The Walking Dead comes to AMC!

So this month is possibly my favorite month of every year. I get to dress up in gory costumes, scare the crap out of people. Share true ghost stories with friends. (yeah, I have seen the other side and no it was not influenced by any mind altering drugs). And my favorite graphic novel is coming to AMC on Halloween!
That's right, The Walking Dead is on its way to AMC on October 31st! I don't think I have ever been this excited for anything to come onto television EVER.
The Walking Dead will debut with a 90 Minute episode on Halloween night. Written and executive produced by three-time Academy® Award-nominee Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile), who also directs the pilot, and executive produced by Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, Aliens), the series debuts during AMC Fearfest, the network's annual blockbuster marathon of thriller and horror films.
I hope you all get a chance to check out AMC's newest hit series, they have already won tons of awards with Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Rubicon. Let's see what will happen when the undead come to the award ceremonies, shall we?

A Rose by any other name...

A Rose by any other name is but a pleasure of the senses
A Rose with a fragrance that would entice the blind
a smile so bright you could view it with your mind
with petals so beautiful nature would attempt to copy

Those who know could never forget the depth of intelligence
that such a delicate flower could wield like a sword
forged with fire and ice and connected like a cord
slicing through worldly doubts, stupidity and ignorance

A Rose by any other name is but a pleasure of the senses
spoken of by the mute and heard of by the deaf
even seismographs could not see through the depth
of this flowers soul that reaches out to attempt to hold

A thorn in the side which may just be a way to hide
one of the softest hearts that could ever reside
on the planet, in the solar system or our own milky way
A Rose by any other name has inspire this poetry on this day.

"Save Me Some Sugar" - Midnight Riders (Edited by Anthony Zummo)

I Love Zombies Day Apparel.

Since I created the new annual holiday on February 13th "I Love Zombies Day", I thought it was only appropriate to help you all out there celebrate in style.
Do you already own lots of zombie apparel that you wear proudly amongst your friends?
Great, why not add to your collection of style!
If not, Come get your official apparel here:
http://www.cafepress.com/Therinse

"Memento Mori" Holland Tunnel Teaser.

Below is a few pages from my upcoming novel "Memento Mori".
The people involved in the book are real, the places are real and the biological terrorist threat is very real. We live in a world full of dangers which we choose to turn a blind eye to.
But no matter what happens, we always remember the dead.

