Greetings from San Fran WonderCon!

Sgt. Angle here, on duty but at ease. I’m giving my barking dogs a break to bring you a spot of movie-related recollections regarding this glorious multi-media event.

First up, TRON LEGACY’s faux protest on Friday night revolving around a “rare press conference” from Encom, the fictional technology development company featured in Tron.

The event has been mysteriously hinted at through viral marketing for months, with fans ordering badges and preparing homemade signs. Friday morning, while sipping coffee slowly and observing the absurdity of Starbucks sandwiches (tasteless, compared to The Undergrounds), I glanced at all of the “FLYNN LIVES” posters in store windows, advertising a meet-up to happen before the official conference at 8 PM. These posters held true vintage font and feel, with the look of weathered wear and much overexposure.

The meet-up took place in the ballroom at the Hyatt Regency, where fans, geeks, nerds, and organizers gathered, passing out posters and T-shirts. Then, the leaders told us what was to happen, how we were to “infiltrate” Encom’s press conference and turn to focus to Kevin Flynn’s unknown whereabouts since leaving Encom 20 years ago.

At the outdoor stage (quite bothersome, considering the amount of icy wind and a near-hour’s wait in the cold), Encom’s logo floated ominously as Alan Bradley (Bruce Boxleitner) took to the stage, in full character, and gave us all a history of Encom, while waxing nostalgic about Flynn. He announced that a new version of Space Paranoids would be debuting soon (will we see it for real, or did he just mean Tron Legacy?), and awkwardly left the stage.

Timing failed in the stunt, needless to say a very well-painted helicopter buzzed by twice, until finally hovering and…releasing a parachutist into the night winds. Spinning in circles, this man tumbled into a barricade in a plaza, clearly off his intended target. He was whisked away fast, and our protest group spouted a few more chants of “Flynn Lives! Where is Flynn?” before the crowd dispersed, posters, t-shirts, and pins in hand.

Saturday, I made my way to the Lionsgate booth with Ben to collect a free pass to the night’s Kick-Ass screening. It was a sign that the day would be filled with goodness, and good the day was, until the night.

After many laps around the floor, watching artists shake hands with artists, fans snap photos of…other fans in costume, the Semantink team took a moment to enjoy pot pies at The Cravery. They were delish and pristine.

The film panels were in process as I entered the Ballroom, watching as Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, and Paul W.S. “What Shit” Anderson spoke about yet another Resident Evil movie. The most revealing moment came when Anderson confessed that his next movie would be The Three Musketeers in 3D, not necessarily news, since it’s been around since September of 09.

Next up was the swell Warner Brothers Panel. We got a look at some sizzles out of The Losers, and the entire case was present — save for the ferociously funny Idris Elba — and Zoe Saldana caressed my all desires confessed that she’s “turned on by violence”. She and Jeffrey Dean Morgan flirted on stage like a couple of sex addicts old friends. Chris Evans (soon to be seen as Captain America) bulked up his arms for this Q & A, and the audience respectfully accepted the fact that this was a LOSERS panel, not a CA panel. He did go on to say that he accepts a lot of comic book roles because, well, that’s what’s being made. Also, the characters are rich and always interesting.

WB next showed us a thrilling scene out of the new Nightmare on Elm Street reboot (awesomely produced by Awesome Michael Bay), and the young cast of semi-unknowns answered a couple questions about “how great the script was” as Jackie Earle Haley wiped the floor with his articulate and thoughtful answers. After being asked about how he accepted the role, he said he had heard of the online campaign to get him the part before even being approached, and that “some of you must think I’m a little creepy or something.”

It’s also great to hear that, while Haley took much time to research serial killers for the role, he soon stopped when he re-watched the original movie and realized he’s in an absurd version of reality, playing a not-so-serious killer. He goes dark, but not real.

We then were shown an awkwardly paced clip of Splice, which is produced by Guillermo Del Toro. The director, Vincenzo Natali (Cube), provided insight into the making of the film, claiming he shot it entirely independently, it took 12 years to make, and that he was lucky to have Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley in it. The film looks alright, a creature feature with some stars, but I’m on the fence about it. The scene they showed was incredibly stilted and rather bland.

