#John Zuur Platten

[graphicpolicy]

Top Cow's St. Mercy: Godland leaps into a new era of obsession: The Gods of the Golden Age of Hollywood

Top Cow's St. Mercy: Godland leaps into a new era of obsession: The Gods of the Golden Age of Hollywood #comics #comicbooks

[8thdiamond]

Highlights of 2019

Looking back on 2019, here are some of my highlights. (I’m not including  reports about EXHIBITORLIVE, since that is already well documented in previous posts.)

Comic-Con International San Diego

As some of you know, Neal and I own a small creative business, Swords & Circuitry Studios. We are storytellers, for film, audio drama, computer games, and more. We promote S&C by being visible at various events each year, including at Comic-Con International in San Diego, and by organizing panels that our audience finds compelling. 

We had two panels at Comic-Con this year, one on podcasting, moderated by Neal, and one on writing for computer games, moderated by me. These are topics we often cover, with variations on panelists, as they are in-demand topics. Many attendees are aspiring writers and podcasters.

Ready to moderate the “Designing Narrative for Computer Games” panel at San Diego Comic-Con International, July 19th, 2019.

Our distinguished narrative design panelists: Neal Hallford; Anne Toole, Xavalier Nelson, Jr.; John Zuur Platen; Desiree Proctor; and Erica Harrell.

Portfolio Power Working Weekend, San Diego

Portfolio Power Working Weekend participants in San Diego, July 27, 2019.

Candidates in the Certified Trade Show Marketer program must successfully complete a portfolio documenting their work as a requirement for certification. Jobs and other aspects of daily life can make that a challenge. A group of candidates gathered in San Diego the last weekend of July 2019 for distraction-free work on their portfolios. I’ve been an on-site advisor for this many times, but this was the first time I led the workshop, along with fellow CTSM Diamond Janice Breuer, and Christine Sionne, who is at the Gold Level and well on her way to reaching Diamond status. Outgoing director Janice Nelson called in for questions.

American Chemical Society, San Diego

My smart big sister Dr. Mary Ondrechen is a distinguished chemist, university professor and researcher. I am a trade show professional. For the first time, we were both at the same trade show: the American Chemical Society conference in San Diego (our hometown) in August.

Somehow in all the excitement we didn’t get a photo together, but we did each get a photo with one of the Society’s cute mascots.

The quiet before the show!

Meg A. Mole with my sister Mary.

With Meg A Mole at the American Chemical Society Conference.

My sister liked this T-shirt.

Recording for an Upcoming Audio Series

Recording another audio drama, September 2019. Swords & Circuitry is creating an audio drama series called “Uncharted Regions.” (Think Twilight Zone in audio format.) 

EXHIBITOR FastTrak Denver

The EXHIBITOR FastTrak conference in Denver was at The Curtis. This hotel had a fun, retro-inspired vibe. (Our floor had a hallway with a “hair” theme -- a big portrait of Marge Simpson with her signature blue beehive, “hair band” guys, and more. Another floor featured old-school record players.) It was a good venue for a small conference. Neal accompanied me for this short trip.

Bob Milam and I presented our session on exhibiting for companies with niche markets and long sales cycles. Before that, I attended two sessions. So many CTSM candidates reference Jerry Gerson’s “Basic Project Management and Reporting Skills” I took it again just to refresh the information. The other was about events.

As always, I loved talking to attendees about the CTSM program, and am now advising two of them. 

After the sessions, Neal and I took part in a Downtown Denver Walking Tour networking event with many of the FastTrak participants. It was fun.

Union Station, Denver.

One of the stops on our food tour: Zoe Ma Ma near Union Station.

Our flight left late the next day, so Neal and I had a chance to explore Denver a little more.

Lawrence Argent’s beloved 40-foot “Blue Bear” sculpture at the Denver Convention Center.

"The Dancers,” a pair of 50-foot high statues by Jonathan Borofsky at the Denver Performing Art Complex Sculpture Park. The Performing Arts Complex is impressive, with multiple theatres.

While Neal and I were distracted by Denver’s charm, he got a call from a journalist for an interview that had been arranged. We promptly sat down at an outdoor table at Chow Morso Osteria, and I ordered food while Neal talked. Lunch was quite good.

Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver. (Photo from their web site.) Neal first visited Denver as a child on a family road trip, and was enchanted by the book shops. This trip did not disappoint. We had a great time at Tattered Cover Book Store. It is a beautiful shop, in the historic Morey Mercantile Building. Contrary to the name, though, most of their books are new. I assume the idea is that their books will become well worn by people who love them.

A few of the books at Tattered Cover.

Courtyard with another charming Denver restaurant.

[thecomicon]

Image/Top Cow Announce A New Adventure Series, 'Mercy' Where The Wild West Meets The Incal Empire

Image/Top Cow Announce A New Adventure Series, ‘Mercy’ Where The Wild West Meets The Incal Empire

Writer John Zuur Platten (Jurassic World: Evolution, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena, Wanted: Weapons of Fate) and artist Atilio Rojo are teaming up for the upcoming action-adventure revenge tale, St. Mercy from Image/Top Cow. A new four issue miniseries launching this August. “A tale of vengeful retribution, St. Mercy pits the Incan Empire against the American West — and features two…

[rabbittstewcomics]

Episode 372

Comic Reviews:

DC

Black Adam: The Justice Society Files – Dr. Fate by Bryan Q. Miller, Cavan Scott, Marco Santucci, Jesus Merino, Ulises Arreola, Michael Atiyeh

Dark Crisis 5 by Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere, Alejandro Sanchez

Dark Crisis: The Deadly Green by Alex Paknadel, Dan Watters, Ram V, Tom Derenick, Brent Peeples, Daniel Bayliss, George Kambadais, Matt Herms