HOLLAND TUNNEL

While walking deeper and deeper into the depths of the tunnel, the darkness seemed to wrap its arms around us until it completely had us within its grasp. The slightest breeze would kick up the horrid smells of rotting flesh and dank mildew. The humid air felt thick and tepid moisture filled air like breathable soup.
The sound of water dripping, squeaking mice, flies that buzzed passed your ears and didn’t mind landing on your face as if they had never been swatted at by a human being. The occasional distant moan reminded us of the dangers that surrounded us every moment we were outside of any safe haven.
I pulled out my Zippo lighter and asked Ted to lift up the makeshift torches we crafted earlier using torn table clothes and flammable sterno fluid we found in Starbucks. Once all of the cloth materials had fully absorbed the bluish purple liquid, I put the Zippo’s flame closer to the group of torches held by Ted and Blake. Like a small eruption, the flame jumped onto the fabric-covered ends of the sticks and continued to crackle and char the once white table clothes.
“We need to get moving, I don’t know whether this sterno fluid will just burn off or will continue lighting the way for a while. Its not like we ever tested making torches.”
“Why were all the flashlights dead? I mean the emergency flash lights should have worked.”
“I don’t know but at least we have those flares to use in case of emergency.”
“Yeah, I hope we can just use the torches though, flares don’t really light up things the way these torches do.” Blake said as if he knew for a fact about how flares worked
“Have you dealt with flares a lot Blake?”
“Actually yeah, I have.” Blake started to tell a story about his knowledge of flares while we started to walk through the archway of the Holland Tunnel,
“My Dad and I were on a big game fishing trip off the southern coast of California when his motor stopped working. I thought he was just fucking with me, trying to test my ability to stay calm or something. My dad was an outdoorsy sort of guy and I was a techie person. We didn’t always see eye to eye, so he would test me often. But this time, there was no test. A Storm was rolling in and for the first time in my life, I saw a nervous look in my father’s eyes. He tried all he could to get the motor started but nothing would work. He knew a thing or two about motors and cars so I thought he would be able to fix whatever the problem was but after he came back up from the small engine cabin of the ship. His face told me that he couldn’t fix this problem. That’s when I knew we were fucked.”
“So what happened?” I asked while raising my torch to see around some of the burnt out cars that lined the side of the tunnel.
“Well, we tried to gather all the supplies that we might need to survive on the life raft in case we weren’t found for a few days. We had a few bottles of purified water, some dried packaged fruit, fishing hooks and lines, sun-block and tin foil. I was really getting scared because I didn’t know how long we would be out in the ocean and if you have never been in the ocean then you wouldn’t know the fear I felt. The waves were so big that I felt like I was riding a rollercoaster. We would slide down the side of wave thirty feet tall and then were carried back up another wave and then had the same thing happen. Over and over like a nonstop ride of adrenaline. I jerked the handle on the side of the inflatable life raft and with a rushing air sound it grew to its full size in a matter of seconds. We tossed it into the ragging water and with the bag of supplies on my shoulder; I leaped in after it. I clawed at the water and swam as fast as I could to the orange raft until I could pull myself up into it. I had the supplies and was safely in the life-boat, I turned around to call out to my father and watched helplessly as a rouge wave, which was so tall that I couldn’t see the peak, slammed down onto the stern of his incapacitated boat. I screamed out to him, hoping to hear something back but there was no response. The storm lasted for another couple of hours and then went away as fast as it had come. I looked around in the bright moonlight but all I could see was pieces of the boat floating by me. Seat cushions, broken pieces of the hull and other fishing supplies littered the black water, which I floated on. I decided to use one of the flares I had next to me in hopes of maybe seeing my father swimming or something.”
“Did you?” Ted asked while slowly climbing over a small pileup of four cars that clotted the roadway.
“No, I could only see a few feet around me, nothing more. The red glow of the flare actually reflected off of the dark water and made it hard for me to see. It was as if I was standing in a well-lit room looking out into the night. I knew things in the darkness could see me very well, but the light I held made it impossible to see into the dark. About four days later the Coast Guard picked me up just as my supplies ran out. I had a supply of rations that would have kept two people alive for a few days. My father’s body was never found.”
“I’m sorry Blake.”
“I’m not. He loved fishing. He was a tough man who loved nature and knew the risks. I would have felt worse if he had died at the teeth of one of these fucking zombies. But instead, he died the way he lived. Doing something he loved and saving me. I knew he loved me even though we argued all the time and I wasn’t like him. Maybe putting me on that life raft was his way of telling me to be my own person. I don’t know. But that’s why I decided to go to NYU. I wanted to make something of myself to prove that my father didn’t die without purpose.”
“I’m sure your father would be proud of you if he saw you doing what you need to do to survive.”
“Yeah man, you have really hel…”
The portable flames we carried created an eerie dancing yellow lighting effect that bounced off of the tunnel walls. Each time the flames would flicker, another shadow would become stretched out toward the extent of light, which reached only so far into the depth of the tunnel.
"Shit."
"What?"
"Nothing I thought my shadow was something else."
"Don’t do that."
"What?"
"When you scare yourself with your own shadow, your going to scare me and then we both look like bitches."
"Whatever."
"Whoa!"
"What? Another shadow puppet?"
"No, I think that one is dead. You know, dead, dead. But he’s not a zombie."
"What?"
"Look at this ugly bastard."
"It looks like he is missing his skin."
“Was it burned off?”
“No, It looks as if it was peeled off!”
"What the hell is going on? Can this get any weirder?"
"The way things have been going for us, I don't doubt it."
I leaned in to get a closer look at the body that seemed to resemble a gorilla, but without hair or skin. The beast could probably stand around eight feet tall if it stood straight up.
Its muscles look like steroids or something abnormally engineered them because they were too defined.
This creature was much larger than I had thought any normal ape in the wild could grow to be. Besides the size of it, what the hell was it doing here in New York City? Could it have escaped from the Bronx zoo and have made it all the way down here? What killed it? Countless questions ran through my head while I kneeled beside the corpse of the creature.
BAM! CLINK Clink clink
The sound of metal slamming against the pavement disrupts my concentration and I stood up immediately to look around and find out where the noise had come from.
"What was that? Did anyone catch where it is?"
"Nope I was looking down while you were looking at that thing."
"Blake?"
"Hey where the hell did Blake go?"
"Crap, I’m going to kill him if he’s fucking with us."
"BLAKE!"
"Yeah?" Blake responds from a distance
"What are you doing?"
"I wanted to see what made that sound."
"Wait for us so we can give you backup."
"Come on guys I can out run a zom.....
THUNK! PAT, PAT, PAT, PAT, pat, pat, pat, pat
We heard the thick sound of a bodily impact followed by the patter of bare feet quickly running in the opposite direction.
"Huh? Blake?"
"BLAKE?"
Ted and I slowly moved forward into the darkness with our torches burning brightly. I had my pistol that I recovered from the downed security guard drawn and aimed forward, while paying close attention to the shadows that lined my peripherals.
"He couldn’t have been too far."
“There!” ted whispered to me while pointing out Blakes torch resting on the ground while it continued to brightly illuminate his previous location.
The sound of wet meat being torn and a slight gurgling sound could be heard coming from the other side of a car, which had been flipped up side down.
I laid prone to the ground in order to look through the windows of the vehicle resting on its roof and noticed Blake’s legs lying across the pavement. Looking up at Ted I let him know with a hand gesture, "Blake is dead."
“Zombies?” Ted quietly asked
"Don’t know but I’m afraid we are about to find out."
We slowly moved around the car and lift our torches to expose another huge skinless gorilla tearing flesh from Blake’s throat.
"FUCK! Shoot!" Ted screamed
But when I raise the pistol, the ape seems to sense the danger and it leaped upward grabbing a hold of the lighting structure that had be useless throughout our underground adventure.
"Don’t let it get away!"
BLAM! Clink BLAM! Clink BLAM! Clink BLAM! Clink
I shot four rounds at the beast and hit it twice in one of its legs as it used its upper body strength to carry itself west bound along the ceiling of the tunnel.
"Come on!" I yelled to Ted while chasing the creature deeper into the darkness.
"WAIT! What about Blake?"
"Dude, his throat has been ripped out, what can we do for him?"
"Shit, shit, shit."
We proceed down the tunnel with the orange lighting dancing and bouncing off of the walls and ceiling along with our movement forward. Our own shadows seemed to taunt us with the rapid movements caused by the flickering flames of our torches.
“MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM”
"Shit not now!"
"Where are they?"
"Probably in front of us."
“MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM” The moans continued to grow louder suggesting that whatever was making them was coming closer.
"Get up on the van over there!" I yelled to Ted while pointing to a dirty white van lying on its side next to the tunnel wall. We both climbed up on the vehicles side and looked further into the tunnel with the torches limited lighting. We could only view a short distance into the darkness, which caused me to lean forward to try to gain a few more feet of light.
RAWR!
The gorilla swung toward us quickly and pushed its way between Ted and I. The strength of the beast tossed me off of the side of the van and onto the roof of a nearby Honda with a metallic thud. My back indented the aluminum-like rooftop of the foreign car and I laid there for a moment looking at the tiled ceiling of the tunnel as my own torch rested on the ground next to me.
"Ugh! Ted are you ok?" I called out
"Yeah he must be heading for the way we came in."
"We got to get out of here, I don’t know if it will come back or not and I don’t want to wait to find out."
"Yeah, lets go."
“MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM”
I stood and turned to head west down the tunnel, but when I rolled my body off of the cars rooftop, I found myself face to face with one of the zombies that we had heard moaning earlier.
Without giving it a second thought I quickly raised the pistol, placed the barrel under the zombies chin and pulled the trigger.
BLAM!
Small fragments of coagulated blood, brain and skull sprayed all over the tunnel ceiling and myself.
"DUUUUDE!" Ted yelled out commenting on the mess I had just created.
"Ugh this is gross and it stinks to." I wiped pieces of the infected brain and skull off of my left cheek and looked over at Ted.
“You look like shit.” Ted commented on my bloody makeover
“Thanks.”
"I think I see light coming from the end of the tunnel."
"Is that a metaphor?"
"Wise Ass."
"Come on let’s go."
We picked up the pace and continued towards the New Jersey entrance to the tunnel. The light started to interfere with our vision until our pupils were able to adjust. Tossing the torches to the ground, I raised my pistol again in preparation for any type of interference we might encounter on the road ahead.

