Purveyor of sheer awesomeness.
Joshua Hale Fialkov is the Harvey, Eisner, and Emmy Award nominated writer of graphic novels, animation, video games, film, and television, including:
THE LIFE AFTER, THE BUNKER, PUNKS, ELK'S RUN, TUMOR, ECHOES, KING, PACIFIC RIM, THE ULTIMATES, I, VAMPIRE, and JEFF STEINBERG CHAMPION OF EARTH. He's also written television including MAX’s YOUNG JUSTICE, NBC's CHICAGO MED and NETFLIX’s AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER.
Front Row Crew - GeekNights » Blog Archive » GeekNights 070606 - Elk’s Run The GeekNights Podcast has about 20+ minutes of Elk's Run discussion on one of this week's shows. Link above.
Thanks for the discussion, guys. Really interesting stuff.
I've all but disappeared the past few days because I broke my glasses. Yes, like the quintessential Burgess Meredith, I've been rendered obsolete (you thought I was zigging, and instead I went zag.) The new glasses will be here in a week or two, and in the meantime I have a 9 year old pair of wrong perscription glasses, and my reading glasses, which are good for reading only, and only for about twenty or thirty minutes at a time. So, my communicating time is pretty limited, as every free minute is being spent trying to stay on top of deadlines (which, suprisingly, I still seem to be doing.)
Just another adventure stemming from 4 years without health insurance.
Right from the get-go, the introduction of Elk's Run tells you just how smart this graphic novel is. Caveat emptor, this book is going to make you think about stuff. Put it down if you're afraid to think for yourself. This book is important. Joshua Hale Fialkov has gone to the mountain, seen the truth, and brought back mana from heaven. Yadda-yadda-yadda.So what does Elk's give us that any other angst-ridden contemporary American literature doesn't? Well, I'll tell you. It is extremely well-written, with only a few minor flaws.
A bunch of people e-mailed me about the eye thing mentioned in the Newsarama interview, so first off, thanks for all the concern. That interview was actually done nearly three months ago, and although I'd like to say there's been some progress on that front, there hasn't been. It seems I've developed some sort of opathamalogical neurological problem that gives me persistent double or triple vision and chronic incapacitating migraines. I'm actually typing this through cloudy eyes with one of the worst migraines I've ever had, so please forgive the typos (although,I think I'm pretty good). As some of you know, I'm also Diabetic, and eye problems for diabeticscan be severely dangerous, so, despite the lack of insurance (until recently), I've been extremely diligent about seeing doctors and treating the problem. Interestingly, my mom had a disease known as kerakatonis in her twenties which struck her temporarily blind, until she could have a cornea transplant. The doctors have ruled kerakatonis out as a possibility for my problems. They had also diagnosed it as Serous Retinopathy, but that also turned out to be wrong.
I've managed to stay more than on top of my freelance, thankfully, and wit the TV movie's first draft wrapping up and about to be turned in, it looks like we'll be okay financially for a little while. I have some fancy brand new health insurance, finally, as well, and that has started me back with a general practitioner, who's going to aggressively help get to the bottom of the problem.
So, in other words, it sucks, but I'm okay. I have good and bad days, but, it's being treated, and I'm still able to work as needed, so everything is on schedule.
Except for Three Rivers. And again, this is why. It'll be back on track soon, I swear.
ELK'S RUN AND MORE WITH JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV - NEWSARAMA
NRAMA: Random House has been pushing Elk’s Run pretty hard, what is that a result of?JHF: They came to us about the book. It had a varied publishing past when we tried to do the issues. To various degrees of success, we went through two publishers before Random House. They came to us very early on and really expressed their commitment in trying to get the book under their label as a trade paperback.
I talk about my old jobs in TV, my movie, and a bunch of other stuff.
It's been a while since I've been ill. Christina was suffering from a long lasting flu that managed to avoid infecting me, only to have her be mostly well, and me get slammed in the face by it. Well, hopefully it won't last too too much longer. Early reviews for Postcards have been coming in, and they're VERY good. I'm really looking forward to you guys checking it out. I also got comps of Princess Ressurrection Book #1 in, that's in stores pretty soon, and is also lots of fun, despite my marginal involvment, I'm still quite proud of it.
Also, my return to the genre bending western has just been cemented. Got a new book in the works with an established publisher that's going to be a blast. I'll keep y'all updated as it goes.