Gotham City Year One 1 by Tom King, Phil Hester, Eric Gapstur, Jordie Bellaire

Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing 1 by Matt Rosenberg, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Francesco Francavilla, Arif Prianto

Marvel

A.X.E.: Starfox by Kieron Gillen, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Frank William

A.X.E.: X-Men by Kieron Gillen, Francesco Mobili, Frank Martin

Edge of Spider-Verse 5 by Dan Slott, J.M. DeMatteis, Steve Foxe, Phil Lord, Bob McLeod, Kei Zama, David Lopez, Brian Reber, Jim Campbell

Miracleman 0 by Jason Aaron, Mike Carey, Neil Gaiman, Zack Davisson, Ty Templeton, Mick Anglo, Ryan Stegman, Peach Momoko, Leinil Francis Yu, Paul Davidson, Mark Buckingham, Zak Davisson, JP Mayer, Sunny Gho, Jordie Bellaire, Sonia Oback, Antonio Fabela

Spider-Man 1 by Dan Slott, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Edgar Delgado

Spider-Ham: Hollywood May-Ham OGN by Steve Foxe, Shadia Amin

Infinity Comics

Who is Daredevil?

Marvel’s Voices: Werewolf By Night

It’s Jeff

Dark Horse

Leonide the Vampyr: Miracle at the Crow’s Head by Mike Mignola, Rachele Aragno, Dave Stewart

Image

3 Keys 1 by David Messina

Dark Ride 1 by Joshua Williamson, Andrei Bressan, Adriano Lucas

Junkyard Joe 1 by Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, Brad Anderson

Kaya 1 by Wes Craig, Jason Wordie

Revolvers 1 by John Zuur Platten, Christian Dibari, Simon Gough

ComiXology

Book of Evil 1 by Scott Snyder, Jock

IDW

Earthdivers: Kill Columbus 1 by Stephen Graham Jones, Davide Gianfelice, Joana Lafuente

TMNT: Saturday Morning Adventures 1 by Erik Burnham, Tim Lattie, Sarah Myer

Dynamite

Garbage Pail Kids Origins 1 by Hans Rodionoff, Adam Goldberg, Jeff Zapata

Sirens Gate 1 by Shannon Maer

Sweetie Candy Vigilante 1 by Suzanne Cafiero, Jeff Zornow

Unbreakable Red Sonja 1 by Jim Zub, Giovanni Valletta, Ceci de la Cruz

Red 5

August Purgatory Underground 1 by Benjamin Morse

Mystery Brothers 1 by Quentin Lee, Elis Zill

Oni

Pink Lemonade 1 by Nick Cagnetti

OGN

Monster Bar Mitzvah by Josh Anderson, Dustin Evans

Side Effects by Ted Anderson, Tara O’Connor

Kings of Nowhere by Soroush Barazesh

Ray’s OGN Corner: Pumpkin Heads by Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks

Additional Reviews: Andor 5, She-Hulk, Werewolf by Night, Hellraiser (1987), Disney’s Chibi-Verse

Longbox of Horror 2022 part 2: Dark Knight Strikes Again

Ray pitches the Nintendo-Verse

News: Mike Marts takes over Mad Cave, NYCC shenanigans, Slott’s Who Special delayed, Night of the Ghoul optioned, Snyder re-ups at ComiXology, Cunningham and Ryall take over AfterShock, Spawn movie writers, El Muerto director, Five Nights at Freddie’s movie, Stephen King’s Fairy Tale optioned, Lazarus Planet, Owl House, Dragon Prince, Velma, Milestone 30th Anniversary plans, Joe Q doing DC covers, Mike Hawthorne arc of Zdarsky Batman, Keanu out of Devil in the White City, more Cartoon Network upheaval, Superman revamp, Flanagan no longer involved in Something is Killing the Children adaptation, Marvel’s Voices and Women of Marvel, titles of next Marvel events, Red Goblin series, Omninews, Rogue and Gambit by Stephanie Phillips, Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain by Tini Howard, X-23 mini, Guardians series coming, Sana Starros series from Marvel

Trailers: Wakanda Forever, Mario, Violent Night, Velma, Power of the Doctor, Picard s3

Comics Countdown:

Dark Ride 1 by Joshua Williamson, Andrei Bressan, Adriano Lucas

Spider-Man 1 by Dan Slott, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Edgar Delgado

Batman 128 by Chip Zdarsky, Leonardo Romero, Jorge Jimenez, Tomeu Morey, Jordie Bellaire

Ant-Man 4 by Al Ewing, Tom Reilly, Jordie Bellaire

Kaya 1 by Wes Craig, Jason Wordie

Time Before Time 17 by Rory McConville, Declan Shalvey, Eric Zawadski, Chris O’Halloran

Side Effects GN by Ted Anderson, Tara O’Connor

Junkyard Joe 1 by Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, Brad Anderson

Undiscovered Country 21 by Scott Snyder, Charles Soule, Leonardo Marcello Grassi, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Matt Wilson

 Minor Threats 2 by Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, Scott Hepburn, Ian Herring

Check out this episode!