One weird zombie dream.

Last night I had one of the most vivid dreams I have ever experienced. Yes, it did have to do with zombies so those of you who guessed it, you win.... nothing.
When i entered my dream, the first thing i noticed was that I was in a dive bar downtown someplace. It wasn't heavily occupied with patrons of the bar but there were enough people to fill the room with different conversations and laughter. The TV was on but no one was really paying attention to it. I felt the urge to use the bathroom which was up one flight of stairs.
This was where my dream shifted into a world of oddities. I opened the bathroom door and saw a backpack resting on the tank of the toilet bowl and something was poking out of the top flap. I moved over to it and moved piece of material to unveil a ceramic garden gnome staring back at me with its perpetual smile molded into its face.
"What the hell?" I thought to myself before packing it back up to bring to the bartender. But once outside of the bathroom again, two guys who looked like they were backpacking stopped me and said "Oh thank god you found it."
I gave the backpack, gnome and all, back to one guy.
But before i could make my way back down to the bar, the other guy started to tell me that "they" were coming and we all needed to leave. I asked who was coming but he just grabbed his friend and suggested they leave as well. I kept asking who he was talking about but my voice became muffled with the ambient sounds from all of the bars customers.
Following the two campers back down to the bar, i noticed that the bar had filled up with many more people than before and within a few seconds i had lost track of the two i was following.
Without even thinking about the warning i was given just minutes earlier, I found myself walking from the bar parallel to an elevated train which was usually found in Queens or Brooklyn. I was walking to a movie premiere but for some reason I didn't know what I was going to see. (it is a dream so some details do elude me)
When I showed up, I remember entering a lobby of sorts that had a spiral staircase leading up to a special theater. When you stood at the base of the staircase and looked straight up, there was a blueish white light glowing and I could see silhouettes looking down at me in a circular patter. It gave the impression of laying on the floor and having a crowd stand around you.
As I made my way up the stairs I noticed that each silhouetted person I previously saw from the bottom was a mannequin dressed up to look like one of the undead staring down at their fallen victim. It really gave an eerie appearance from the ground level.
This all made sense because apparently when i reached the doorway to the special theater, I noticed a movie poster that read "The Walking Dead". Was it a movie made from the popular comic book soon to be made into a TV Series on AMC? Or were they actually going to show a couple of episodes as if it were a movie to a select group? I didn't know but I did know that I was excited to get the show going.
I noticed plenty of people had already been there prior to me showing up and had taken their seats anxiously waiting to what was to happen. The stage had a red curtain which was divided in two vertical parts that were supposed to spread open to reveal a screen on the wall behind them but only the right curtain was drawn back and the other was still holding its place. A woman in black leather outfit, not far off from a catwoman-ish style stood up with a clip board as if she was some sort of public relations personnel or something and attempted to address the audience.
The countless conversations that were in full swing hindered her ability to standout amongst the sea of noise and she got up on the stage and tried again.
During her attempts at getting the crowds attention, I just stood at the base of the stage and watched as two people shuffled slowly from behind the curtain and approached the woman. One grabbed her throat and the other clutched at her waist before they both proceeded to bite into her warm body. I could see liquid running down the womans' body but since she was wearing black leather, i couldn't see the color of the liquid.
I was shocked but then thought it was a marketing ploy for what we all came to see
"the Walking Dead". But then something else started to happen. More people dressed as the undead started to shuffle into the room from different doorways and from behind curtains and counters. Slowly making their way into the audience before sinking their rotting teeth into the living flesh that filled up the stadium styled seating.
"My God." I thought to myself once i realized that this is what i was being warned about earlier in the bar. Shit has really hit the fan and in this case, the fans.

Then i woke up. What a dream.

Kick-Ass is coming out on DVD, I love this movie!

When I was younger and more ignorant, I purchased an authentic styled ninja outfit from a small Japanese store that was temporarily stationed in a strip mall, which has now been turned into a Target. It was like the scene in Gremlins when the guy walks into a small smoke filled store, which sold stuff that people only imagined existing.
Well it felt like that for me as an eleven year old. They sold Shuriken throwing stars, long samurai swords, katana blades, daggers, scrolls that hung from the wall were written in Japanese and looked so mysterious to me. I wanted to be part of a secret society of assassins, but assassins who were good. After I made my purchase I went back the next week to get some other supplies but the place had moved. This only made me think that it was a special made-to-be sort of thing in my life.
But then I got older and met the wonderful existence of women and my passion to become a ninja super hero had gone on the back burner. But at least in the completely awesome graphic novel “Kick Ass”, I can relive some of the moments that I only dreamed had happened to me.
Right from the start the lead character Dave Lizewski explains how his story started by asking why the world hadn’t thought of this before. I mean we see commercials all the time in regards to people joining the military and going away to fight wars. We never see a commercial for local super heroes, just take some self-defense lessons, make a costume and go rid the world of evil.
Every little bit counts, right?
Well when Dave first tried his new costume out he would mainly just practice using the rooftops and getting his body adjusted to the wet suit he had picked up on eBay. To him, what he had seen in comic books was wrong, you didn’t have to have some big trauma in your life to become a super hero, just had to have the right balance of loneliness and despair.
He was really getting into the secret life of a super hero by wearing his outfit under his regular clothing during the day while in class. I think it was something psychological about having his own secret that he wouldn’t share with anyone. Lunchtime was spent trying to build his strength up since he had planned on doing something about crime, he couldn’t do that being a wimp. Most of the nights he spent trying to figure out the perfect name to call himself, but nothing was sticking.