Now, If you'll excuse me, I'm going to lay down.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Los Angeles, CA - In the grand tradition of crass consumerism defiling established American institutions, FIALKOV & CHAMBERLAIN, the beloved creators of the Five Times Previews Featured Punks The Comic (from Digital Webbing!) are proud to announce the PUNKS THE COMIC FIVE DOLLAR BILLS! What better way to show your love and support for PUNKS THE COMIC and AMERICA than by purchasing, framing, collecting, or making a paper airplane out of this rare item. Each bill is hand signed by PUNKS THE COMIC artist Kody, right next to the striking portrait of PUNKS THE COMIC's star ABRAHAM LINCOLN! That the various institutions involved could be so easily bribed by the likes of FIALKOV and CHAMBERLAIN in order to bring their beloved character to millions of soulless product vacuum consumers is truly a testament to the Good Ol' U.S. of A.
Priced at the exclusive online price of $10, each exclusive bill comes packages with a certificate of authentitcity signed by the artist. Prices for Five Dollar Bills on EBay have been known to soar in to the double even triple digits, and there's nothing to stop this bill from doing the same!
But that's not all, for those with savings on the brain, FIALKOV & CHAMBERLAIN also are proud to introduce the PUNKS THE COMIC PENNY! Featuring a striking portrait of Lincoln on the front, and his Fortress of Solitude on the back, this is truly a portrait of LINCOLN at his finest. This rare one cent collectibles are available with a certificate of authenticity for a mere $5!
Interested parties may Paypal the appropriate amount to: [ enlist@50caliber.com ] and orders will be shipped out immediately. Best of all, if you order within the next few days, SHIPPING WILL BE FREE!
And don't forget, this is the last chance to preorder PUNKS THE COMIC's SUMMER SPECIAL from DIGITAL WEBBING in Previews order number MAY07 3402.
Visit us online at www.punksthecomic.com for more information.
For message boards and ComicSpace, copy and paste this:
HTML Code:
[url=http://www.punksthecomic.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=][img]http://www.punksthecomic.com/promo/PunksRotatingGraphic.gif[/img][/url]
For websites and MySpace, copy and paste this:
HTML Code:
<a href="http://www.punksthecomic.com/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid="><img src="http://www.punksthecomic.com/promo/PunksRotatingGraphic.gif"></a>
And don't forget to check out the Punks downloads page for Avatars, Desktop Graphics, etc.
Should look like this when it's working properly:
It’s violent, yet not gratuitously so. Nonetheless, the writing exemplifies realistic, dystopian-horror fiction and suspenseful comic book writing at its finest, most skillful level. Collectors of fine graphic novels will certainly wish to add this to their bookshelves and will certainly read it more than once. This is one of the best graphic novels I have read this year, and another example of how sophisticated the sequential art format can be. “A”-freaking-plus.
THOSE PUNK KIDS: FIALKOV & CHAMBERLAIN TALK PUNKS: THE COMIC - NEWSARAMA
NRAMA: That's cold… but.. yeah. Can you give us a rundown of who's who in Punks?JF: Sure. We got Abe Lincoln. He's the 16th President of the United States, liberator of the slaves, and hero of the civil war. He also knows how to party.Then we have Dog. He's a political radical with a Morrissey fetish. He also knows how to party.
Then there's Skull. He's a Punk Rock superstar who breathes fire. He also knows how to party. And finally, there's Fist. He's got a fist for a head and communicates through a combination of signs and semaphore. Unfortunately, he no longer knows how to party due to an unfortunate accident involving Bell Biv Devoe.
*Embedded in that article is the entire Free Comic Book Day story, btw, so, if you couldn't find it, there's your chance to read it.
Alright, so, it's been a whirlwind couple of weeks, and I apologize for being off the radar. Highlight and lowlights below.
End of update.
This is the Manga I did the adaptation of. First volume is on it's way to stores soon. Here it is on Amazon if you're interested. It's really, really good if you're into the whole Buffy/Evil Dead thing. Digital Otaku
Princess Resurrection has an interesting, developing storyline and a couple of strong characters to support it. I’m pretty sure this manga is going to do well and for fans of the genre (like myself), anyone with the slightest interest in all things dark, supernatural and macabre should definitely check out this manga.
Q&A: Joshua Fialkov Talks Punks the Comic
CBB: If there is a selling point or something about the project that you want to get across to readers, what is it?
FIALKOV: It's funny, it's different, it's smart, it cures cancer*, it has laser blasting alien robots, and more head wound jokes per page than any other book on the stands**,
*Does not in fact cure cancer. **Not including Head Wound Joke Monthly
Express: A Publication of The Washington Post
» EXPRESS: Do you see your book as a criticism of small-town America or what it's like to live in the Midwest? » FIALKOV: I really don't think it is. What I tried really hard to do in the book, and I hope I succeeded at, is show nobody's wrong. The methodology is wrong. The situation is wrong. The rationale — why everyone is doing the things they're doing — is not. It's just that sometimes that life becomes a powder keg.
