Hey folks, it's Luke, and I've once again taken control of the blog, this time for a bit of shameless self-promotion. If you listened to our show about digital distribution, you might have heard me mention that I started doing a web comic (if you were getting a sandwich at the time, you probably missed it). Dave and I talked about putting some info about the strip up here, so here it is.My comic is called "Moon Freight 3," and is the story of a guy and a robot who live on a space station orbiting one of Mars' moons, where they work as cargo inspectors. The idea for the strip came about when I wanted to do a sci-fi comedy comic strip, and decided to do one about what it would be like for a regular guy in the future. Not a hero, not some destined warrior, but a guy just like us, a guy who has to make his own fun while working a boring job and living a life he didn't really see himself working in.I actually came up with the idea for "Moon Freight 3" about three years ago, but I never thought my art skills were good enough to drawn my own comic. I tried getting other artists in on the action, but that never worked out. So finally, about six or so months ago, I just said "heck with it" and started practicing drawing, something I haven't done seriously in about 15 years. But I finally got it to a point were I'm happy sharing the fruits of my labor with the public.And if you want to actually see it, I should probably tell you where you can find it, eh? The URL is http://moonfreight3.comicgenesis.com.Finally, to wrap it all up, here's a FAQ that I hope will answer any other questions you might have.

Q. So what's this "Moon Freight 3" about, anyway?

A. "Moon Freight 3" is a sci-fi/comedy webcomic about a man named Larry Forrest and a robot named Bolts, who work on a cargo inspection station named "Moon Freight 3." It's my vision about what life will be like for the average Joe in the future.

Q. How often do you update?

A. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Q. How far into the future does this series take place?

A. At this point in our history, humanity has colonized the solar system but hasn't made it farther out than that. They have not made contact with any alien species, if any even exist.

Q. So who are these guys Larry and Bolts, anyway?

A. Larry is your typical guy in his 20s who graduated college and immediately got himself stuck in a job he doesn't particularly care for when he needed a job and couldn't afford to be choosy. He's a smart guy but spends most of his time watching TV and generally being bored and cynical. At the start of the strip he had been on Moon Freight 3 for a year, having moved there right after college. Bolts is a robot built and programmed for work aboard an inspection station. He was turned on about a month before Moon Freight 3 became an active station.

Q. Are there any other characters we should care about?

A. Yeah, but they come and go as the stories dictate. Larry and Bolts are the guys we focus on the most.

Q. Are you one of those cartoonists who makes his main character a thinly-veiled version of himself?

A. No. I consciously designed Larry to be different than me for just that reason.

Q. Oh come on. Even your names sound kind of the same. Luke Foster, Larry Forrest… who are you trying to kid?

A. The similarity between our names is coincidental. I tried to pick a very ordinary-sounding name for Larry to emphasize his everyman aspects. His name was originally Larry Rivers, but then I discovered that's the name of an artist/moviemaker from the 1920s, so it got changed to Forrest because forests and rivers are both part of nature.

Q. So there's no similarity between you and Larry at all?

A. All right, I admit there is one: he and I both agree that Natalie Portman is the most beautiful woman to ever walk the Earth. Other than that, no way.

Q. So is this comic a one-man show?

A. For the most part, yes. The logo was designed by my best friend, and Comic Genesis created the templates for the main page and archives, but I do all the writing and drawing and as much web coding as I understand.

Q. I didn't know you were an artist.

A. That's not a question. But you're not the first person to bring that up. I drew a lot when I was younger, but that fell by the wayside as I got older and focused on writing. But I really wanted to do a comic, so I had to teach myself how to do it again. This has been a rewarding learning process, but the lessons are far from over. So please, be gentle for now.

Q. Science fiction is for nerds and losers. Am I gonna understand this comic even if I don't like science fiction, or am I gonna have to beat you up for being different from me?

A. First of all, lighten up. You have some serious issues left over from high school. Second of all, you should have no problem with this. The comedy is the most important part of the strip. The science fiction is written in as naturally as I can make it fit, and hopefully emphasizes, not detracts from, the comedy.

Q. What else should I know?

A. I think you know enough to get started. If you like the strip, tell your friends. If you hate it, tell your enemies.

Updated! Updated! Updated!

Haven’t done an update in sometime, and a lot has happened.
So here we go…
We had NPN’s first anniversary show at the end of August and Luke, Cross, Chae, Lita, Marc, and Scott found their way to the headquarters/production facilities of Nine Panel Nerds, my condo, and we recorded two shows that have already been posted.
Here the description on both episodes 45 and 46….