Finally in the WB panel was a “surprise guest,” Christopher Nolan. He took the stage to a thunder of applause and introduced a four-minute clip reel of his next film, Inception. The footage looks fantastic, and the story is going to be a mind-bender in the truest sense. Plus, the cast — DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Tom Hardy, Lukas Haas, etc.etc.etc…

Nolan was very direct in his answers, saying he approached the film’s story eight years ago as more of a heist film than science fiction, hearkening back to the genre’s better days, and declaring his influence to be more Blade Runner than Star Wars. He wouldn’t go into too many more plot details, but it’s safe to say that DiCaprio plays some sort of dream extractor, who specializes in security for the unconscious.

At this point, I was joined by the suddenly solid Ash, who erupted in furious hilarity when the entire ballroom BOOED the Twilight Eclipse trailer that somehow snaked its’ way into the trailer park feature of the day.

Finally, the last panel of the day — Kick-Ass. If you haven’t heard of Kick-Ass as of right this second, then go on and board a boat, next stop Not Here. Panel had the entire cast — save for Mark Strong — and also a surfer dude..wait, that was Nicholas Cage, with a voice like a “black blues singer on tour” (his words).

Panel was funny and everyone handled crowd questions with grace — especially Cage, who appeared shocked that he was even here, yet answered each question seriously even when audience members became antsy. When asked what superheroes they would be for a day, co-producer and artist John Romita, Jr., said he would be Superman, so he could go around and kick everyone’s ass who deserved it. Cage chose Silver Surfer, so he could kick Superman’s ass and fly around the galaxy, feeding Galactus planets. Christopher “Don’t Call Me McLovin’” Mintz-Plasse chose Galactus.

Nick Cage Kick Ass WC2010

Some spoilers were revealed — by no less than Nick Cage — but overall the panel was fun and built up steam for the flick. Quote of the day: “I didn’t know how I was going to get around shooting a 12 year old girl in the chest. It made me really uncomfortable.” — Nick Cage.

Speaking of which, why give out Admit One passes for a sneak peak as “WonderCon exclusives”, but then hand out way too many passes? You make people line up at 5 PM for an 8 PM movie, DURING WONDERCON, as a way to “Thank fans?” No, no, marketing department. That’s not an exclusive. That’s a standard sneak preview, with no bells and whistles, so go back to your Alma Mater: F.U.

In the end, our feets was hurtin’ and our minds were racing with goodness to recollect — especially when watching Vinyl Addiction at the finest after party one can wish for.

So long San Francisco, see you again soon.

You are dismissed!

Sgt. Angle

James Ninness here.  WonderCon starts today and Semantink is gonna be here, in San Francisco, covering all the gloriousness of the scene!  At the convention, we’ll be giving away some very pretty cards for all WonderCon attendees that give them not only the link to the MYTHOI Birth Series (which has, and always will be, free), but as a special treat, a secret link to a site where they can see issue #1 of MYTHOI proper — absolutely free!  To get the ball rolling, Semantink will be giving you a sneak peak at the character cards they’ve put together each day with a look into the characters themselves, written by your’s truly.  Our final card and charracter is the most deceptively abstract member of the MYTHOI crew: Touch.

Given that the FREE issue of MYTHOI Birth on Touch hasn’t dropped yet (coming out in a week or so…), I’m going to have to watch myself on this one and I promise to keep the following as spoiler-free as possible.

Mythos means “the underlying system of beliefs, esp. those dealing with supernatural forces, characteristic of a particular cultural group.”  Mythoi is the plural of Mythos.  So, it follows that this book deals with a variety of underlying beliefs with regard to supernatural forces of many cultural groups, right?  Of late, some of the greatest and most popular “supernatural forces” I’ve noticed are of the cybernetic variety.  Asimov wrote science fiction long ago and at the time it was just that: fiction.  Lately however, amongst the various robotic breakthroughs, science fiction like Asimov’s seems to have a very real effect on the direction of our non-fictional world.  Hundreds of stories foretelling the end of man at the hands of technology have been strewn about for our enjoyment and as a warning — The Matrix, I, Robot, Terminator and Minority Report to name a few.  In all of these foreboding tales, technology becomes more than natural or above explanation and rational thought, in other words, technology becomes supernatural.