He couldn’t just sit in his room thinking about what to call himself and posing in the mirror, he actually had to start doing something if he ever really wanted to become someone who actually does something. So one night he applied the tight green wetsuit and headed out until he found some small time troublemakers who were defacing a public wall with graffiti.
Like a teenage boy trying to build up the confidence to ask a girl out for the first time, Dave was trying to figure out what to say to start up his first confrontation. But before he could say anything cool, one of the thugs noticed him. A huge fight broke out over some witty words and in a short amount of time Dave was bleeding from his nose and was on his knees in pain. But not before dishing out his own blows to the fiends. One of the thugs asked him what his name was but he jokingly replied that he didn’t know, he didn’t think of a name yet. That’s when a thug stabs him just before they all run off leaving him to die. But even though Dave’s body might not be super human, his will for life is. He continued to walk out of the parking lot and into the path of an oncoming Mercedes Benz. The driver of the car never slowed down and just continued to drive off in hopes of never being found. The impact of the car slamming into Dave’s body leaves him lifeless and twisted in the middle of the road.
After a long amount of time spent in the hospital recovering from his wounds and near death experience, Dave see’s his mother who had died back when Dave was fourteen. She died of an aneurysm instead of a hit man, which was another thing that proved that comic book heroes don’t have to come from a horrible situation. But after reading this section, finding your mother dead from anything when your fourteen could stir something up for sure. Dave is obviously channeling his inability to help his mother since her problem was medical, into people who he can help with his own hands. But that’s just my opinion.
A couple of months later and Dave is back at school talking to his friends at lunch, explaining to them that he won’t let the muggers deter him from what his main plan is, to become a superhero. Even though he takes fourteen different pills a day he won’t let them put him in the ground. In a fit of rage against all of the comic book life he had previously built, he decided to rid himself of all of it by way of bonfire. All of his comics, his secret plans and costume designs, right into the fire. He promised himself that he would never do that shit ever again.
But the beast was within him. Who was he kidding? As soon as he was off those crutches he was back “pounding the streets”. It wasn’t long before he found trouble, but it wasn’t the sort of trouble he was looking for. One girl approached him telling him he should be ashamed of himself for exposing his penis to girls. Apparently there was a flasher who wore a ski mask and was out exposing himself to girls the same time that our hero decided to debut himself to the public.
Then before that scene could escalate, someone gets bumped into Dave knocking him to the ground. There were three Puerto Rican guys beating another guy into a bloody mess. After a warning by one of the assailants, Dave decides that this is the time for him to do something. With his small staffs and his agile movements, Dave delivers a powerful beating to the three-team-wrecking machine. While standing over the body he had rescued, Dave recalls the fact that even though he lost some teeth, cracked a few ribs and he had a hard time seeing anymore, he didn’t let the guy down.
Turning around, he noticed a huge crowd had gathered around his actions and everyone was taking video and photos of him. If he wanted to be known this would be the way. After being viewed on Youtube.com over ten thousand times, Dave realized that he had become a global sensation as the most bad ass geek around.
“It was the best moment of my entire life…” KICK ASS!
As if the stresses of being a secret superhero that seems to get his ass handed to him every time he picks a fight, Dave also has to pretend to be gay in order to get closer to the one girl in his school who he would fight the world for. How long will it be before she knows the truth? Will he get his own Mary Jane or his own Lois Lane? But until that time, he will need to take his time and pick his battles. Fight crime or try to understand the female mind, I choose fighting crime.
The popularity of his actions started to get some feedback from the public. Other people started to dawn costumes and do their part in the community. Most of them just posed for pictures online and through cell phone photos. But there were two super heroes who stood out to Kick-Ass. After setting up an official “Kick-Ass Myspace” page for people to contact him like a twentieth century “Bat symbol”, Dave takes on a job given to him by a girl who says her ex is stalking her and harassing her over the phone and wants him to stop. When Kick-Ass arrives as the apartment of the ex boyfriend, he realizes that the boyfriend is not alone.
A group of thugs are hanging out in a living room while their ring-leader plays a video game with the stereotypical slutty girl on his arm. Dave stands his ground and everyone makes comments about him wearing a costume a little too early for Halloween. During a futile fight, A little girl wearing a purple mask appears out of nowhere wielding two swords. With the amount of bloodshed all over the apartment, it was clear that this little girl had a big appetite for revenge.
Although this graphic novel is not for kids, It will bring out your own memories of teenage turmoil and stressful situations as well as your love for the superhero genre. The Images and writing work beautifully together like two people dancing a violent waltz. I will be sharing this find with all of my friends for years to come. This is a great addition to my graphic novel collection.
Pick up this graphic novel as soon as you possibly can from Co-creator Writer Mark Miller and Co-creator Penciler John Romita Jr. and enjoy the world of Dave Lizewski as the crime fighting teenager who’s only power is being stubborn and driven.
If your not into reading with amazing art work, you can always experience this adolescent journey through the major motion picture directed by Matthew Vaughn which stars Chris D’Amico (formerly known as Mc Lovin’), Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz and Nicolas Cage. The setting and mood of the film takes on the dark essence of the graphic novel with ferocious flare that successfully leaps from the pages to the big screen. If you are left out of the masked phenomenon you will surely be kicking your own ass.
-Anthony Zummo

My Interview with Stephen Lindsay

While walking around the lower east side of New York City I stepped into one of my favorite Comic book stores on St. Marks street. Needing my next fix of Zombie drama, I was searching for my next blood filled adventure on the pages of a new graphic novel. I stumbled upon a book by the name of “Jesus Hates Zombies”. The bleach blond cashier at the store I frequent probably assumed that I possessed the earlier episodes because she continued to explain that it was an insane take on a zombie outbreak and that her favorite character was a mother Teresa who had the vernacular of a sailor on leave.
Yeah these are not the historical figures who you grew up thinking were complete saints who never did anything wrong or said anything bad. These people are as human as you and me, although they have gifts that set them apart from all the rest. But then again, you have to have something special about you in order to survive the masses of undead that will crave your flesh. I got a chance to sit down with the creator of “Jesus Hates Zombies” and chew the proverbial fat about his newest project as well what has brought him to this point of his creative career.
First off, how long have you been a comic book writer?