[oosteven-universe]

St. Mercy #4

St. Mercy #4 Top Cow Productions/Image Comics 2021 Written by John Zuur Platten Illustrated by Atilio Rojo Lettered by AW’s Troy Peteri    As ST. MERCY reaches its explosive climax, Toctollissica stands up to her god rather than be dishonored, as the human sacrificial temple is overrun with blood and horror. Meanwhile, Mercy finds herself transformed by the cursed Incan gold. Mercy and Toctollissica, working together through time, are determined to retrieve the stolen gold that has changed them both forever. Even if that means killing anyone who tries to stop them.    This is a spectacular ending to the story.  I mean sure there are things that are still up in the air and that need resolving and there’s room for another adventure to be told but regardless, the way that this issue plays out is utterly phenomenal to see.  Mercy really has a chance to embrace her heritage, become something more than she ever was and fulfil a destiny that was passed down through the generations.  It has all the right elements of revenge, supernatural horror and the old west with desperadoes whose evil knows no bounds and when it all comes together the way that it does there’s no sight greater.  John does such a brilliant job in bringing all the pieces together to create this whirlwind ending that’s about as exciting as it is logic defying.    The way that this is being told is pretty damn brilliant.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information are presented exceptionally well.  The character development is literally insane to see, we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a phenomenal job with their personalities.  The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story the more the worlds get fleshed out the more we want to see.    I’m impressed with the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen.  I am also liking the way that the layers within the story open up new avenues to be explored. Supay and his godlike desires and abilities and more about who exactly he is and what he represents is one I’d like to see explored.  What these avenues add is such great depth, dimension and complexity to the story.  How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably handled.    The interiors here are great.  Between the past and the present we had seen something that almost felt like two different styles happening and now it all feels connected in a way it hasn’t before as the past and present almost feel like one place.  The linework is fantastic and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of detail within the work is extraordinary to see.  I would like to have seen more backgrounds being utilised but what we do see does a great job with the mood, tone and feel of the story and how it works within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story is well achieved.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkable eye for storytelling.  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work shows a stellar understanding of how colour works.   ​    I really love the way that ancestral memory comes into play here and I know the curse plays a part in this but still that just unlocked what she needed to know to do what she had to do.  It’s violent, bloody and without remorse and I was entranced and bewitched by what we saw.  The written here is strong and powerful while the characterisation is intriguing and unpredictable while the interiors really shine a light on how we need to see and feel at every given moment. 

[gaybirdwrites]

This is a photo of most of the books I bought with my tax refund. I still have one more coming, on top of a desk chair and a better tablet I bought for myself. I'm already impressed by the latter, but considering how old my Wacom Bamboo was, that's an easy task.

If you're using a screen reader or just can't see the titles well, here's what I got:

The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase by Mark Forsyth

How to be a Victorian: A Dawn-to-Dusk Guide to Victorian Life by Ruth Goodman

Unmentionable: The Victorian Lady's Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners by These O'Neill

The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design by Flint Dille and John Zuur Platten

Dramatic Storytelling & Narrative Design: A Writer's Guide to Video Games and Transmedia by Ross Berger

Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know About Narrative Techniques by Evan Skolnick

Slay the Dragon: Writing Great Video Games by Robert Denton Bryant and Keith Giglio

The Victorian Book of the Dead by Chris Woodyard

By this time next year, I'm hoping to be able to write things like this off as a business expense rather than an impulse purchase for a passion project, but time will tell. For now, I plan to spend a lot of time voraciously reading and passing all the information along to my team.

[cultfaction]

Preview- St. Mercy #1 (of 4)

Preview- St. Mercy #1 (of 4)

A tale of vengeful retribution, ST. MERCY pits the Incan Empire against the American West – and features two strong, determined young women who must defy authority and ultimately embrace their destiny. Mercedes Oro is one of the surviving descendants of the Incans who has been charged with protecting a cache of cursed gold used in their child sacrifice rituals. But when an outlaw tries to steal…

[lobocomicsandtoys]

ST MERCY #4 (OF 4)

Published by IMAGE COMICS Written by John Zuur Platten Art by Atilio Rojo

As ST. MERCY reaches its explosive climax, Toctollissica stands up to her god rather than be dishonored, as the human sacrificial temple is overrun with blood and horror. Meanwhile, Mercy finds herself transformed by the cursed Incan gold. Mercy and Toctollissica, working together through time, are determined to retrieve the stolen gold that has changed them both forever. Even if that means killing anyone who tries to stop them.

Available at Lobo Comics & Toys this coming Wednesday, 11/24/2021

visit us on facebook, google+, blogspot, our eBay store, and our website

[floridageekscene]

The Incan Empire Vs. The Wild West in Upcoming Miniseries St. Mercy Out This August

The Incan Empire Vs. The Wild West in Upcoming Miniseries St. Mercy Out This August

Fan-favorite writer John Zuur Platten (Jurassic World: Evolution, The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena, Wanted: Weapons of Fate) teams up with artist Atilio Rojo for the upcoming action-packed revenge tale, St. Mercy. This all-new, four issue miniseries kicks off this August from Image/Top Cow.  “I’ve always been fascinated by mythical stories of characters facing impossible odds, and in St.…

[graphicpolicy]

Preview: Revolvers #3 (of 4)

Revolvers #3 preview. Hampton considers taking a one-time opportunity to stop the Gyre and cross between the worlds of the dead and the living-even though doing so will damn him to an endless eternity within the Moratorium. #comics #comicbooks

[twistedhopeproductions]

16/05/2017 Choke points in our game!

While I was looking into my level I came across an issue that I would have to find a solution for to make the game work, the issue is how to make the player go through the level and find it fun! First of all I looked at the level map that I had designed beforehand at dissected the way the level flows from place to place. While I was making the map I made connecting corridors to connect room to room, I have had some ideas about how to make this more interesting traveling through them and how to get the play to go through them!

One of the first ideas I have had is that you would have enemy encounters just before the corridor that would push you through them, so in a way it would act like a choke point like what I spoke about in my overwatch blog post, as well as the overwatch blog post I have found a book that talks about this style of game mechanic within a map. The book's name is, The ultimate guide to video game writing and design, the book is written by Flint Dille & John Zuur Platten. In the book they said “ultimately, you can elegantly determine where and when you will allow story and game progression to take place” This quote is very useful as it helps reinforce the idea that choke points help determine when and how the story can take place and move on in the game! I am going to take this quote and implant its principles into my level!

