Advertisement

Customize
Villian

PhilCon Doth Approach!

Posted on 2009.11.16 at 15:57
Tags:

Originally published at jaredaxelrod.com. You can comment here or there.

PhilCon ‘09 is this weekend. And you know I’m ready for it.

She Eyed The Science Suspiciously

My schedule for the con is as follows:

Sat 12:00 PM in Plaza II (Two): STEAMPUNK FOR SIMPLETONS

[Panelists: Jared Axelrod (mod), Matt Black, Nikki Cohen, Christine Norris, Jeff Mach]

Ladies and Gentlemen of stern and noble character are invited to participate in a salon whereupon we shall discuss the genre and lifestyle known to the rabble as “steampunk”.  What is it, where did it come from, and what is with those brass goggles

Sat 4:00 PM in Plaza III (Three) PULPED!

[Panelists: Michael J. Walsh (mod), C.J. Henderson, Jared Axelrod, James Daniel Ross, Eric Avedissian]

What do we mean by pulp fiction? Is it a synonym for trash or does it represent a vigorous type of popular fiction that continues to appeal? If someone calls your book “”pulp”", is that an insult or a compliment

Sun 1:00 PM in Plaza V (Five) EAT RIGHT, EXERCISE, DIE ANYWAY… HEALTHY LIVING FOR FANS

[Panelists: James Prego (mod), Alyce Wilson, Jared Axelrod]

In general, fans tend to be a rather… sedentary… group.  What simple things can we do to improve our health and life a better life

Sun 2:00 PM in Executive Suite 823 MICROFICTION: THE NEXT BIG THING?

[Panelists: Nathan Lilly (mod), Michael Swanwick, Ef Deal, Dina Leacock, Jared Axelrod]

A number of magazines have opened dedicated to the art of the quick-fic. Pros and cons of flash fiction (under 1,000 words), nanofiction (under 40 words), and Twitter fiction (under 140 characters)

Hope to see you there.


Villian

Now I’m A Believer

Posted on 2009.11.15 at 03:52
Tags:

Originally published at jaredaxelrod.com. You can comment here or there.

Sometimes, mythical creatures burst into being. The borders between fiction and reality are thin, and sometimes—like, say 2am on Saturday—they appear to you. Just such a thing happened to JR and I tonight, on our way home from Shadowland (which, frankly, is a little too fitting). Standing by the side of the road, looking lost and forlorn, stood two creatures out of myth and legend.

I speak of course, of the Magical Pixie Dream Girl. One is rare indeed. But two? That, my friends, is nothing short of a miracle.

These two beautiful young ladies in their tiny black dresses and ballet flats flagged down our car, asking us if we could drive them to 3rd and Chesnut. One of them, the brunette, had left her credit card there. Seeing no harm in driving two tiny twenty-somethings a few blocks, JR and I agreed, and they climbed in.

“We’ll give you money,” the blonde said. I assured her that would not be necessary. Both of the girls were clearly smashed out of their skulls, though the blonde more so than the brunette. She was the louder of the two.

“What’s your favorite bands?” she asked. “Top three. C’mon!”

We admitted that we did not actually know our favorite bands—it’s one of those questions that really should have come up before but hadn’t, and we tried to steer the subject away. But neither girl was having it.

“How long have you been dating, if you don’t your favorite bands?” the burnette asked. We told them we were married, which was met with squeals and clapped hands. “Tell us your bands. We’re music snobs.”

It then came out that my current favorite bands are, in fact, The New Pornographers, The Veils, and P.O.S.—the last two the brunette had not heard of, and it blew her mind—and JR’s were Ani DiFranco, Regina Spector, and she was cut off before she could get out a third.

“Those are so awesome,” the brunette said. “Are you a feminist?” JR said that yes, she was. This brought more squeals of joy from the two girls.

“VAGINAS!!!” yelled the blonde, her head out the window. “VVVVVVAAAAAAAGGGINAS!!!!”

The conversation then turned to how awesome I am—“So awesome”—and how hot JR is—“So hot”—which then led to the inevitable question. Would it be okay if they made out JR?

“You’re so hot,” said the blonde to JR, to which the brunette agreed. “Let’s make out. Would that be cool?”

“Lay off,” said the brunette. “They said they were married.”

“She can do it if she wants to. Look at her. She’s so hot. She’s got his balls in her hand.” JR protested that she does not like to make out with people she doesn’t know. “It’s because you think I’m ugly, isn’t it?”

“Not at all,” JR said. “You could be a model. If you told me you used to be a model, but you quit to go to school, I would have believed you.” I agreed with this.

“So I not pretty enough for you,” the blonde said, pouting and following her own train of logic. “I just want to make out with someone,”

“I’ll make out with you,” said the brunette.