I've been involved in creating comics for about 3 years now.

How did you come up with a comic book like this?

-- Well, the first thing I came up with was the title. Being a fan of 50s and 60s style B movies, a title like "Jesus Hates Zombies" was bound to pop into my head at some point! When it did, it made me laugh to myself, but I wasn't sure if it was simply a one-note joke or something I could carry out through an entire story. And I turned that into a bit of a challenge for myself as a writer. Could I take an idea that could easily be used for little more than shock-value and turn it into a full fleshed out story? I'm not sure just how well I've succeeded, but I'm happy with myself for not falling back on the shock-value throughout the run of the books!

What other comics are you working on beside this or is this your main comic at the moment?

I have a ton of comics I'm currently working on. As a small press, indy creator, I feel that I have to regularly produce new material in order to stay fresh in people's minds. There are so many great comics out there that it's easy to get lost in the shuffle! But if you're constantly putting out new material, then people are less likely to forget you. That is why I wrote 3 weekly webcomics. "The Frightful Fetus" comes out every Monday, "Saints & Warlords" comes out every Wednesday, and "Vampire Testament" comes out every Friday! On top of those, I also have several other books in the works. One is due out by publisher 215Ink in early 2010 called "Massive Awesome". Another, which is self-published, can be ordered now and it's called "The Slightly Askew Adventures of Inspector Ham & Eggs". AND I have about 6 other books that are currently being worked on.

You mentioned the need for fresh material, constant content in order to remain fresh and up to date, what are some of your inspirational tools that help you create? What keeps those ideas flowing in order to keep things fresh?

-- I'm a pop culture junkie. So seeing what's going on in the world of entertainment really keeps me fresh. As a writer, you tend to internalize pretty much everything you see and hear and roll it around in your head, mashing it against other thoughts, impressions and ideas. When that happens, you have this constant murky swamp of inspiration just sloshing around your head. And every so often, when several of those things collide, something new and fresh and interesting forms. Add that to the fact that I have 2 incredibly creative children who love nothing more than to pitch me their ideas, and the inspiration is pretty endless!

Are you a big zombie fan or did it just happen this way?
I'm a huge fan of the IDEA of zombie stories and films, but the execution of them usually leaves me disappointed. The original "Night of the Living Dead" is a masterpiece of a film, in my opinion. But few other zombie films have captured my imagination quite as well, with the exception of the brilliant "Shaun of the Dead".
You mentioned the classic Night of the Living Dead and Shaun of the Dead. What is your all time favorite zombie movie if you had to name just one?

-- Night of the Living Dead, hands down. It just transcends the genre (which is amazing considering it gave BIRTH to the genre) by being smart and scary and socially conscious all at the same time. Plus, it really understands what it is that makes truly great zombie movies scary - the fact that no matter how slow they are, the walking dead just keep coming and coming.
I also feel that Robert Kirkman's "The Walking Dead" is absolutely genius. It's storytelling at it's best. The same can be said for Max Brooks' "World War Z". But what makes all of these examples stand out is that they use the backdrop of a zombie outbreak to tell a much more social conscious tale.

I completely agree with you about "The Walking Dead" and "World War Z", the storylines are so deeply thought out and they completely draw you into the characters lives so that when something happens you feel it inside of your soul. That's how I know when I'm reading something good, If it impacts me the way the writer intended it to, bravo. But that's what I liked about “Jesus Hates Zombies”. At first when I picked it up I thought to myself, oh my god (no pun intended) and just laughed at how awesome it would be to see Jesus kicking zombie butt all over the place like a longhaired bad ass. Then I started reading it and it had so many little back stories that made you understand a little of who the character were and why. It also shows the characters flaws instead of just looking at them as the deities that the world knows them as.
Have you caught any flak from the religious community regarding the usage of some saintly popular people from history?

Believe it or not, I haven't caught much flak from the religious community, and I think the reasoning is two-fold. First, the title alone is going to keep anyone with strong, narrow-minded views away from the material. But second, the book isn't done for shock value, or in a mean spirited way. That alone makes it difficult to attack based on anything but surface opinions.

In a world of “nine to five” type of people who drone on in their everyday lives like zombies, these characters stood out amongst everyone and did something to effect their fellow man in such a way that they’re names are associated with greatness. So do you think the zombies could be a metaphor for a boring repetitive life that could devour your inner self and those who survive are the ones who stand out and do something about it? This is why I love zombies by the way.

I feel that one of the reasons the idea of zombies has such staying power in popular culture is because the very idea of being this mindless, unremarkable member of a horde terrifies us all on a very personal level. Human nature is to try to stand apart - to carve out our own unique, special identity in the world. So the thought of loosing that very thing which makes the human race special - our diverse individuality - is horrifying on a subconscious level.

What is your website that people can view your work or possibly get more information about you and your incredible stories?

My official website is: www.captionsandballoons.com
Well thank you for all the work you have done in the world of the undead, I look forward to reading more from you in the future.

So to all who read this, if your online at Amazon.com or out at your local comic book store and you have a deeply seeded love for zombies as I do, pick up a copy of “Jesus Hates Zombies” as well as any of the fine pieces of work mentioned above, they are definitely worth it.
-Anthony Zummo

My Interview with "The Walking Dead" Artist Charlie Adlard.

There is big news in the works for AMC and their deal with The Walking Dead series. I wanted to get to know the people who make the world of zombies so appealing to the eye and I recently got a chance to do just that with my interview the pencil artist for “The Walking Dead”, Charlie Adlard.

First off Mr. Adlard, let me start by saying it is a pleasure to be able to interview such a talented artist especially one who is currently working on one of my personal favorite graphic novels "The Walking Dead".

How did you come to work with Kirkman?