So what will happen is, when the map first loads up there will be a small cutscene of the shadow man wondering away from the player to try and find his real body but as he goes he takes Eliza’s bag with him what is her only defensive weapon to protect herself with! The reason I am doing this is so that the player will feel the fear of not being able to attack the enemy’s so if they get captured there will be no escape and the will have to reload! So when you are moving the character towards the corridor entrance you will hear a sound behind of some of the enemy’s talking and or giggling as you turn around you will see that there is a small group behind you and due to the player having no weapon to fight with they will have to turn around and run down the corridor to try and escape the enemy’s. I would like to do this a few times to try and push the player down areas that they need to go down and it will make them believe that they are getting followed by these ghosts.

My next idea is more of a subconscious idea and I would like to make it less obvious what I am dong but still have it work very effectively! I would like to have lights over the corridor entices that will start to glow when there is an enemy inside of them, this will make the player go down a different corridor. This will help me to progress the game as it will push the player down an area that I would like them to go down just like a choke point but it will be less obvious where the enemies are coming from. This will help to cut down production time as well as there will be no need to code any ghost monsters as it will all be light based.

Out of both the ideas I think the second one will fit the game more as it will 100% keep us on our pegi rating as there will be no need to model any monsters that could possibly breach the conditions we have to meet! As well as that it will be easier to add into the game we will not have to code any AI into the level that would take a lot of time to do! So going on from here I will be working on getting a lighting system to work and allow the entire idea to work!

[rabbittstewcomics]

Episode 314

Sales for July

Comic Reviews:

Superman '78 1 by Robert Venditti, Wilfredo Torres, Jordie Bellaire

Superman vs. Lobo 1 by Tim Seeley, Sarah Beattie, Mirka Andolfo, Arif Prianto

Wonder Woman: Black and Gold 3 by Kurt Busiek, Sherri Smith, Sanya Anwar, Trung Le Nguyen, Colleen Doran, Benjamin Dewey

Darkhawk 1 by Kyle Higgins, Juanan Ramirez, Erick Arciniega

Extreme Carnage: Riot by Alyssa Wong, Fran Galan

Marvel's Voices: Identity 1 by Greg Pak, Gene Luen Yang, Maurene Goo, J.M. Ken Niimura, Christina Strain, Marcus To, While Portacio, Lynne Yoshii, Alti Firmansyah, Jason Loo, Creees Hyunsung Lee, Mashal Ahmed, Sunny Gho, Brian Reber, Jay David Ramos, Neeraj Menon, Irma Kniivila, Sebastian Cheng

Spider-Man: Life Story Annual by Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, Matt Milla

Avengers Annual 1 by Jed MacKay, Travel Foreman, Jim Campbell, Juan Ferreyra

Winter Guard 1 by Ryan Cady, Jan Bazaldua, Federico Blee

Cable Reloaded by Al Ewing, Bob Quinn, Javier Tartaglia, Protobunker

King Spawn 1 by Sean Lewis, Todd McFarlane, Philip Tan, Stephen Segovia, Marcio Takara, Brett Booth, Javier Fernandez

St. Mercy 1 by John Zuur Platten, Atilio Rojo

Echolands 1 by J.H. Williams III, Haden Blackman, Dave Stewart

Old Head by Kyle Starks

Punderworld by Linda Sejic

Action Tank 1 by Mike Barry

Stanley the Snowman 1 by Austin Janowsky, Juan PAblo Montenegro Marcial

Lifeformed 1 by Matt Mair Lowery, Cassie Anderson

Runes: Son of the Black Wolves 1 by Ivan Lacitignola, Francesco Lacitignola

God of Tremors by Peter Milligan, Piotr Kowalski, Brad Simpson

Delilah Blast 1 by Marcel Dupree, Joel Cotejar, Ramon Ignacio Bunge

Bedhead Ted by Scott SanGiacomo

Witch for Hire by Ted Naifeh

99 Cent Theatre

Weird Western Adventures: Bea and James by Greg Boucher, Justin Ayers, Steve Rieck, James Stone

Caspian Porter 1 by Drew Lenhart, Juan Fleites

Additional Reviews: Pose, Murder Games/Instinct, What If ep3, surprise movie review (Cruella), Free Guy, Woman in the Window, Beyond Mortal

News: Willingham and ComicsGate, Giant Days collection news, Oblivion Song movie, Williamson takes over Batman, Shuri confirmed for Black Panther 2, Bunn Patreon sneak peak: Beyond Mortal

Trailers: No Way Home, Maya and the Three

Comics Countdown:

Department of Truth 12 by James Tynion IV, Martin Simmonds

Die 19 by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, Clayton Cowles

Spider-Man: Life Story Annual 1 by Chip Zdarsky, Mark Bagley, Andrew Hennessy, Matt Milla

Old Head OGN by Kyle Starks

Robin 5 by Joshua Williamson, Gleb Melnikov, Luis Guerrero

Something is Killing the Children 19 by James Tynion IV, Werther Dell'Edera, Miquel Muerto

Usagi Yojimbo: Dragon Bellow Conspiracy 3 by Stan Sakai

Superman vs. Lobo 1 by Tim Seeley, Sarah Beattie, Mirka Andolfo, Arif Prianto

Thor 16 by Donny Cates, Michele Bandini, Matt Wilson, D'Amico

Oblivion Song 33 by Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici, Annalisa Leoni

Check out this episode!