The Anniversary is here!
We've been doing NPN for a full year now and in celebration of that year we reminisce about our favorite show's
We recorded this episode at Dave house and as you'll hear the whole cast had a great time.
Join us next week for the second part of the anniversary special as we regale you with our second store stories episode!

and....

The second part of our first year anniversary finds the panel loaded with store stories.
We had a great time with the first store stories we'd thought we would bring it back for a second time round.
What's happened at Buried Under Comic since the last time we regaled you with our adventures in comic book retail?
You'll just have to listen.
Oh yes most of us were a little inebriated when we recorded this.

Since we’ve posted those, in between them, we also posted Luke’s special episode with writer Dwight Macpherson. Description time…

In this special episode, Luke sits down with comic book writer Dwight MacPherson, the writer of a number of small press titles including "Archibald Saves Christmas," "The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poe," and "M-Theory." They talk about writing, the comics business, Hollywood, mullets, and anything else that might occur to them at the time.

Plus we’ve posted another episode. Man I said I was behind updating this blog!
Here’s the lowdown on episode 47.…

Why are comic books so serious today?
All kinds of dark, edgy, comics populate your LCS shelves and, for some, the fun has seemingly gone out of them.
So the panel sat down and discusses the subject and tries to nail why comics have become what they are now,
but first are monthly picks from the new Preview book for September.

….and there is much more coming. We already have a show on digital comics, Luke has another interview, with who, for know, I’m leaving as a surprise. Also Brian, Scott and I did a show about their trip to the Diamond retailers expo in Vegas. Speaking of conventions, there is a chance that we might be at ComicCon in NYC next Febuary. Don’t know if it will happen, either way I believe we’ll be there in one form or another.

Still it’s been over a full year of NPN, and I’m at a point where I’m more than happy how the show has turned out. Mostly it’s come from the people I do it with. I remember when I brought this up as a potential idea to promote Buried Under Comics and thought they‘d think I was nuts. But that’s not how it turned out, still when we recorded the first time I was nervous as hell thinking that the guys, again, thought I was crazy. Truth be told they we’re worried about screwing it up for me!
I’m lucky to have a great crew along for the ride. Weather it has helped bring any business though the door all I hope is that Brian, the owner of BUC, is happy with it, as I hope all the listeners are.
I hope you have fun listening to it as much as we do making it.
Later!

Episode 44 and year one

Hey everyone!
After a wild weekend of drinking and debauchery at Cross’ super secret surprise birthday party the panel sat down to give you their impressions of The Dark Knight
Here’s the show description.

With almost 500 million in one month domestically Dark Knight is hands down THE summer movie.
Hail by critics and fan alike the film has become a monster sized hit.
But is it worth all the hype?
The panel dives in and gives you their thoughts on The Dark Knight!
Also join us next week for our first year anniversary show!

Yup! 1 year of Nine Panel Nerds is upon us! 52 shows! (That's the 44 regular episodes and our 8 specials.)
I'm setting up for a swanky shindig here at Casa del 9PNerds.
The Panel and a special guest (hopfully) will be recording in my living room this coming weekend and there will be a load of reminiscing about the show’s from the past year.
Which, by the way, will be a special two part episode!
So please e-mail us let us what you liked or disliked over the past year!
Sorry about the delay of an update, as you can tell there where two episodes posted with no update here.
I'm sorry.
Later.

Luke has the Con!

Hey everyone.
Luke Foster is one of the Panel members and he's got control of the Blog.
I'll have an update on the new show later today.
Till then...

Hey there, everyone in Internet Land. It's your old pal Luke here, taking the reins of the blog for a moment to give Dave a break from all that typing. It hurts his delicate fingers, you see, and he needs those for his needlepoint work. As I'm sure you all know by now (since I won't let you forget), I have a big love of all things British. As you may have guessed from the "Doctor Who" and "Red Dwarf" shows, I could talk about that sort of stuff for hours. But rather than do that and send Marc into a coma, I decided to take the written path instead. Many of you (I assume) have thought to yourselves, "I've always wanted to watch some British comedy, but I don't know where to start. I wish someone would help me make the right choice!" Well worry no more, my friends, I'm here to help. Here's a list of stuff I like (in other words, all the British sitcoms I happen to own), and why.

Red Dwarf: Do I really need to talk any more about this show? Seriously, just go watch it. (also the episode topic of NPN#42! Dave.)