How on earth did Random House get involved with comics? Did they call you, or...Random House has been doing comics in a couple different forms for a while. There's the Del Rey Manga line (which has some astonishingly good stuff in it), and then they've done comics here and there in the past. I think the idea of doing an adult graphic novel push (adult meaning mature, not porno, obviously), just suited the business at the time. Graphic Novels have never been as high profile as they are know, and with the success of things like THE END OF VIOLENCE and 300, it's no longer just about superheroes. There's a certain natural connection between pop culture and the sequential narrative form that seems to be cinched into just about everybody's brains.
BON ALIMAGNO ON VAMPIRELLA QUARTERLY - NEWSARAMA
NRAMA: Writing this is Joshua Hale Fialkov, best known for his work on Elk's Run and Western Tales of Terror. Why'd you seek him out to help you bring Vampirella back?BA: I'm always on the lookout for fresh voices and talent. I'd been in some contact with Joshua after Vampirella Comics Magazine reviewed his Western Tales series. It was very interesting to see someone act as a writer and editor on a horror anthology -- it demonstrated that he knew how horror -- good horror -- should work.Out of curiosity I'd gotten issues of Elk's Run at my local comic shop and just enjoyed the hell out of them. It was a very different kind of comic than what was normally being put out there -- something very real and extra-ordinary at the same time. In the meantime he'd sent me some pitches and I was impressed with his ideas and take on Vampi. He has the kind of approach I'm always looking to bring to the character so when I was looking to start a new series I immediately thought of him.
Rest of the article at the link.
Click Here for the full Review
Elk’s Run is a fantastic American gothic horror story, building on fears and insecurities that have always existed in the back of our minds.
April 26th, 2007 - Los Angeles, CA -- Independent sensation PUNKS THE COMIC makes its debut in the May issue of Previews, on stands today. This beloved before it's existence book hits stands after a year of perfecting. It turns out that this was time well spent, as the book has been awarded the AWESOME PRIZE FOR AWESOMNESS from the purely fictional AWESOME SOCIETY OF STUTTGART. The A.S.S. (NO LAUGHING! THIS IS SERIOUS) chariman, Freidrich Von Rafaelson said in a funny fake German accent, "Ve are VERY EXCITED about ze release of Punks. It is purely awesome." At the time of press, his accent sounded more Belgian than German. Due to the staggeringly overwhelming coolness of the book, it has been listed in Diamond Previews FOUR times. You will find it under Digital Webbing on Page 294, with a black and white ad (due to restraints on the amount of free kickassitude allowed in Previews), as a part of the Diamond Staff Picks (which contrary to popular belief does not involve open sores), and as a part of the Indie Spotlight (take that Blankets!). It has also been awarded a certified cool, which, while not an actual 'prize,' in the parlance of press release etiquette, Josh and Kody will pretend it is.
"It's an honor, and a privilege, to be certified cool," Kody Chamberlain answered from his Lousiana based sanitarium, "Thus far, the things I've been certified in have mostly been on the... uh... tantric side of things." He was then fed his pills and promptly returned to his 'soft and cushy day room' which those of us not flinging poo and touching ourselves in public would recognize as a padded cell.
If that is not enough, breaking laws in at least 58 of the 50 states (You probably still haven't heard of Kiwupitatatas, it's just north of New Mexico), PUNKS will be given out Free as a part of Free Comic Book Day on May 5th. Featured prominently in the Digital Webbing Free Comic Book Day Jam 2007. This exclusive three page story will not be featured anywhere else (until someone asks for content, and we're running out of time, so we offer them the reprint anyways), and is a MUST GET!
Both Josh and Kody will be making appearances on Free Comic Book Day to promote Punks. Chamberlain (the long haired artist one) will be a guest at CAPE in Dallas, TX, and Fialkov (the hairy writer one) will be at The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach, CA. Come by to have whatever portion of your body you reserve for being signed, signed.
The Punks the Comic Summer Special 2007 #1 is 48 pages, featuring a huge amount of story, plus interviews with Independent Comic Superstar Rick Remender and Punk Art Master Art Chantry. All of that in a digest sized, squared bound, full color package will cost you just $4.99.
The Diamond Order Info is MAY07 3402 PUNKS THE SUMMER COMICS SP (MR) SRP: $4.99
For more information, please visit the newly launched www.PunksTheComic.com for previews, news, contests, and poorly told dick and fart jokes.
If you'd like to support the book by pre-ordering (which we highly encourage), please print this order form and drop it off at your local comic book shop.
Josh and Kody are available for follow up questions, interviews, shoe fittings, and embarassing noises.
A chillingly lyrical tale, rendered in starkly beautiful, visceral artwork, Elk’s Run is an unforgettable and unrelentingly powerful graphic novel event not to be missed.