[oosteven-universe]

St. Mercy #3

St. Mercy #3 Top Cow Productions 2021 Written by John Zuur Platten Illustrated by Atilio Rojo Lettered by ALWS Troy Peteri    As Frank Danton and his gang confront Mercy and her father about the Incan gold, they violently search the mission seeking the ancient treasure. Meanwhile, Toctollissica’s day of sacrifice has arrived. But will Supay, god of the underworld, discover the secret that the priests have been keeping for her? The lives of Mercy and Toctollissica merge through time, gold, and blood in this penultimate issue.    Well this issue takes us to Church and then some.  I love this story and while five hundred years separate the arcs, how they weave through each other is so incredibly well done.  While I am in love with the now section of the story, it’s the past that holds sway over me.  I want to see more of these people, their beliefs and how the hubris of man can incur the wrath of a god as seen by Incan.  It is a culture that we aren’t taught about or know much about so that appeals to me, the learning the knowledge of their lives and existence.  Maybe I’m just odd that way who knows but the wild west is far from over and how we see this play out after seeing this issue unfold is something to definitely look forward to.    I love the way that this is being told.  The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information is presented exquisitely.  The character development that we see through the narration, the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter does a fantastic job in bringing their personalities to the forefront.  The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing more and more of the story we’re drawn into two worlds which fascinate and thrill us.    I greatly appreciate how we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen.  The layers do a wonderful job in opening up new avenues to be explored while we are exploring those already opened.  What this does is add some fabulous depth, dimension and complexity to the story.  How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward is immaculately achieved.    The interiors here are absolutely gorgeous.  The linework is sensational and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create this level & quality of work in the attention to detail is truly astounding.  Faces, facial expressions and gun splatter really are exceptionally rendered and showcase how much creativity and imagination is on display.  The way that backgrounds are utilised to enhance and expand the moments as well as how they work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and how we see the overall sense of size and scope to the story is amazing.  The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling.  The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show a stupendous eye for how colour works.   From the sun shining on the gold, to the way we see colour utilised to bring depth and dimension to clothing by way of wrinkles and movement is beyond what we could hope to see. ​    For so many different reasons this is a remarkable story.  The cruelty of man, the male of the species, whether it’s the Incan or American in the wild west remains the same throughout history and his hubris is on display in such a magnificent manner.  The way that this is being told through its intelligent and thoughtful writing and spectacular characterisation alongside these bloody amazing interiors are why we read comics.

[encom-computadoras]

La secuela de Fear Effect estará disponible en marzo

La secuela de Fear Effect estará disponible en marzo

Fear Effect Sedna estará disponible el 6 de marzo, dieciocho años después de que el original llegara a PlayStation.

A cargo de la desarrolladora francesa Sushee y editado por Square Enix Collective, Sedna es un nuevo capítulo de la saga en tercera persona y con perspectiva isométrica cuyo guion corre a cargo de John Zuur Platten, guionista del Fear Effect original. Además cuenta con personajes…

[jana-hallford]

Comic-Con International Scrapbook 2017

Neal and I had a terrific time at Comic-Con International 2017 here in San Diego. We attend each year on professional badges. (I’ve actually been doing so longer than Neal.)

We proposed three panels this year. One I hoped to do, on women in independent film, was not selected, but our panel on writing for computer games (which we’ve done a few times before) and Neal’s panel of podcasters made it onto the schedule. Also, Neal joined Larry Nemecek for the Trekland panel.

For us, the best part of Comic-Con is getting to see and meet creative people, including many good friends, make connections, and helping some of our contacts meet others.  For example, this year we were able to get passes for our friends Ben and Keith, and to introduce them to more potential guests for their Two Gay Geeks podcast. Plus, we were able to talk to writers about our upcoming audio drama series, Uncharted Regions.

My pro badge arrived in this box! This is the first time badges were sent out this way, and also served as an attention-getting direct mail marketing promotion for Comic-Con HQ, the Comic-Con International entertainment site. This should help the site build membership.

Inside the box: badge, booklet, an invitation to join Comic-Con HQ, and a Comic-Con 2017 pin, which I wore each day of the convention.

Day 1: Preview Night, Wednesday, July 19th

Wednesday, Neal and I took the trolley to the Convention Center for Preview Night.. We were greeted by these fun balloons from Cartoon Network.

Cartoon Network balloons over the fountain at the Children’s Park during Comic-Con International 2017.  The blue one is Gumball from The Amazing World of Gumball.

Richard from The Amazing World of Gumball (pink balloon); Panda from We Bare Bears; Buttercup from The Powerpuff Girls.

Gumball from The Amazing World of Gumball (blue balloon) appears to speak to Griz from We Bare Bears (brown balloon in the foreground). Above Griz and next to the Cartoon Network balloon is Omnitrix from Ben 10.

More Cartoon Network balloons. That’s K.O from O.K. K.O! Let’s Be Heroes with the headband. The title character from Steven Universe is to the left. On the right, the blue balloon is Raven from Teen Titan’s Go!  The red balloon with the star is Steven’s Shirt from Steven’s Universe, and the green guy is Beast Boy from Teen Titan’s Go!

Seventeen colorful character balloons from the Cartoon Network. 

Once we arrived we began making our way through the Exhibit Hall. I worked a regular day beforehand, so when we got there the hall was already open and missed the initial crush of visitors. The crowds were not bad.

Garner Holt Productions animatronic figures.

Women in Comics NYC Collective International booth. Left: cosplayer Jay Justice. Second from right: publisher and writer Regine Sawyer. (Their panel, Women of Color in Comics: Race, Gender, and the Comic Book Medium was at the same time as our panel on Writing for the Computer Game Industry.  I’m hoping to attend this panel another time.)  @WomeninComicsNYC;  @ThatJayJustice.

Official Star Trek replica ships.  In addition to the best-known vessels, they had some obscure ones.

