I've been busy. Maybe you've noticed. I have, at present, five creator-owned comics projects approved and in production. You've heard of two of them. The rest will be unveiled as the summer convention season winds on. I've also been fielding offers for more 'company' comics work, which flatters me after being away from primarily working for the big publishers for so long while off chasing crappy horror remake 'X' and shitty sequel 'Y' in hopes of finding creative satisfaction that matched the seductive money working as a writer in Hollywood can bring. I'll be revealing what these particular plans are as they solidify. But, for now, an update:

GHOST PROJEKT proceeds. Issue #2 comes out next week after being held back a week to let retailers sell through copies of the first book. The response has been tremendously gratifying and artist Steve Rolston and I are confident the book really picks up steam with the next issue. Anyone who thinks they know what's going on with the 'Dosvidanya Projekt' is in for a few massive surprises. Oni Press.

THE HASHISHIAN graphic novel is moving along. We'd all hoped to have this done and out sooner, but you can't rush greatness. Or, at least, you want to let your plants mature into big, sticky buds so they can be dried and cleaned and entered into the Cannabis Cup contention and-- well, anyway. The book is gorgeous and should re-establish former Bat-books mainstay artist Trevor McCarthy as a comics talent to be reckoned with.

A new interview I did with with Broken Frontier was posted online a few days back. We talk GHOST PROJEKT and other comics of mine, my movie career and a love of 80s horror... some of my favorite topics!

According to IMDB, I'm up 96% in popularity this week. Oh my.

When you make horror movies, they truly do live forever (for better or worse, sometimes, it's true). Alas... THE TRIPPER continues its run on Showtime while DARKNESS FALLS returns to pay cable (ch-ching!) with a nice run on STARZ and STARZHD. There's no HD version of DF so I'm assuming this means "widescreen" to most.

Your market's times might differ. These are taken from my New York City IMDB listings page.

Anyway, check 'em out and help support writers' residuals -- a worthy cause this holiday season!

Just stumbled across this funny feature on Fangoria's website...

We've moved my short films, trailers and other clips to Vimeo... beautiful hosting all around. Check 'em out, if you have a second.

WITCHWISE is looking particularly spiffy with a new transfer.

While perusing IMDb, I discovered that THE TRIPPER is going to have its cable television premiere next weekend on The Movie Channel. Catch it at these times, then that next Tuesday for an encore performance.

Sat. Sept. 6 9:05 PM
Sat. Sept. 6 11:45 PM
Tue. Sept. 9 10:20 PM

I marched with my WGA brethren for an expanded residual base and, by gods, I'll have them dammit!

An afternoon swing by Ain't It Cool News delivered terrible news. Stan Winston is dead and that's just horrible.

I had a chance to tour Stan's creature shop during and after their work re-designing the Tooth Fairy on DARKNESS FALLS. I've been on many movie sets and to every sort of fan convention imaginable. I've been to Disney World and Six Flags, World Series clinchers and ticker tape parades. But I don't think I've ever seen anything cooler than Stan Winston's creature shop, up close and personal.

I only got to meet Stan a couple of times, but they each had that sort of charge I can only associate with the times I've met Bill Clinton and Stan Lee. A fucking giant of his profession and an old school movie maker and innovator.

My thoughts are with his friends and family.

Check out Stan Winston's IMDB profile for a list of his many startling and visionary achievements.

Well who hasn't?

It's only fair, seeing how everyone I know will likely be stoned out of their fucking minds when seeing the movie for themselves next month.

Finally finished the second part of last Sunday night's HBO premiere of McCullough's JOHN ADAMS mini. I thought it was astounding.

I never read the book, though I'm tempted to check out 1776 in the near future. I love the story of this nation's founding and the perspective offered from Adams is wonderful and enlightening. But it wasn't his happening upon the aftermath of The Boston Massacre, the spirited defense of both the British soldiers involved and the laws upon which this nation's very justification rested, or the evolution of John Adams from private lawyer to revolutionary to President of the country he helped found that struck me the most.