Touch’s Mythos stems from an attempt to understand the system of beliefs that deal with these specific “supernatural forces.”  Touch is one of a group of five assassins known as The Senses, developed some time in the future to quell the rising force of New America’s global enemies.  Well, for one reason or another, Touch is never properly programmed and sent back in time.  Once there, he is picked up by Vito, Wiglaf, Taros and Yuki and joins them in an attempt to stop his past from ever happening.  As a genetic clone, grown from nanotechnology infused with organic cells, Touch is hardly human and as such learns to struggle with the idea that he has no “soul.”  This is the crux of Touch’s tale.  As he grows into a more “complete” person, the idea of the soul or the concept of spirit is examined, poked, prodded and ripped apart in an attempt to explain how something as mechanical as Touch could be so completely human.  To learn how his story begins, stay tuned to Semantink.com where MYTHOI Birth: Touch will be released very soon…

That’s it for the WonderCon build up y’all.  I hoped you enjoyed our time together!  If you’re at WonderCon, look for the team in Semantink garb to get your limited edition MYTHOI cards, only at WonderCon 2010!

James Ninness

James Ninness here.  WonderCon is tomorrow and Semantink is headed  for San Francisco!  Once there, we’ll be giving away some very pretty cards for all WonderCon attendees that give them not only the link to the MYTHOI Birth Series (which has, and always will be, free), but as a special treat, a secret link to a site where they can see issue #1 of MYTHOI proper — absolutely free!  To get the ball rolling, Semantink will be giving you a sneak peak at the character cards they’ve put together each day with a look into the characters themselves, written by your’s truly.  Today we gander at the most recently released character of the MYTHOI Birth series: Taros!

Greek mythology has been done and done and done and done again.  This weekend Louis Leterrier is unleashing Clash of the Titans, a movie remaking a movie retelling a myth (which I can’t f*cking wait to see).  Before that some brat names Percy Jackson fought a Lightning Thief in attempt to cash in on the kid-with-powers-caught-in-a-deadly-game franchise, rebooted a few years back by Harry Potter.  One of the most fascinating things about Greek mythology, and the reason we see it again and again, is that more often than not these tales were created to explain things through allegory or drawn-out metaphor.  Icarus taught us all the dangers of loftiness.  Achilles showed us that everyone is fallible.  In the process of explanation, the Ancient Greeks created a world more fully realized than any to come for generations.

Taros is my own personal nod to, what I consider, the greatest series in the history of man: Ancient Greek Mythology.  Taros has daddy issues, huge ones (which you, my good friend, can read about for FREE right here).  Taros has to live forever and it is important that you realize he doesn’t want to.  More than anything else Taros would like to join his wife and mother in the afterlife, but that can happen because his father is kind of an asshole.  Over time Taros has made quite a life out of living forever: He runs the largest, most successful technologies company in the world and wants for nothing — except an end.  Taros’s tale is not morose and depressing, but enlightening.  His is a story of the value of human life and making a difference despite one’s self.  It is an attempt at the explanation, as the myths of his people were long ago, of something beyond understanding and greater than human potential can fathom without becoming more than human — but isn’t that what all the greatest mythologies try to explain?  The unexplainable?

Thanks for dropping in.  Now go be awesome.

James Ninness

James Ninness here.  WonderCon is just a couple days away and Semantink is packing our bags for San Francisco!  Once there, we’ll be giving away some very pretty cards for all WonderCon attendees that give them not only the link to the MYTHOI Birth Series (which has, and always will be, free), but as a special treat, a secret link to a site where they can see issue #1 of MYTHOI proper — absolutely free!  To get the ball rolling, Semantink will be giving you a sneak peak at the character cards they’ve put together each day with a look into the characters themselves, written by your’s truly.  Today were going to take a look at our only femme fatale (fanboys everywhere sigh): Yuki!

The Yurei are Japanese ghosts and a combination of two kanji (words), “yu” meaning “dim” and “rei” meaning “spirit.”  Typically the yurei are souls that have been trapped or bound to Earth by some intensely violent death or inability to move on peacefully.  If you’ve seen The Ring, Dark Water, The Grudge or One Missed Call then you know what I’m talking about.  Though modern cinema is cashing in on the “Asian Ghost” phenomenon, it’s been around for a very, very long time.  Obakebanashi, or “ghost stories,” have been an integral part of the Asian continents history for as long as words have been spoken.  Yuki, the spirit of MYTHOI is an homage to this ancient vein of storytelling.

Yuki’s tale is one of revenge, sweet and simple.  A while back something happened to Yuki (which you can read for FREE right here) that’s given her a serious case of existential hiccups.  So now she’s scouring the world looking for the elemental dragons — a series of four beasts that represent fire, earth, wind and water.  Upon the defeat of these beasts, Yuki will be equipped to defeat the bane of her extended existence: Master Sho.  Now as a direct result of her death (and life before her death), Yuki is not a team player.  She’s bitter, angry, focused and selfish, facets that don’t jive well with the rest of the team (save Vito).  However, she’s also a hot, badass that can posses her enemies and wreak havoc on (almost) anyone she chooses.  So what Yuki lacks in friendliness, she more than abundantly makes up for in the ability to f*ck people up — making her invaluable to the team; if only she would admit to being a part of it…

Enjoy your Wednesday everyone.  Thanks for stopping by.