The Penguin booth promoted Charlaine Harris’s"Midnight Texas” books.

We bought an Edgar Allan Poe  comic book entitled “The Cask of Amontillado/The House of Montressor.” Here’s Neal with writer Enrica Jang.

Neal at the Famous Monsters of Filmland booth. The young man in the photo helped us order a T-shirt.

Steampunk Green Lantern lady.

Celebrating 50 years of Peanuts in Japan.

MAD Magazine booth.

Neal, Wonder Woman, and The Flash.

Neal Hallford, David S. Dawson, Whitney Elaine Wegman, Kayla Caraco.

Batmobile.

The Justice League.

Day 2: Thursday, July 20th

I arranged for an otherwise clear schedule for the Thursday of Comic-Con 2017, and it was well worth it. Our top priorities were our panels, as we had two this day. Neal’s “Heroes of the Mic” panel featuring podcasters, was set for 1 PM at the San Diego central Library Before that, we had to make sure one of our guests got his badge

Neal on the trolley en route to Comic-Con International on Thursday.

Neal Hallford and Daniel Pierce. Daniel is the narrator for our upcoming audio series, “Uncharted Regions.”

We had to fix a snag with Daniel’s badge.

Daniel Pierce.

Dancing air puppet costumes.

Ironman poses with a fan.

More costumers 

Crossing the bridge to get to the first panel.

Neal on the bridge on the way to his first panel. Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, is right behind him. The San Diego Central Library is that silver egg to the left.

Neal and I arrived at the Neil Morgan Auditorium at the library, the site of the podcast panel, in plenty of time, and were able to see an Elfquest panel with Wendy and Richard Pini, as they had the time slot just before. After, our panelist Gene Turnbow had Wendy record a promo bumper for Krypton Radio.

I always enjoy hearing Wendy and Richard talk about their work, especially since they are a married couple who collaborate creatively.

Neal created and moderated the “Heroes of the Mic” panel.

“Heroes of the Mic” panelists included Kristin Naomi (LowBlow podcast) and Miguel Rodriguez (Horrible Imaginings podcast).   @LowBlowPC  @HorribleImaginings 

Keith Lane, half of the “Two Gay Geeks” podcast. @TheTwoGayGeeks

Gene Turnbow of Krypton Radio. @kryptonradio

Jennifer Zhang, half of the Seven of Wine podcast.  Twice a month, Jacqueline Lopez and Jennifer Zhang simultaneously review an episode of STAR TREK: VOYAGER and a bottle of wine. @sevenofwine

Gene Turnbow @kryptonradio, Neal Hallford @UnchartedRegion and Jennifer Zhang @sevenofwine.

After the panel, Neal and I walked to the Gaslamp District for lunch.

We found this fun group along the way.

Then we went back to the Exhibit Hall to continue our “crawl,” as we only got about halfway through it on Preview Night. Here’s the Who Shop.

Neal Hallford and Beth Accomando @cinebeth Beth is a blogger and podcast host at Cinema Junkie, covers art and culture for KPBS, and is an important member of the San Diego film community.

Nickeloedon booth.

Neal Hallford and  Joshua William Murcray.

I went back to Lonnie Millsap’s booth to buy two copies of his latest book, one for my brother Joe and for me. Lonnie autographed them both.

Kamia Matory.

Neal Hallford and Aaron Matthew Kaisier.

A glimpse of the line for our 6 PM panel, “Writing for the Computer Game Industry.”

Neal Hallford.

Neal Hallford, Kimberly Unger, John Zuur Platten, and E.m. Knowles.

Me moderating the “Writing for Computer Games” panel, with Neal Hallford, Kimberly Unger, John Zuur Platten, Anne Toole, and E.m. Knowles.

We had  a good crowd!

John Zuur Platten, Anne Toole, and E.m. Knowles.

The line for questions.

Kimberly Unger.

John Zuur Platten. After the panel, a group of us (including John’s lovely daughter) went to Fillipi’s in Little Italy for dinner. John picked up the check, too, which was unexpected and very generous.

After the panel, several of us decided to take the trolley to Little Italy for dinner at Filippi’s Pizza Grotto. While leaving the convention center, we encountered this Andorian couple.

Day 3: Friday, July 21st

Friday was a short day for me at Comic-Con International, as my professional commitments kept me elsewhere during the business day. But in the evening I was able to join Neal at the Convention Center and see him on Larry Nemecek’s Trekland panel.

The trolley that rook me downtown was wrapped with promotions for the upcoming television series The Orville. I’m looking forward to seeing it in September.

Another car on the same trolley promoting The Orville.

When I arrived at the convention center, I saw another trolley promoting the upcoming television series The Gifted, based on Marvel Comics X-Men properties.

Video of trolley wraps promoting the new television series The Gifted, set to premier in October.

When I arrived downtown, Neal met me and took me to dinner at Edgewater Grill in Seaport Village. It was relaxing to spend time together in a relatively quiet place.

Known as “Mr. Star Trek,” our friend Larry Nemecek shows slides and shares his extensive knowledge of all things Star Trek at his Trekland panel.

Larry Nemecek and Neal Hallford at the Trekland panel. Neal is producer and cinematographer (and I’m an associate producer) on Larry’s upcoming film The Con of Wrath, a documentary about an infamous Star Trek convention. 

Day 4: Saturday, July 22nd

Saturday was our day to visit with friends and just have fun at Comic-Con. I finally managed to see the Art Show, which was at the Manchester Grand Hyatt this year. Neal and I liked the art show very much, but photography is not allowed, so I don’t have photos of it. I do have some fun photos taken between the Hyatt and the convention center.

Superman.

Neal and I in an area promoting Medinah, the first Arab science fiction television series.