“Shut up, Allie.” This was the first mention of either of their names. Katelyn and Allie. We pressed for more information. Allie liked Led Zepplin, but recently was turned on to folk music (“My friends from college would kill me if they knew I was into folk music”). Katelyn was a die-hard follower of Bob Dylan.

“My mom toured with Bob Dylan,” Katelyn said. “And my father toured with Eric Clapton. That’s how they met. And then, they fucked,” this was punctuated with a clap, and then a collapse back into the seat. “And that’s how I got here. I am so smashed. I just want to get something to eat, make out, and get fucked. Can we go back to the hotel?”

Making out and getting fucked was floated up several times—with the suggestion all four of us would be involved—and it was the combination of that and the notion of a hotel that became clear that these were no ordinary girls. These were Magical Pixie Dream Girls, the mythical creatures bi-curious couples seek out, hoping to add a third sexual partner for a night of debauchery, only to disappear back where they came from (in Katelyn and Allie’s case, that would be the Bronx), never to be seen from again.

These unicorns, these centaurs, these nymphs of legend were in the back seat of our car, pleading with us to talk about bands and make out with them and take them back to their hotel.

Naturally, we dropped them off at their originally specified destination (though not without circling it three times), and sent them on their way.

“My vagina’s hanging out,” Katelyn said as she got out of the car, adjusting her skirt. “Do you guys want money?”

No, Magical Pixie Dream Girls. The story is payment enough.


Originally published at jaredaxelrod.com. You can comment here or there.

ocal theater group Plays & Players have started a series called Super Heroes Who Are Super, staged readings of comics with costumes, props, and the appropriate combination of respect and silliness. Their first performance was the infamous "Boner Crimes" Batman story, which gives you an idea of the kind of comics they seek out for this series. I've seen two--they also did the first appearance of the Punisher, which proved that played straight, Frank Castle is far more funny than Spider-Man, quips and all--and loved them both. After talking with the organizer, I agreed to help out with the superhero suits for the rest of the series.

This month is the comic of choice is GREEN LANTERN #13 (June 1962): "The Duel of the Super Heroes!" the first meeting of Flash and Green Lantern, and after seeing my GL jacket, they asked if I could make a Flash one to match. So, I did.

There's lots of charges from secret identity to superhero for both characters, so the director wanted something easily removable. I also made a Flash cowl and giant head extension (to mimic the cover). Dress rehearsal was Tuesday, so JR got some fabulous pics of the actors in costume.

Feel the power of the head extension:

How Can He Run With Such A Head?

The Brave & The Bold

Green Lantern!

Flash!

Flash's Head Is Pretty Funny

I feel I should point out that is not the set they are going to use, but it makes a wonderfully surreal backdrop. More pics here.

It was so great to see the actors in the costumes. Doug Thomas, the actor playing Green Lantern, guy put his on an immediately struck a hero pose The director asked him how he felt in the costume. He said "I feel awesome!" He's apparently been a Green Lantern fan since childhood. And Brian R. Caine, the actor playing Flash, was running all around the stage. The costumes really brought a physicality to their performance that they apparently didn't have in the other rehearsals. Oh, the power of costuming. Performance is this Saturday, the 14th at 10:30 on the 3rd Floor of Plays & Players Theater. Hope to see you there!


Originally published at jaredaxelrod.com. You can comment here or there.

And so does the first 2/3rds of this year’s Halloween Costume Deal come to a close (the third was not actually needed for Halloween, so will be completed in the next few weeks). These costumes forced me to stretch a bit, as one was very complex, while the other was deceptively simple. Both, naturally, look awesome:

Steampunk Spider-Woman
Steampunk Spider-Woman

Matt Wagner’s Grendel
Grendel

I’ll be delivering these in person tomorrow, which has gotten me even more excited about the holiday than usual. I can’t wait to see these costumes worn!


Villian

I’m A Ninja

Posted on 2009.10.23 at 23:54
Tags: ,

Originally published at jaredaxelrod.com. You can comment here or there.


I thought ninjas were rockers


Villian

I Spent My Anniversary Surrounded By Love

Posted on 2009.10.14 at 17:24
Tags:

Originally published at jaredaxelrod.com. You can comment here or there.

JR and I spend our days being insufferably pleased with our lot. Things are going well for us, and despite some bumps and shattered bones, it has been a fantastic year for our marriage. And what better way to celebrate it than by throwing in with those who, because of the law and the land, cannot enjoy what has made us so happy in the past 12 months?

DSC_0002

As the saying goes, there but for the grace of the universe go we. Had I not found the perfect partner in J.R., it is entirely possible that I would be lamenting my inability to marry my boyfriend. Actually, it is far more likely that I would be lamenting not having a boyfriend, legal wedding march or not. But the sentiment would be there.