James Ninness

James Ninness here.  WonderCon is just a few days away and Semantink is packing our bags for San Francisco!  Once there, we’ll be giving away some very pretty cards for all WonderCon attendees that give them not only the link to the MYTHOI Birth Series (which has, and always will be, free), but as a special treat, a secret link to a site where they can see issue #1 of MYTHOI proper — absolutely free!  To get the ball rolling, Semantink will be giving you a sneak peak at the character cards they’ve put together each day with a look into the characters themselves, written by yours truly.  Next on the list is the youngest, both in looks and in age, Vito!

Pre–Twilight, vampires were some of the scariest, sexiest mo-fo’s around.  Of all the blood-sucker stories I’ve read, my favorite series is Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles — all of them.  I saw the Interview with a Vampire in theaters when I was 12 and I loved it.  Seven years later, while on a trip with some friends in Europe, I picked up the books and got through them all (I read Blackwood Farm when it came out, but haven’t gotten to Blood Canticle) within a few weeks.  I think it’s fair to say that Anne Rice (whether she’d like it or not) is responsible for my infatuation with vampires.  I realize that the mythology goes much, much deeper and I have read Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla and several other stories, but to me Lestat will always be my favorite.

Having said that, Vito is not Lestat.  Vito is a child through and through.  Turned as a child and without anyone to raise him, MYTHOI’s Vito is a naive boy looking for adventure in America, “the land of opportunity.”  Having lived the last few hundred years on Westerns and cowboy books, Vito is looking to make a name for himself in the West.  He isn’t ashamed of being a vampire, nor has he fallen into the cliche-traps in which most modern vampires suffer.  He’s a 100 year-old boy — it just so happens he’s a vampire.  As the mythology of Vito is concerned, Vito is ripped from (parts of) Stoker’s piece.  I would tell you how, but it would ruin the fun of reading this (for FREE)!  Unlike the rest of the characters  in MYTHOI, Vito isn’t looking for anyone, or anything in particular.  He’s along for the ride, and enjoying the adventure.  His journey is not external, but internal.  He’s spent the last 100+ years alone and now he’s caught up with four new “friends” in the last great adventure on Earth.  Yeehaw.

Thanks again for checking out MYTHOI.  See you this weekend?

James Ninness

James Ninness here.  WonderCon is just a few days away and Semantink is packing our bags for San Francisco!  Once there, we’ll be giving away some very pretty cards for all WonderCon attendees that give them not only the link to the MYTHOI Birth Series (which has, and always will be, free), but as a special treat, a secret link to a site where they can see issue #1 of MYTHOI proper — absolutely free!  To get the ball rolling, Semantink will be giving you a sneak peak at the character cards they’ve put together each day with a look into the characters themselves, written by your’s truly.  To kick things off we’re gonna get started with the oldest of the group: Wiglaf!

Wiglaf was actually the last character to join the MYTHOI crew.  In the first rendition of the story, Taros, Vito, Yuki and Touch were joined by a pair of Aztec lovers who turned to stone, one during the day and one at night — very Ladyhawke.  Honestly, i pussed out and got rid of them because it was a pain in the ass moving whoever-the-stone-character-happened-to-be around.  Enter: Wiglaf.  I stole Wiglaf from a much more dramatic piece of fiction called, Beowulf — the poem, not the movie.  In that tale Wiglaf was a cousin of Beowulf and the only living relative when Beowulf died.  He was also the only person who remained at Beowulf’s side when he faced the Dragon that attacked the Geat-Land.  In our story, Beowulf is a bit different…

I’m not going to tell you what happened, you have to read that for yourself (FREE), here.  Suffice to say that Wiglaf’s journey is a road to redemption.  In the course of MYTHOI, we will see Wiglaf hunt his children across the globe, each of whom represents (or has represented) “death” to various cultures in history.  God may never forgive Wiglaf for what he’s done, and Wiglaf knows that, but it won’t stop him from trying.

Thanks for stopping by guys.  Hopefully I’ll see you at WonderCon!

James Ninness