Blackadder: You guys have heard of Mr. Bean, right? The friendly guy who rarely talks and gets himself into all sorts of wacky adventures? What if the guy who played Mr. Bean played a character that was a manipulative, conniving bastard instead? Well, that's just what happened in the early 1980s, when Rowan Atkinson starred as the titular character. The show ran four seasons, each taking place in a different time in history, starting in the Dark Ages and ending in World War I. There was also a TV movie that took place in 1999 that wrapped the whole thing up. Atkinson played Edmund Blackadder (or Prince Edmund, the Black Adder in the first series), all descendents in the same family. All were men who craved money and power, and would lie, cheat, steal or whatever they had to do to get it. Blackadder's loyal sidekick was Baldrick, aiding in or, in many cases, the unwilling subject of one of Blackadder's schemes. Also, check out seasons three and four when Hugh Laurie, of "House" fame, co-starred as George, a moronic prince in season three and a moronic lieutenant in season four. It's a really funny show, and it's fun to root for the bad guy, even though more often than not his plans fail utterly.

Mr. Bean: I suppose I should talk about this one, since I mentioned it earlier and some of you might not have heard of it. Mr. Bean is, like I said, a friendly guy who rarely talks and gets himself into all sorts of wacky adventures, even if its something as seemingly mundane as making a sandwich or buying Christmas presents. Atkinson's pantomime ability is fantastic, telling a story and making us laugh the whole time, most of the time without uttering a word. There were only 14 episodes of Bean, and you can get them all in one convenient DVD pack.

Monty Python's Flying Circus: Come on, do I need to explain this one? Everyone's heard of Python. If they haven't, they're commies.

Fawlty Towers: Probably the best-known member of the Python troupe was John Cleese. Cleese and his then-wife Connie Booth co-created "Fawlty Towers," about a completely unpleasant hotel manager, his wife, their staff, and the many and varied guests they have. This show ran only two seasons, but is considered to be a hallmark of television comedy for its great acting and solid, hilarious, and sometimes edgy writing.

The Office: You may have seen the show on American TV starring Steve Carrell, but the British one is better, because it's British. Ricky Gervais co-created (with Stephen Merchant) and starred in this show about life at a mid-level paper merchant in the city of Slough. It's filmed like a documentary and the humor comes from a combination of the bleakness that comes from working in an office as well as the almost horrifyingly embarrassing situations the main characters, particularly Gervais', get themselves in to. It is not only hysterical but also therapeutic for anybody who's worked in an office, if for no other reason than it lets you know you're truly not alone in the world. This series ran only two seasons, with a two-part special to wrap everything up, proving it's better to burn out than fade away.

Spaced: At last, a sitcom that speaks to me. Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson co-created, co-wrote, and starred in this show about two twentysomethings who pretend to be a couple so they can rent a flat (that's English for "apartment) together. Together with their friends Mike, Brian, Twist, and Marsha, they have all sorts of adventures, often bordering on the surreal. This show is a lot like "Friends," only instead of a bunch of pretentious rich people in boring situations, they're a bunch of artists and geeks with stories chock-full of pop culture references and surreal moments a la "Scrubs." "Spaced" only went two seasons before Pegg decided he needed a break and wrote "Shaun of the Dead," which propelled many of them to stardom. Fans clamor for a third season or a special – or anything, really – more than for any other show I've seen.

Extras: Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's second show, this time about a film extra's desperate attempts to make it to the big time, and what happens when he finally does. This show is a bit different than "The Office," since it's not done in a documentary style and the humor is a bit darker. Also, look for at least one celebrity cameo per episode. This show followed the "two seasons and a special" format of "The Office," proving the maxim "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

The Thin Blue Line: Rowan Atkinson's other, and far more traditional, sitcom, centering around a squad of police officers. This one was much more formulaic than his other shows, with the typical stories about unrequited love, rivalries among coworkers, misunderstandings leading to wacky situations, etc. Still and all, it's not a bad show, and got a lot done in its two seasons. Two seasons? Am I the only one starting to notice a pattern here?

Episode 41 and other things.

Episode 41 is now up and it’s all about one of our favorite shows, Doctor Who.
Here’s the lowdown….

Ever Watch Doctor Who?
Well many of us on the panel do! (With exception of Marc and Lita, who are on vacaton for this one.)
So Scott, Cross, Luke, and Dave sit down to talk about classic and new Who. Favortie villains, favortie Doctors and best episodes. It's all here as the panel takes on the timelord we all love!

So we finally sat down and talk about this show. We’ve been wanting to do this for awhile now.
Marc and Lita were still on vacation when we recorded the latest batch of show’s.
I know he’s heart broken! (Yeah right!)
Luke and I have recorded a show about another great British show…Red Dwarf.
That will be up later this week.

