in the process.

Offline
Current mood: disappointed

Just letting everyone know that I’m offline for the foreseeable future… I was sharing a wireless link to a firend’s DSL line, but he wasn’t getting the bandwidth he desired for World of Warcraft, so he had to cut some people off… Hey, it’s his network, so he can do as he pleases. I thank him for allowing me to use it, and move on.

No clue yet when or how I’ll be returning to the ‘Net, outside of work and the occasional forays to the base library, but I’ll check online as often as I can.

What’s your life rated?
Current mood: tired

OK… kinda surprised me, but then again, not really.

My life is rated NC-17.
What is your life rated?

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Mod Part Deux
Current mood: bored

Told ya I’d get some pictures up…

Check out my gallery

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Mod
Current mood: geeky

I’ve started up the biggest overhaul to my computer in months: I’m performing a huge mod to my system case.

I’ve already finished the interior. That was simple enough: I wrapped up the loose cables inside with blue electrical tape and further secured that with black nylon zip ties; this has already vastly improved air circulation inside the case, which has greatly helped with cooling. I also installed a DVD -R/RW that I found at Wal-Mart for $35, and I’m waiting for the anodized silver thumb screws for the case panels and a 4-port internal USB hub, which I won on eBay. The USB hub will fit into the 3.5″ drive bay formerly occupied by my old non-functioning floppy drive.

I’ve now removed all the exterior panels: front plastic bezel, and the metal sides and top, and the plastic parts have all had the first coat of primer applied. I’m waiting on the metal parts until next payday, when I can afford to buy the new case fans and plexiglas for the window panes.

I’m going to paint the case a gloss, mirror-finish black with the same process used to paint cars, so the final result will be very impressive. On the right side panel (behind the motherboard, so there won’t be much clearance behind it), I’m cutting a window in the shape of the biohazard symbol, and the fan I’m installing on the top of the case will have a matching biohazard symbol on the grill. On the left side panel (where there’s more room), I’m cutting a window in the shape of the radiation symbol. The circle in the center of the rad symbol will be a second case fan, which will have another rad symbol on its grill.

Eventually, I’ll be adding some lighting inside the case. The fans I’m getting have built-in LED lights, and the rad symbol will have a blue light, while the biohazard symbol will have a red LED. In time, I’ll be adding red and blue lights for the biohazard and radiation windows, respectively. But those will have to wait at least another month, for the paycheck after next, due to budget constraints.

So far, I’ve spent just over $30 on spray paint, black zip ties, colored plastic tape, razor blades, sandpaper, the thumb screws, and the internal USB hub, and next payday, I’ve budgeted to spend about another $40 for the chrome case handles, the fans, and the fan guards, plus shipping. The LED lights I’m currently looking at will only run about $5 each, but I don’t expect to be able to afford those at that time.

I’ll be posting images of the case mods in progress as I get the pictures developed.

Edit: Here’s a couple “before” pictures of my computer:

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Mod
Current mood: geeky

I’ve started up the biggest overhaul to my computer in months: I’m performing a huge mod to my system case.

I’ve already finished the interior. That was simple enough: I wrapped up the loose cables inside with blue electrical tape and further secured that with black nylon zip ties; this has already vastly improved air circulation inside the case, which has greatly helped with cooling. I also installed a DVD -R/RW that I found at Wal-Mart for $35, and I’m waiting for the anodized silver thumb screws for the case panels and a 4-port internal USB hub, which I won on eBay. The USB hub will fit into the 3.5″ drive bay formerly occupied by my old non-functioning floppy drive.

I’ve now removed all the exterior panels: front plastic bezel, and the metal sides and top, and the plastic parts have all had the first coat of primer applied. I’m waiting on the metal parts until next payday, when I can afford to buy the new case fans and plexiglas for the window panes.

I’m going to paint the case a gloss, mirror-finish black with the same process used to paint cars, so the final result will be very impressive. On the right side panel (behind the motherboard, so there won’t be much clearance behind it), I’m cutting a window in the shape of the biohazard symbol, and the fan I’m installing on the top of the case will have a matching biohazard symbol on the grill. On the left side panel (where there’s more room), I’m cutting a window in the shape of the radiation symbol. The circle in the center of the rad symbol will be a second case fan, which will have another rad symbol on its grill.

Eventually, I’ll be adding some lighting inside the case. The fans I’m getting have built-in LED lights, and the rad symbol will have a blue light, while the biohazard symbol will have a red LED. In time, I’ll be adding red and blue lights for the biohazard and radiation windows, respectively. But those will have to wait at least another month, for the paycheck after next, due to budget constraints.

So far, I’ve spent just over $30 on spray paint, black zip ties, colored plastic tape, razor blades, sandpaper, the thumb screws, and the internal USB hub, and next payday, I’ve budgeted to spend about another $40 for the chrome case handles, the fans, and the fan guards, plus shipping. The LED lights I’m currently looking at will only run about $5 each, but I don’t expect to be able to afford those at that time.

I’ll be posting images of the case mods in progress as I get the pictures developed.

Edit: Here’s a couple “before” pictures of my computer:

what happened the year i was born…
Current mood: tired

oh my…
Current mood: amused

Some of these hit a little too close to home…