View from Seaport Village as we walked toward the convention center.

The Marriott is right next to the San Diego Convention Center.

Part of the crowd.

Once we reached the convention center, we met up with Brenda Tafla. Brenda went to high school with Neal in Sand Springs, Oklahoma (a suburb of Tulsa). They’ve been in touch through social media, but hadn’t seen each other in thirty years, even though she lives in the north part of San Diego County. She’s a wonderful person and we had a great time with her.

We went to the Pro Lounge (another no photography area) and talked for a long time. Neal and I also took the opportunity to introduce some of our friends and contacts to each other.

Our long-time friend Geoffrey Thorne was part of an exciting announcement. He’s the showrunner for the Black Panther animated series!

http://www.cbr.com/avengers-assemble-retitled-black-panther-quest/?utm_source=CBR-FB-P&utm_medium=Social-Distribution&utm_campaign=CBR-FB-P&view=lista

Geoffrey Thorne, one of the hardest working writers I know. We met him at Comic--Con International years ago, when he was working in comics, but his storytelling takes many forms. His extensive credits include author of the Star Trek: Titan novel Sword of Damocles, and writer-producer on The Librarians.

Before we left, I wanted to take a last look at the Exhibit Hall and snap a few more photos.

Little girl and Lucky Cat.

Boba Fett and friends.

Neal and Dalek.

Neal, Dalek, me.

With a Dalek.

Ghost Rider gathering souls at Comic-Con International. 

Warhammer cosplay (I think),

Hawkwoman, Hawkman and friends. 

Leia and Han.

Uncle Fester.

Scooby Doo group.

Then Neal and I went to dinner with Ben, Kieth, and Brenda. Comic-Con actually continued for one more day, but for the five of us, Saturday was our final day. We chose a barbeque place near our home and it was a perfect way to end Comic-Con 2107.

Keith, Neal, and Brenda are all from Oklahoma, so our party was 60% Okie, and they all approved of the food. Ben and Keith sneakily paid the check. We’ll have to be sure to take them to dinner next time.

Comic-Con International banner, snapped out the car window as we left the convention Saturday evening.

Brenda and Neal at the California Comfort BBQ.

Keith and Ben at the California Comfort BBQ.

Ben relaxing after Comic-Con International 2017.

At Comic-Con 2017, Neal re-connected with Brenda, a high school friend he hadn’t seen in 30 years. I had never met her in person, but soon felt like I’d  been friends with her for years too. Brenda, Neal, and me.

Keith and Ben enjoying post-convention adult beverages. These guys are amazing friends.

[daydream-gaming]

Character Template For Chester White “The Watchman” -Using Flint Dille & John Zuur Platten - The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design  + Concept ART

Name

Chester  White “The Watchman”

Story Purpose

Main Character

Gameplay Purpose

Main character

Persona

He’s lost his family and friends when his village  was destroyed 10 years ago from ancient beast known as “The Watcher”. He’s  spent the last 10 years training and adapting his skills to slay the ancient  beast, he’s learnt numerous skills along the way.

Special  Abilities

Using Fire Essence to create fire balls.

Education/ Intelligence

Was head’s watchmen, and head of the training for  the village’s swordsmanship and hunting survival skills in a forest.  

Family

A young son (age 5 when died) and a Wife (Age 25  when died).

Aspirations

Slaying the beast and restoring his village to make  peace with the past. He also wants to restore life to cities such as Aniopia.

Addictions

To Mushmen caps, these are rare highs you gain from  eating Mushmen’s hats, this will also kill the Mushmen in process, or can be  obtained when they die. The Cap is a drug used among many and is usually used  as a pain killer or anti-depressant. The drug is hard to obtain due to  Mushmen’s lethal attacks and rarity. Mushmen hide in dark locations, normally  near caves or huge shadows. Weakened by light.

Occupation and attitude towards it (good or bad)

Former Watchmen, hunter and trainer, it was his  dream Jobs. Now he is a Beast Hunter.

Objective(s)

Killing The ancient beast and uncovering the truth.

What does this character want?

Redemption for his “sins”. He sees his village  getting destroyed, his family and friends getting killed as his fault this is  why he seeks redemption from his mistakes.

Who or what do they love?

His family, his wife and son.

What are they afraid of?

Failing, not being strong enough to beat the beast.  He is also afraid of moving on with his life, he is afraid of finding a new  settlement and it all happening again. He’s afraid  finding new love, and having his family be  disappointed by him in the afterlife therefore being cast away to the  underworld.

Why are they involved in this situation?

The ancient beast attacked the night Chester was out  on a hunting trip on a nearby mountain by himself. The beast is quite and has  unbelievable power, thus killing the village.

Other  roles and identities?

A good drinking buddy with a light-hearted sense of  humour.

Single adjective to describe this character

Robust.

Skills

Survival skills, his swordsmanship and his use of  Fire Essence.

Reports/ Answers to?

Himself, Sprits of the dead he sometimes sees.

Who reports to this character?

Nothing. Not even monsters dare to talk to him

Trademark Object

He has nothing but the blade that forges he forged  long ago, the blade he forged now forges his way into the future.

Common emotions

Chester fights his past in everyday life and doesn’t  want to move into the future leaving him conflicted between leaving in the  past and wanting to kill the beast.  Chester is a courageous man due to him being  the only one ever in history challenging the beast to a fight.

Chester  is also intelligent, a quick learner that makes him good against new  opponents. Lastly, he is demoralized because he pulls through with his plan  of killing the beast he fears judgement day, the day he dies, when it’s time  to face his sins and atone for what he has done.