So I FINALLY saw The Dark Knight and let me tell you it was beyond fantastic! I won’t say any more because we’ll be recording on Sunday the 10th , ( also my 45th birthday) and the whole panel will be together to give you their impressions on what looks like the movie of the summer.

I bought Scud: The Whole Shebang collection this week. I always loved Rob Schrabs Scud: The Disposable Assassin so now I have all of them in one neat hardcover book.

Those Best Buy exclusive double-feature DVDs came out.
The films were all priced to own at 16 bucks a pop.
The titles are:
World Without End/Satellite in the Sky,
Moon Zero Two/When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth
Battle Beneath the Earth/The Ultimate Warrior
So far I’ve only watch Moon Zero Two and Battle Beneath the Earth.

Battle was a little film I caught on cable TV back in the early 80s off channel 9 WOR from NYC.
A Chinese military madman tunnels under the U.S. from across the pacific to plant A-bombs under our cities, blow them up, and take over in the aftermath as it’s absolute ruler.
I’m pretty fond of this film only because it’s so bats shit crazy and that why I can’t help but like it.
After watching it again after over 25 years since last time I saw it, I was surprised that it held up like the finely aged cheese that it is.
Believe me, if your into pulpy, campy films from the 60’s you can’t go wrong with this little gem.

Also author and friend of the show Tom Sniegoski has a new book out. It’s called The Brimstone Network.
So please if your looking for a fun read check it out. The panel read his last book A Kiss Before the Apocalypse and we all recommend it highly!

So there you have it. Check out the new show and I’ll let you know when the next show is up
Take care!

Episode 39 update is so late!

Wow how’s about this for a heads up?
Episode 39 is up but I posted it on Monday!
Nice.
Anyway, the new show is all about music. We’ve been thinking about doing this show for sometime now and, finally we did it.
Here’s the description…

It's a special show as we depart from our usual format of comic books and movies.
This pod cast is about the kinds of music the Panel loves.
From punk, heavy metal, alterative to first concerts, and everything in between the panel shares their love of music and why.

So there you have it.

We’ll be recording this week at Lukes and Cross' apartment, and the show topics will be video games and Doctor Who.
Unfortunately Marc and Lita will not be with us for two weeks due to the fact they are on vacation.
Hope you enjoy the show’s and we’ll update you soon.

Later.

Oh and one other thing: I have NOT seen The Dark Knight yet. I tried to go Tuesday night but it was sold out. Yup! On a fucking Tuesday night! This film looks like it'll be THE big summer film.

I just hope I get to see the damn thing!

Episode 38 is now up.

Well it’s a little overdue but the latest episode is up and for all you listeners to enjoy.
It’s blazing hot here in the Northeast, not news to you folks down south but for us this is hot!
Here’s the description of the episode…

We’re late with a new episode but hopefully you’ll enjoy what we’ve got!
It’s Preview time and the panel gives you a look at what they this interesting.
Then Dave goes on a rant about All-Star Batman and Robin.
In the second half of the show the crew talks about their favorite funny comic books.

So join us won’t you?
There you have it, Episode 38 is up and I hope you enjoy it!

Get me a bucket Hellboy!

Well we recorded last night, and once again, it was really hot in the store. I thought the panel was going to have carry me home in a bucket!
We did recorded two shows. Two good one’s.
The music one especially. Man, Scott and Marc are walking encyclopedias of music knowledge, and that Lita can sing and draw really well, and I find out my fellow panelists have hidden talents I never knew they had! What's next? Scott juggles chainsaws?

Anyway they all had plenty to say as you’ll hear in a week.
Had a busy day which started out with breakfast with my buddy Tom and his son Ross at the local IHOP after that we went over to the movies to catch a afternoon matinee of Hellboy 2!

Wow!
I think it’s better than the first film and might just end being my favorite movie of this summer, if not the entire year. I liked Hellboy 2 more than Iron Man. I didn’t think I’d like any movie more than Iron Man but this year, you never know. Looks like it's going to be one of the best summer movie seasons in a long time.
After that, down to BCU to record the above mentioned shows, when we finish around 9pm, I headed back to Massachusetts where I was helping my friend Jim Kaye do his 5150fm internet radio show, which I’m listening to as I write this.
Jim was a radio DJ during the 70’s/80’s. Happy to say, he’s still got it.
I may get a show myself at 5150fm, we’ll see.
Man, I’m tired. More tomorrow.
Later.

Recording today!