So when this March for Equality happened to fall on my wedding anniversary, it seemed appropriate to go and, well, march. And march we did.

The whole trip seemed fairly magical. None of the bumps and bruises that normally accompany travel were apparent. We got there safely, got a wonderful room at the hotel, then went down to the hotel bar to toast our good fortune of nothing bad happening.

And who should be at the bar, but three of the organizers at the march. I don’t remember their names, only that one looked alot like Mark Sheppard, and another resembled a more hard-core Mur Lafferty (imagine what Mur would look like after a lifetime of cage-fighting). The Mur-looklike was revealed to be a sargent in the LA police force, and was worried that not enough people would show up for the March. “We may only get 20,000,” she said.

There was a few more than 20,000.

DSC_0005

The march was immense. I am told there were 200,000 to 250,000 participants, and I don’t doubt it. The crowd snaked through Washington waving flags and shouting slogals. “Obama! Obama! Let mama marry mama!” Signs declared that it was “Time to put a ring on it!” and that “My sister has more rights than I do.” Families marched together. Children rode on the shoulders of their parents. Old lovers held hands and kissed. The march was about legitimizing the love we feel, and in that, the march was full of love. I found myself thinking, “Why would anyone think this love was wrong?”

Why, indeed.

I wish I could express the absolute joy I felt as part of this march. I wish I could bottle it and send it to you. The feeling of community, of being part of a cause fighting a clear injustice, was electric and exciting.  Worth waiting hours in the sun to start, and worth marching the 2 miles or so to get to the Capital. There were speakers–Cynthia Nixon, Judy Sheppard, Lt. Dan Choi and we passed Alan Cumming, hanging out with his boyfriend–but that was icing. The march, the love that surrounded it, that was an event in of itself. That was all I needed.

I had my picture taken several times during the march, due to my fantastic sartorial sense. It’s always nice to be told you are dressed well at a queer event. The fellow who took the picture below said that I was so handsome that he would marry me.

DSC_0003

“But I can’t,” he added. “It’s illegal.”

Hopefully, not for too much longer.


Villian

Monday Motivator: Alton Brown

Posted on 2009.10.12 at 09:24
Tags:

Originally published at jaredaxelrod.com. You can comment here or there.

Alton Brown

Alton Brown on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon


Villian

Happy Birthday, Angel

Posted on 2009.10.06 at 09:10
Tags:

Originally published at jaredaxelrod.com. You can comment here or there.

The Bride

Thank you for making every day such a joy.


Villian

Your Monday Motivator

Posted on 2009.10.05 at 09:43
Tags:

Originally published at jaredaxelrod.com. You can comment here or there.


From Merlin Mann’s Inbox Zero blog


Villian

You Are Reading Jared Axelrod Dot Com

Posted on 2009.10.01 at 12:45
Tags:

Originally published at jaredaxelrod.com. You can comment here or there.

On The Set Of Annihilation Point

Who Is Jared Axelrod?

“Jared Axelrod and J.R. Blackwell are like Bonnie and Clyde with hot glue guns and cameras. I fully expect to see a movie about them in 20 years.
Chris Miller

What Do I Do?

I’m a writer, sculptor, illustrator, costumer, puppeteer, freak show performer and cape enthusiast. I was a founding member of 365 Tomorrows, and wrote 78 stories for it. I am the creator of two podcasts, The Voice of Free Planet X and Aliens You Will Meet.

The Annihilation Point, a fantastic stage production of which you can see me on the set of above–taken by the talented Rae Winters, no less–used a vast collection of rayguns and gadgets that I built for the show.

I recently spoke at the New York Anime Festival  about steampunk, its style, its history and why it goes so well with Japanese animation. That was a fantastic time, due in no small part to my fellow panelists Mike VanHelder,  Evelyn Kriete, G. D. Falksen, and Liz Gorinsky.

If you head over to I Should Be Writing, you’ll see my conceptual espresso shot series “News From Poughkeepsie.”


Where Am I Online?

Born Of An Atom Bomb is my dumping ground for internet references for various projects.

Give The Robot A Beard There is no better image depository of robots with facial hair on the internet, despite it’s recent neglect.

Posts of Interest?

Allow Me To Indroduce The Aliens
Not Because They Are Easy, But Because They Are Hard
Further Evidence of My Credentials
The Superhero Films of Raja Loreddex
If I Knew Then What I Know Now…
Rayguns In The Time Of Cholera
The 10 Rules of Quality Superhero Fiction
Just A Day, Like Any Other (A Mythos Man Adventure)
The Great Temptation of Bronco McGillicutty
That’s Not Really Super, Supergirl


Previous 10