I've known Robert for many years... We first got to know each other when he offered to publish the last few episodes of Codeflesh - a strip that Joe Casey and myself had originally started at Image. He was running his indie publishing company - Funkotron - at the time.
When Tony Moore left TWD, he called me up out of the blue with the offer to "make money"! Little did we know how apt that phrase was going to be... :-)


I understand that you seamlessly replaced Tony Moore as the penciler in the second graphic novel release (episode seven in the comic book), were there any limits that you were given to follow so the look of the comic never changed or did Kirkman basically know you were an amazing artist who had a style that would fit and just trust your judgment in the design?

Well, the latter really.
Robert's been brilliant... He's always let me be my own man and that was certainly true at the beginning as well. Tony and myself have quite different styles, so it was a risk that people might be put off the book when I took over. But Robert put his faith and me and, hopefully, mine is the style that people now associate with TWD.

Do you have much input over the story boarding and the way that the images layout along with what is happening in the story?

Robert does his thing and I do mine. It's very rare that one of us will suggest something to do with each others skill. We've worked together for so long now that we pretty much put 100 per cent trust in what we do individually.
The scripts are fairly open too - not to much detail - so it gives me almost free reign to design pages and characters to how I think will be best. It's the perfect working relationship!

More than a few times of me reading through "The walking Dead", i felt like I was watching a movie on print, my heart raced and i couldn't wait to see what happened on the following page. One question that many of our readers might wonder about is the fact that you have had a past that dealt with more science fiction / military based comics like Savage 2000 A.D.
Were you a big fan of the horror genre before "The Walking Dead"?

I'm a TOTAL fan of the genre. What I do now is exactly where I want to be and what I want to be doing for the rest of my life. This isn't a stepping-stone to a "better" industry... I can't imagine being in a better industry! I don't read as many comics as I used to, but I'm a definite fan of the art-form. I'm a "genre" fan... not rabid... But I certainly lean towards all that stuff, and that includes horror.

Are you getting known for the intense gory undead artwork now that TWD has been building its success?

The funny thing is that I've become a kind of go-to-zombie guy, and I'm not a massive zombie obsessive... I've seen (and like) most of the well-known zombie movies, but that's that. Most of the horror movies I like tend to be the more, for want of a better word, subtle - movies like the original Haunting, Halloween, and the Shining. Movies that have the horror happen off screen where the imagination runs riot far more than what could possibly be shown in front of you.

Do you believe that in a dark setting like a zombie apocalypse, large blocks of black shadows might allow the readers imagination to really think about what could be lurking beyond the limits of their vision?



I think the main reason people can associate me with horror is the style I draw in. I use a LOT of black in my art, which obviously draws the horror crowd... It's a fairly obvious link, but that's how these things work.

For a graphic novel to be based on a zombie outbreak in the south to be done without color you really have captured the gore and the emotional turmoil that comes in a world that isn't so metaphorically black and white.
Your style has clearly evolved or creatively devolved from the fully painted artwork on Armitage, through increasing usage of monochrome art that we see in your current work, which uses large blocks of black ink on the page to create shadow effects much more bold than whats commonly seen in other comics. (It works beautifully by the way.)
Thank you for your time Mr Adlard,
It has been a pleasure getting the chance to pick your brain
(no pun intended).

my experience getting two teeth pulled :(

So yesterday I had to go to the hospital to get two teeth pulled because of horrible pain i was experiencing. I arrived at the hospital at around 11AM and didn't get to see the dental department in the hospital until around 2PM. I know most people would be so pissed off at the wait but the pain was so bad that my attention was diverted from the time passing by the throbbing in my head.
Finally i head up to the dental department and the dental assistant takes me in to get an X-ray done then sits me in one of the many dental chairs separated by curtains hanging by a sliding track on the ceiling. I could hear drills going and people talking and it was another ten minutes of listening to this before the dentist came in and looked at the X-ray and agreed with me that i had some issues with a couple of molars on my right side. There was an infection and not only one tooth had to be removed but two.
He gave me three shots of novocaine and just when i thought he nicked my tongue he asked "Did you feel a jolt run through your tongue?"
When i told him yes, he explained that there is a main nerve that runs along your jaw bone and when people feel that jolt, it means that the novocaine had reached that nerve and I would feel absolutely nothing in five minutes.
They usually only pull one tooth per visit but since i was pretty good at tuning out during surgery, the doctor offered to remove the second one at the same time.
I sat there and tried to think of so many things and other places to keep my mind occupied and distracted from the cracking and vibrating feelings and sounds that were echoing throughout my head. Although you can't feel anything while the novocaine did its job, you can still feel the pressure and vibrations of what is going on.
So after the two teeth were pulled I walked back outside and immediately felt sick. I leaned over and spit out the thickest red blood. Then since my mentality is driven by the undead, i decided to have some fun with my dispersion of blood. I started to moan softly and leaned my head acting as if i was a zombie. I spit some more blood out and saw my ride and said "Braaaaainnnss".
That's when i looked to my left and saw a little kid with his eyes wide open. I think he really thought i was the walking dead. I must have traumatized the little one because he ran so fast away from the window.
Today my face feels like i was in a fight, my cheek is swollen but i still laugh at the fact that i scared the crap out of a little one by being a zombie outside of the hospital. Ah, a childs imagination is a wonderful thing to mess with.
Oh yeah, and
Checkout the Sticker the nurse gave me after having my teeth ... on Twitpic

The Veil

If you are like me and really enjoy the psychological horror genre, you must pick up the newest addition to my personal graphic novel collection, “The Veil”. The story starts off with a private investigator by the name of Christine Luna who has a special gift. She has the ability to see and speak with the dead. Not like anything you might have seen on network television, she actually feels the spirits emotions and physical pains. It tends to weigh down her own personal life but she tries to make the best of it by using her abilities in her work. Helping the dead get revenge on their murderers and then being paid by unclaimed bank accounts or credit cards that have not been cancelled by that same dead person.
Like most people in New York City, she is struggling to keep her head above the financial water line that was set by the horrible economy. One day she receives word that her families home in Maine has recently caught the interest of the local government who wishes to purchase the land. Her money woes seem to have a silver lining until she decides to visit her hometown to handle things in person.
She originally left the little town of Crooksville as a teenager after the luxury tourist train Acadian crashed in Elephant Mountain. The crash claimed the lives of many people on an end-of-the-school-year trip including her father. After the wreck she had a hard time dealing with reality and was placed into a psychiatric facility and being diagnosed with “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder”. It was in the psychiatric hospital where she was immediately placed on drugs and classified as scytophrenic. No one would listen to her and after the medicinal drugs were issued to her on a regular basis, she wasn’t able to determine what was real and what was a part of her new abilities.