Signature  move or Tic

Fire  Essence weaver

Nationality

Ellikian  

Ethnicity

White male

Religion  

Vakian (Va-kian)Vakian is an ancient religion  followed by many, however numbers of worshipers have dropped after “Insight  Day” where a portal was opened to another world (Earth) 2 years ago.  

Favourite Food

Rabbit

How does this character dress? 

Leather armour, likes to wear light clothes, due to  his old age his speed has dwindled therefore wearing light clothes make him  able to move around the way he used to in heavier armour.

Locations where this character is mostly likely to  ‘blend in’

In a village.

Where was the character born?

In the Ellikan continent called Jokoro, country  Herrika. Five thousand miles away from the “Insight” portal.

Where has the character been?

He was originally trained by mountain monks at a  young age but later on left to live in a village and became head trainer due  to his unique style of fighting and impeccable swordsmanship

Where does the  character live?

He is Nomadic as for now.

Where will (did) he or she die? And how?

He will die after defeating the beats.

Objects the character wears on his or her body   

He believes his skin is a temple due to his religion  (Vakian) so therefore has no intentional marks on it. He also doesn’t wear  any Jewellery due it being lost when the village getting destroyed.

Dichotomy of character (inner conflict in the  character)

He doesn’t want to move on, yet he still does, this  creates conflict in his mental mind.

Character reaction to different events in the game  (walk through a few beats)

He is clever but yet still attacks stupid in moments  due to his over confidence, this leads to him getting injured. He also picks  his prey carefully, he waits till the right moment to attack at times.

What would you think if you saw this character on  the street?

I would think the man is part of the old huntsman of  that was founded in Aniopia's temples, which are now ruins.

What was your character doing 3 days before the  start of the narrative?

Preparing for the fight, training and resting up,  collecting resources.

How did your character lose his or her virginity? 

He had sex with his wife and thus had a son.

Morality: Moral choices the character makes in the  game. Does this affect how the player should play him/her?

The  character makes quite moral choices, however also quite bad choices at times,  this is shown on how he approaches the monster. This does not affect the  player so they shouldn’t worry on playing the character differently.

Emotional  Stability

The character sometimes sees “beings” the beings do  no attack, or interact with the player, the player can slay theses “beings”  but nothing happens. The main character also constantly reminds himself of  the past therefore always being upset with himself making him unable in cope  with simple emotions such as joy.

What do they do to comfort themselves?

Eat Mushmen Caps, this helps him calm down due to  the drug being an anti-depressant.

Phobias

Monophobia, fear  of not being accepted into Vahallen (Heaven) due to not being able to safe his family, and the fear of moving on and meeting a new lover.

Vanity

His sword skills and his blade, the way he was able  to survive by himself so long and finally being able to face the monster.  That he has made it so far.

Epitaph: what will go on the characters tomb stone?

Nothing because he wont be getting one as no one  will know that he died.

Age and health

He is 46 years old, his old age slowing him down a  bit, this is also due to all the battle injuries he has acquired over the  years, but otherwise healthy.

Height

5“9

Weight

14  stone

Body Type

Wide shoulders muscles with a heavily trained body  and massive muscles on arms and legs.

Hairline/Colour

long grey hair as it represents the character's  maturity, indifference, immoral personality and his old age.

Eye Colour

He has white eyes due to his heavy intake of Mushmen  Caps, this is a side effect they give out, however do not blind the person in  anyway

Facial  Hair

He has a beard to represent that he hasn’t lived  within a civilization in a long time and not needing to shave. This also  shows of his old age.

Why Did I use this?

I used this character Template because I am familiar with it and the content is easy to lay out with the questions. It goes into detail without making you, it also makes you think about the questions, creating lore easier and making the character seem more alive. I also like how you can skip questions if you do not need them, there is more than necessary questions meaning that I do not need to fill them all out and then later cut them out as I have done. 

This Template also made me think about how I can make the world seem more real, how I can make a magical fantasy world have issues that we have in a modern world into a medieval world. This made me think of drug abuse and alcoholics. I put these problems in with the Mushmen, although they’re dangerous people are still craving the anti depressants they get from them. The main character is using these to stay “Sane” in a way however he won’T be needing them in game, or eating them. 

The template was really useful and I am glad I used it. It really allowed me to progress the world of Ellika and make it seem just ta little more real with more continent and countries, background stories and tales.

Concept Art

This is my concept art for the main character, This is how I would like him to look, rather casual I know and not really a “Warrior Look” but he is in leather armor and I am not that great of a drawer. This is why I made him like this. I used “FireAlpaca” to make this drawing. I have also drawn him in a sketch book to get a different version of him and explore the possibilities of what he could look like. I have drawn him without a berard in this because I wanted to see how he looked without one.

This is my concept of him with an axe and a eye patch, this is more leaning to my final concept that I had of him and made him look a lot more badass, I didnt really like the eye patch so I got rid of it. The necklace was going to be a theme of the game series because in the game “Ellika Flyers” (my previous game) the main character wore a necklace too. However I decided not to have that. I wanted the theme to be “overcoming your fears” this goes into both games and will continue in the games. 

This is the main character’s final concept as you see I have made the pixel art for it, I used a  template character from Heartbeast who has given me it in one of his videos. I like the way the sprite turned out, the process of taking ideas from 2 different concepts really helped me for it allowed me to use more of a variant ideas. I also will try to continue to do this in the future.

Dille, F. (2007). The ultimate guide to video game writing and design. 1st ed. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, pp.128-169. 

  [Beginner Tutorial] Make an RPG in GameMaker [P3] Variables and Character Sprites. (2015). [video] HeartBeast.

Dropbox. (2017). RPG Sprites.zip. [online] Available at: https://www.dropbox.com/s/s4gky4st9biym5m/RPG%20Sprites.zip?dl=0 [Accessed 18 Apr. 2017].