My leg’s in traction

Just wanted to add to the rumor mill myself.

My apologies to any and all folks who showed up at DragonCon looking for me. I threw my back out that morning, and couldn’t get behind the wheel for the sixteen- plus hour drive. Hopefully next year.

As the comic-folk-reading of you may have noticed, Daredevil came out today. We’re kind of proud of it (I actually think the art is some of the best Joe and Jimmy have ever done), and I believe ol’ Marvel is VERY happy with the numbers it sold.

If you’ve read it and liked it, thank you. If you read it and didn’t care for it, or are confused (or think it’s a little too ‘Dogma’), all I can say is give it time. Issue one is mainly set-up. We’re done with issue two, and I think it’s where the story REALLY kicks in. By issue three, if you still don’t like it, then feel free to berate me all you’d like. It looks like we’re doing a seven parter, so I’d appreciate it if you can stick around to see how it ends up.

It was (amd still continues to be), hands-down, the most challenging project I’ve ever been involved with. There are big shoes to fill with this character, not to mention the fact that it’s not jokey in the least. As much as I like it though, every time I open up Miller’s ‘Born Again’ trade paperback, I feel like a complete amateur (which I am, but still…). If you’ve never read any Daredevil ’til now, and you really want to read a great DD story, I suggest checking it out. It makes a nice companion piece to the story we’re doing, I think, as it was very influential.

Scott and I start cutting the first cut on the morrow. The final running time turned out to be 3:17, so we feel we’re a few minutes ahead of the game. Both Bob Hawk and John Pierson (not to mention his wife and longtime Askew sounding board, Janet) have watched it and sounded off with their thoughts, which will come in useful when me and the Mos are scratching our heads, trying to figure out what to eliminate or shave.

Looks like it’s going to be a looooooong month.

Speaking of Pierson, I just did another ‘Split Screen’ (his IFC t.v. show, which is excellent, if you haven’t seen it). It should be airing soon. We shot it at the office and the comic book store. Look for it if you get either IFC or Bravo (where it airs every Friday night).

I’m going to be checking in more regularly from now on, I hope. Stick around.

I got a phone call from a concerned citizen this morning asking if Kevin had broken his leg, and was thus unable to attend the DragonCon.

Kevin injured his back (the child in me wants to add “humping your mom” but I am WAY to mature for such taunts) and was not up to the long drive (as he prefers not to fly when it’s physically possible to make a day trip of driving) or the panels which were planned for the con.

I assure you, the GURU ASKEW (like that one Cindy?) is in no way a gimp.

Apologies for not notifying you all as soon as I knew Kevin was unable to make the con.

-k

Alan Dershowitz called into the Howard Stern show today and Howard mentioned how Miramax hired Dershowitz to help get ‘Clerks’ rating changed from a NC-17 to a R. Alan mentioned how the film was made by two “brilliant twenty-seven year olds” and cited the 37 blowjobs as a reason why the movie got the original rating.

I went to DragonCon 98 and although there was a good time to be had by all, Kevin Smith’s absence was noted by MANY Askewers.

I wore my Vulgarthon shirt several times during the convention and each time I got asked plenty of questions like ..”Hey ..isn’t that Silent Bob and Jay…..?”

“Where did ya get that excellent t-shirt..?” One guy said “…95% of the reason why I came to DragonCon (98) was to meet Kevin and Jay….”

The e-mail that follows has photographs of Askewer Mike May dressed as Silent Bob from Mall Rats hamming it up for the camera.

CALMLY, LIKE A RAZOR
I GOT US ON THE DOOR,
OR I GOT A TAPE OF ‘CLERKS’
SOMEONE LEFT THE NIGHT BEFORE.

Much was impressive about Morgan J. Freeman’s first film, Hurricane Streets. A kind of Hamlet set on the streets of New York, the film eschewed gangs and gangsta film cliché for warm, human emotions, intelligent dialogue and a fluid, strong camera style. What was especially impressive, though, was Freeman’s ability to elicit riveting and absolutely credible performances from his young actors, especially Brendan Sexton III, the menacing boyfriend from Welcome to the Dollhouse.

Freeman’s second film, also featuring Sexton in a pivotal role, could not be set farther away from his debut. A small town, with 89 people living in it on a good day, is quarantined when a truck carrying a “secret ingredient” for a cola drink crashes on the highway and its driver dies of unknown causes. A teenage TV star named Skye, passing through on a road trip with her father, is trapped in town until the crisis ends, with nothing to do but hang out with the local kids.

They are a mixed bunch, with different dreams and anxieties. A collective uneasiness hangs over them, even before the crisis: the town is dying, distinguished only by a novelty giant ice cream cone and an incomplete water park – Baxter Beach – and they know it. Everybody loves and pities Blue (Sexton). His dad was building the water park until his death in a motel fire, which everyone thinks was set by the explosives-obsessed Ely (the enormously gifted Christina Ricci), although she claims not. Skye is intrigued by Blue and gradually drops her pretentious and condescending airs, drawing closer to the troubled boy. Meanwhile, her divorced father tries to comfort Blue’s mother, still confused about her husband’s death.

Freeman’s ability to interweave these complex characters and stories together impressively suggests the sure hand of a veteran. Yet, again, it is his astonishing ability to draw out nuanced and revelatory performances from his wonderful ensemble of actors – also including Casey Affleck, Sara Gilbert and Kate Hudson – that sets Freeman apart from his American independent colleagues.

Noah Cowan

*** Disney ends Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in Fla.

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) – Walt Disney World has been targeted by Southern Baptists, animal-rights activists and anti-homosexual groups, but the biggest protests have come from fans of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, which Disney officials said Wednesday would soon join the ash heap of history. One of the Walt Disney Co.’s worst-kept secrets has been its plan to scrap the 27-year-old Fantasyland ride in favor of one featuring Winnie the Pooh. Disney officials confirmed Mr. Toad would be closed next Monday. Many of the ride’s fans, who have picketed the park weekly since the rumor of Mr. Toad’s demise last April, consider the ride a treasured memory of childhood that they enjoyed revisiting as adults.