She spent a long time in the facility before a young doctor named Josh had befriended her and took the initiative to take her off of the medication in order to truly listen to her. Soon after the new doctor was taking care of her, she had fallen in love with him and he apparently fell in love with her, I didn’t understand how a doctor could fall in love with a patient of his who was classified to be scytophrenic, but that’s just my brain rationalizing again. The doctors plan for treating Christine was a little more selfish than she originally thought and he ended up writing and publishing a book based on her story. Once she was off the medication; Christine was started to play along with the hospitals rules in order to be released. But the nightmares and visions never stopped, she just adapted to her curse and used it to her advantage.
But now, back in the small town that she grew up in, Christine realizes that things aren’t always as they appear. The nightmares and warnings given to her by the other side are much stronger and more dangerous than she ever expected. The quiet town that she had ran from as a teenager had been calling her back all this time, but without a voice it could only try to make her see the truth. When spirits are stuck without a voice, they can only rely on showing visuals to people who could see them. Sometimes, the dead don’t even know they’re dead until they are reminded of the fact.
What was hiding behind the veil of light that protected the world was about to be pushed aside and show its true self to everyone. A rebirth of darkness that could not be escaped by simply turning on a light was just around the bend and she could feel it coming. But what could anyone do to stop it? This was much bigger than any individual murder that could be solved with the assistance of one ghost. The whole town was hiding a secret and they had been waiting for Chris to come home to complete the plan.
With a couple of childhood friends trying to get back into her life and local spirits trying to show her the real troubles that hide in the darkness; would Christine be able to uncover the secrets of Crooksville? Will she be able to fight back against the darkness or will it engulf her the way a dinosaur would fall into a tar pit? The more she struggles, the deeper she sinks.
The only way to find out what happens, is to pick up this amazing Graphic Novel and see for your self that it’s not always a pretty face that lies behind the Veil.

The Secret (graphic novel)

Do you like scary movies like “I know what you did last summer?” or “Jeepers Creepers”? Then you will love “The Secret”. Usually I would just watch one of those movies or read a comic styled the same way with some predictable humor. But with this one I found myself wondering what would happen next. Right from the beginning when the lead character is invited to a house party being thrown by the girl of his dreams named Pam you expect there to be some setup for trouble.
Tommy shows up and is welcomed in by a slightly flirtatious mother who guides him downstairs to where the party is taking place. Making his way through the clicks of people talking amongst themselves while stabbing him with their cold stares. But once he found Pam she was sitting with other friends in a small room playing a telephone game. Each person would dial one digit out of seven and once the person on the other line would answer, one of the kids would say:
“I know your secret.”
Once the person on the other end of the line was curious to know who had called them and what secret they knew, the kid would instruct them to meet up in the park near a statue at midnight. After a few more phone calls Pam’s friend makes one last call and then hands Pam the phone telling her to just hit “send”. But when the phone picks up Pam puts it on speakerphone. Everyone sits and waits patiently for someone to say something but instead all they hear is a television on in the background.
Pam then just calls out: “I know your secret”.
Then a voice replies back to her: “How do you know my secret”?
That’s when Pam’s friend nudges her to continue with the prank. So Pam instructs the voice to do the same thing that they instructed the others to do earlier. Meet at the statue in the park at midnight.
Freaked out, Pam decides she has had enough and while taking Tommy’s arm looks for a place a more quiet. Pam decides to show Tommy her bedroom and doesn’t waste any time getting comfortable on her bed. Now even though the book showed Pam and Tommy making out, the very next cell on the next page shows them and the group of Pam’s friends at the park so I can only assume that everyone decided to take the party out to the park.
During another make-out session on a hilltop, Pam and Tommy notice a set of headlights coming down the bike path. Could it be one of the people they had pranked earlier on? Some dark figure walks through the park and then stands by the statue for a while. Pam knows it’s the man who answered her call and all of the kids decide its safer to just leave.
The following day in school Pam gets a phone call while in class and to her surprise the voice asks: “How do you know my secret?”
Stunned, Pam tells Tommy about the call and explains that Kyle used her cell phone to make the call so the man could easily find her. Tommy tries to calm her nerves by being there for her but he is unable to keep Pam from being abducted. Now he needs to figure out how where she is and who has taken her. I already read the book so I know what happens but don’t worry, I can keep a secret. Can you?

Victorian Undead comic

Victorian Undead


Written by 2000AD veteran Ian Edginton with lovely art by Davide Fabbri, the six part series comes from DC Comics' Wildstorm imprint, who describe the first issue a little something like this:

"Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth." Those are the words of Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the world's first consulting detective, yet even he finds his skills tested to their limit as he and his erstwhile comrade Dr. John Watson are confronted with the most extraordinary case of their career – the dead are returning to life! Can a plague of Biblical proportions be far behind for Victorian London? And who – or what – is behind the resurrection of these ravenous revenants?