It was the story's portrayal of Thomas Jefferson, reluctant author of the Declaration of Independence. Upon delivering his draft, famously inclusive of language condemning the sale and possession of slaves which would later be excised... poor Jefferson has to sit there and listen to Adams and Ben Franklin pick through his words and offer what amounts to the eighteenth century version of notes.

Jefferson, founder of the Democratic Party and would-be President himself, one day, had to endure the Continental Congress' version of the story meeting with studio executives, producers and marketing seated around the conference table.

I, personally, though the word "self-evident" was the better choice.

But I felt for poor Jefferson I really did.

Daily Variety has just informed me that Anthony Minghella has died suddenly at 54.

I had the opportunity to meet Minghella on a couple of occasions while interning at Miramax back before the turn of the last century. I recall him being incredibly gracious and understated -- no small feat considering his epic THE ENGLISH PATIENT was in the midst of a tear through the Golden Globes and Academy Awards, locking up the New York-based studio's first Oscar for Best Picture.

A very talented and ambitious filmmaker doing interesting work in the studio system. A terrible shame.

Not taking down the 2008 Oscars remains my biggest regret of the recently-ended WGA strike. I'm sorry, but the raconteur and destruction artist in me wanted to burn the motherfucker to the ground while holding out for a better deal.

We didn't. The Oscars went on. At least Daniel Day-Lewis won, so there is justice.

But check out this clip featuring Ryan Seacrest (first time I've ever typed, spoken or even really thought about that name, I'm proud to say) interviewing Jennifer Garner and Laura Linney... and a highly intent Gary Busey who probably doesn't know who the fuck Jennifer Garner even is, let alone who designed her dress, her shoes, her bag, etc.

Watching the Oscars fills me with more loathing for Hollywood and the movie business than just about anything else... not that I can't appreciate the high caliber of nominated work, regardless of who wins the actual award, or even the flagrant narcisicim (hey, I'm a capitalist adventurer in the screen trade too)...

But my eyes glaze over with a film not unlike dull, milky death when importance is lent to such ridiculous things. The greatest, greatest Academy Awards moment I think I'll ever see was the George Bush/Iraq War ass-excoriation laid down by Michael Moore when he won for "Bowling For Columbine" back in 2003.

In these lean times, at least we have Gary Busey keeping things real...

I just found out today that Spencer Daniels has been cast in J.J. Abrams' redux STAR TREK movie as Captain Kirk's brother, Sam.

I was fortunate enough to cast Spencer as the lead in my short film WITCHWISE a few years back and he proved to be a great choice. Awesome kid with a lot of potential and I'm very happy for him.

I saw CLOVERFIELD earlier in the week and absolutely loved it. Visceral, thrilling and tense.

I remember when THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT divided the nation into factions who got what was brilliant and frightening about it... and those who bitched at the shaky cam and/or lack of actual things on screen to be scared of. I won't get into the merits of showing what we're scared of versus keeping it off-screen (I, personally, think BLAIR WITCH was one of the scariest movies I've probably seen in my adult life)... but I do see some people bitching and moaning about the handheld cameras... again. Which... well, you just missed the point if you think this aspect should've been left out.

Peter Jackson is back on board to executive produce THE HOBBIT for New Line, along with some nebulous 'sequel' apparently...

Should it concern me, you or anyone else that the studio which already produced the actual sequels to THE HOBBIT has now envisioned a make-believe one that doesn't exist?

You know... labor strife has really gotten to me lately. My faith has been tested. Working in Hollywood can be a maddening, insecure affair under the best of circumstances. The way things have gone the past couple of months, it had been hard to find much joy in it all.

When what do you know...

Something wholly and completely wonderful like this shows up and reminds me of why I try so damn hard to carve something out of my own out in this magical business of ours.

God, I love movies... big, beautiful Hollywood-made movies screened in beautiful theaters for big crowds. The sort Drew Struzan paints the posters for. The kind my dad took me to see. The kind I hope we see a lot more of, if we ever get back to work...

I love the German release of THE TRIPPER DVD. Too damn funny.