Friday, May 30, 2008

Eye Witness: Rise of the Apostle almost ready to roll!

I've just cleared a huge hurdle and have wrapped up initial production (artwork, coloring, lettering)... on the next book in the Eye Witness graphic novel series RISE OF THE APOSTLE.

The next couple weeks I'll be wrapping up final book production and doing the editing from my proof readers on the book. It is scheduled to release in the book and comic stores nationwide on August 13th (at least that's the plan).

It is already available for pre-order on some of the major online book-sites, (re: amazon, http://www.amazon.com/Eye-Witness-Book-Three-Apostle/dp/0975892436/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212169313&sr=1-1 and BN.com, http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=eye+witness+rise+of+the+apostle etc...) and will be up on our site (www.headpress.info), for discounted pre-order sometime in June!

It will listed in June's edition of Diamond Previews (the distributor to the comic book shop world, http://www.diamondcomics.com/public/), so if you want to make sure you can buy at your local shop, go into that store and pre-order it this month (under HEAD PRESS PUBLISHING).

For those of your planning on attending Comic Con International this year, (and I know there might be a few out there among the over 100k that attend each year), I'll be having the world premier of the book at this year's show, (July 23rd-27th). If you don't have your ticket to this event yet...I'd buy it online NOW...http://www.comic-con.org/cci/! Last year's show sold out...it's that big!

And finally...watch for some new artwork and a fully animated commercial for the book coming in the next month, to our home page (a preview of the first 6 pages is currently available)!

bob-
www.headpress.info

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Will Indiana Jones catch on with Young People?

Saw the 4th installment of Indiana Jones (Crystal Skull: http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html) this last weekend. Was it an enjoyable two hours? Yes. Did it have enought action to satisfy fans of A/A? Absolutely. But will it acheive mega-money heights with the movie ticket buying public? Maybe!

This movie is more about nostalgia than breaking any new ground. For those of us who grew up with the Indiana Jones franchise, it's almost like a pleasant trip down memory lane, as the movie drops in characters (whether in the movie or hinted at in dialog and/or in images litered throughout the backgrounds....if your quick enough to spot them) or plot elements, from the previous movies. It's almost like this movie set out not only to be a new episode, but also a homage to Indy (as well as its storied creators...re: Spielberg and Lucas).

Speaking of which...once again, though the movie is entertaining and action packed, when you step back and put it in the context of how it rates with either of these movie legends' best works, it might fall tremendously short (especially in Spielberg's award winning case)....mainly since it really doesn't do anything to break any new ground (movie making wise) and really rehashed a number of situations and themes from the movies in this series made decades ago.

But coming back around to my main point....will this type of movie making nostalgia catch on with the main demographic for this type of film (the teen to twenty something audience)? My son, who is 19, didn't go see the film this week, (and trust me he sees every big film the weekend...sometimes the night....it opens). He opted to go see Iron Man a second time. when I asked him why, he said, "Dad, that just doesn't look interesting to me, since I really don't know the character and feel I'll just be lost." Will other young people feel the same way? All I know is, the joy I felt when Indy saw Marion for the first time in this film and that big smile crossed her face, (re: Karen Allen, resprising her role of Indy's lost love from the first movie), I wondered to myself, whether this was meant to be just a sort of in-joke for all us baby-boomers and/or indy fan-boys (or girls)?

We'll see if I'm right after the big 4 day memorial day weekend? And that of course the ticket sales will then answer the question of whether Shia Lebeouf (or as I call him just to annoy my daughter...la-boof), is destined to become the heir to the Indiana Jones franchise?

Bob Luedke
www.headpress.info

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Scribes of the World, Take Heart!

Here's another one of those stories from a writer who's made it big that can help prop up the spirits of all us writers (or wanna-be writers) who are still waiting for their big break.

Stephenie Meyers, ( http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/), the Phoenix mother of 3 kids, whose Twight series (about Vampires and Werewolves...so take heart Sue Dent/http://www.shoutlife.com/profile_view.cfm?uid=2236...LOL), has become a bonafied hit among teen and young adult readers, has sold over 5.5 millions copies in 28 countries. Last month she was named one of the 100 Most Influencial People of 2008, by Time Magazine.

Her original idea for the characters in Twilight came in a dream back in 2003. Her sister encouraged her to submit the idea to publishers. A year later, after being rejected by nine agents, the story was discoverd in a "slush pile" of unsolicited manuscripts at Writer's House (the Literary agency responsible for Nora Roberts, Neil Gaiman among others/http://www.writershouse.com/content/independent.asp ).

Four years later, Meyers has been dubbed "the next J.K. Rowling", as her Twilight is now being developed for the big screen. The final book in the series, Breaking Dawn, will release this August with a first printing of 2.5 million copies.

The moral of the story?...don't give up on your manuscript, just because it may have been brushed aside by a publishing house or agent or two, or nine! Of course this may not happen for you, like it happened for Ms. Meyers, but if you don't believe it can, who will?
(source: Edward Nawotka/Dallas Morning News).

bob luedke
inspried writer of graphic novels
www.headpress.info