It’s the spring of 1854, the streets of London are filled with the British commoners all looking toward the sky as a greenish commit tears across the night sky. Everyone talks amongst them-selves; conjuring different possibilities of what it could be. An old gypsy woman rambles on as if it were revelations. Pieces of the meteor break off and fall to earth without causing to much destruction.
There are a couple of little stories that set up the advancement of the oncoming zombie assault that Britain is about to experience. From a Dr. Snow calling the time of death on a patient; only to have that patient sit back up and lunge for him; to a couple of tunnel miners coming across what they think is simply a piece of gold, only to fall victim to the zombie holding on to that same piece of gold. If you really like detective stories such as Sherlock Holmes and you also like horror comics with plenty of gore and blood; I think you should definitely check out “Victorian Undead”.
His old nemesis Moriarty is back at his old tricks, except this time he has something new up his rotten sleeve. Moriarty and Holmes had fought it out near the edge of a cliff back in the day and Moriarty falls to his apparent death. But death is only the beginning. While laying broken and dying at the base of a Cliffside he has one of his underlings bring him a serum that he had been working on, which would continue the brain function after death allowing him to live forever. Just before he fell into the darkness of death, he was injected with the serum and was saved by becoming undead.
With this plan now in action Moriarty has the ability to compile an unbeatable army of the undead that would follow his lead in taking over all of England. Sherlock Holmes has the task of tracking down clues and surviving the post-apocalyptic Victorian London streets. With some help from his partner Watson, Sherlock must fight off the zombie hordes that he comes in contact with during the investigation.
Scotland Yard implements their own version of a swat team in small zombie-hunters style squads, which know exactly how to deal with the infected. Which leads Holmes into believing that this has been going on for much longer than anyone has suspected.
The illustrations are fantastic and the attention to detail with the Victorian styles is amazing. I also liked the dialogue; it really read through in my head with the cockney accent of the time period. Not since “I Sell the Dead” have I seen anyone else attempting an 1800’s take on the zombie phenomenon.
How does one survive an all out zombie attack lead by a competent madman?
Food for thought.

I Love Zombies Day festivities are already being planned!

As you all know I started "I Love Zombies Day" for the online magazine Imaginedaily.com. last Feb 13th. where I offered to send a few winners of our photo contest an autographed comic book along with an original I love zombies t-shirt designed by myself.
I'm no longer writing for the online magazine but I will be still promoting and celebrating the undead holiday through my own site here.
There will be contests and stuff you can win. So be very aware of what your going to be doing next I Love Zombies Day!
P.S.
I recently checked out a search of the term "I love Zombies Day" and found that more than a few websites were celebrating the holiday with amazing results.
No matter what this will forever be an annual holiday that the true lovers of the zombie genre will continue to enjoy and next year the festivities will continue with more contests. So tune in to my blog for constant updates of what is to come!
Til then keep your brains fresh and the blood flowing.
NOMNOMNOMNOM

Tired of god being blamed for the worlds problems.

I'm tired of people blaming god for everything. I mean I might have my quarrels about religion but if there is a god, him and I have an understanding. I was made to question and attempt to understand things on a larger scale.
The idea of "god" (no matter what god you believe in), gives people a choice. (do good or do bad), its humans who screwed things up by complicating things. Not, "God".
I can say the matrix MADE a kid jump off the roof of a building because he thought he was
"the one". Or the kid can appreciate the movie and not jump off a building.
But he chose to jump.
Terrorists are told by other terrorists about the other side because of a book.
Not because god spoke to them personally. lol
Its personal human choice that fucks up the world. Not an imaginary being. Just think of god as the most well known character in the most well known book.
But nothing more. Imagine in a thousand years someone reads a book by Stephen King like they read the bible? The world would be crazy! lol

Another ghostly experience.

So I spoke with a friend of mine and we were talking about ghost stories and stuff that we have experienced in the past. My friends are all into the paranormal as well as horror movies and stuff. I guess we are all just interested in the things that we have no control over or the things we don't understand.
I spoke of a time when i was living in Wisconsin. I went to a place called JFK Seminary school in St. Nazianz WI. It was reported that this school was haunted but I didn't really know much more than that. When i arrived with a friend of mine the place was dark, run down and looked truly ominous. A place of religion should give off a feeling of hope and safety, sanctuary. But this place gave off anything but that feeling.
We didn't want to alert any security guards that were there to keep kids away, so we trekked through a small patch of trees that lined the south side of the dormitory building. We noticed a small pond that had tall weeds growing around its border. While passing the pond slowly, I heard what sounded like a small chain giving off a slight sound. I thought it was a choker chain on the neck of a security guard dog. I told my friend to listen, but he heard nothing and after a few minutes we proceeded forward.
We reached the treeline and my first thought was to look at the dormitory from a distance first. I wanted to get a feel for the place before we explored, but to my surprise my eyes were drawn up to the attic windows. For some reason I starred at the broken out windows near the roof of the run down building for what felt like an eternity. Within the blackness that filled the window I saw something. Something darker than black moved back away from the window. I couldn't stop looking to make sure what i just witnessed. My friend ran back to me and asked what i saw. I didnt want to freak him out so i said i saw nothing.
We continued up to the buildings wall and made our way over to the entrance to the gymnasium which had a couple of steps that lead down to double metal doors that were chained. We stood there for a moment and then a large sensor light that reacts to movement flashed on near the front of the dormitory building. We thought a guard dog was making its way over to us and we tried to prepare for an escape. At that moment we both heard a loud deep growl come from behind us, but the scary thing was that behind us was a cement wall.
After hearing that growl we decided to run as fast as we could back to the car and head home.
The next weekend I was sitting watching TV and a show called "The worlds scariest places" came on. This episode had a small segment about the JFK seminary school! I called my friend and told him to watch it. We both sat in amazement while the show reported that there has been a bad history at this place. A priest who had gotten a few nuns pregnant would dispose of the infants by tossing their bodies into a small pond near the south side of the seminary school. His ghost has been seen walking around this pond while he plays with his rosary beads which can be heard by witnesses and sounds like a small chain. Next thing that was reported was the sighting of shadow people inside the building. The final thing that we heard that chilled me to the bone was the reported gateway to hell under the gymnasium that is guarded by "Devil dogs".
I don't know what your beliefs are but with my experiences in the paranormal, I am a believer.

NBC is run by morons

I thought networks paid attention to ratings. Apparently not, because Jay's ratings suck. JAY LENO IS NOT FUNNY. Maybe NBC would've started getting ratings back if they actually kept the funny host! Hell, I'm just happy I got to see Conan live when he was in NY.

NBC = Now Bullying Comedians