Hey everyone.
The panel will be recording today at Buried Under. We'll have some interesting topic’s for the show’s and as always we’ll be high-lighting some of the item’s in this months previews book. Then we will check out our favorite funny comics. The other show will be a departure from comics and movies as will talk about the music we love.
So stick around and I’ll post tomorrow when the new episode is up.
Later.

Episode 37 is now up!

Hope you all had a great fourth!
Panel got a new show! Episode 37 is now up and here is the low-down.

With two company wide summer events going on, DC' Final Crisis and Marvel's Secret Invasion, which series do you read? Which one is better? Which has a more engaging story? Which one had the better lead-in?
The Panel talks about all this and more as we look at both events that are now fighting for your comic book dollars. Who will we?
We give you our opinions on which series is best.

We didn’t take a break on this one, we just did an hour straight though.
We’ll be back recording this coming weekendwhich will be posted next Monday.

Till then, if your listening and reading this blog….Thank you!

DVD, Toho, and a little pod cast news.

Thought I'd post some fun stuff going on this 4th of July.

Picked up some films from Ebay.

1984....(1956) Never saw this version of this film. Only saw the 1984 version of 1984 with John Hurt and Richard Burton. Should be interesting.

Destination Inner Space (1966) saw it once when I was a kid, now I barely remember it. Amphibian aliens!

Here's what the IMDB says...

Strange goings on at the site of an experimental underwater laboratory as a mysterious object of unknown origin is detected in the area. A group of researchers investigate and come face to face with the object, a large automated extraterrestrial probe. They board the craft and discover a small object at first considered to be some sort of instrument package, which they take back to the lab for closer inspection. It is then that events take a turn for the worse

Navy vs. The Night Monsters (1966) This I remember! The film that made me join the Navy! Unfortunately when I got in there was no Mamie Van Doren or said Night Monsters..damn recruiter! Still a great little piece of 60's B-movie magic.

Here's the plot from IMDB...

Operation Deep Freeze, a scientific expedition to Antarctica discovers unusual tree specimens. When specimens are shipped out for further study, the trees are accidentally introduced to a south seas Navy base, soon revealing themselves to be killer, acid-secreting monsters that live by night.

You know your screwed with acid-spewing plants!

I love this film and have since I saw it when I was a kid.

Also found out on a very reliable blog http://augustragone.blogspot.com/ that in 2009 these Toho Classics will be released on DVD.

Mothra (1961)

Battle in Outer Space (1959)

and

H-Man (1958)

Holy Shit!

Yeah that's what I said too. The H-Man?!?!

I love this movie! I've had a boot of it for years. I even watched about a week ago.

It's basically a cop movie with a monster running though it from time to time.
Just like Dagora The Space Monster.
These films feature some of Eiji Tsuburaya best effects that, for me anyway, still hold-up to this day!
Ten years ago I'd never thought I'd own these on DVD! I hope that Sony releases Gorath (1962)....with the giant walrus intact. That would be pretty damn cool. What's after that? The Human Vapor from 1960?

On the podcast front
New episode on Monday as we check out the big comic events at Marvel and DC.

Till then Happy fourth!

New Episode

Hey we’ve got a new episode up!
Here’s the description….

2008 is going down as one of the best summer movie seasons since 1984!
The Panel reviews two of the most recent films, Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Incredible Hulk.
What does the panel think of these two movies?
Listen and find out!

Yeah it a short description but it’s a big show as we review two of this summers big movies.
Hope you enjoy it!

80's Party and new show's recorded.

Yes that’s your pod cast team at this past weekends, outrageous 80’s party. As you can see they all came dressed up. Me? I just made a statement. We had a great time with plenty of 80’s music, fun, and laughs and a trivia contest that had me stumped from the very first question.
Can you name the hospital on St. Elsewhere?
I couldn’t.
The team I was on, Lita, Marc, Scott and one other guy who’s name I can’t rememeber (Sorry)were stumped with music lyrics, TV show’s and movie lines.
Marc and Lita won the best 80’s get-up. Check out the above picture Marc looks like Axel Rose, and Lita, well you judge for yourself. If I say she looked great it would be a giant understatement!
I had a great time, as I’m sure everyone else did, and Luke, Cross and Chaelyn (that’s Cross’ women) were great hosts. Chaelyn handed out little gift bags when you came though the door in her 80‘s garb, pink hair and enough lace to made Madonna jealous.Inside said bags were pop-rocks and blow-pops. I asked her where she found this stuff.

The Dollar Store?
Bullshit! Chaelyns got a time machine I just know it!
I thank them all for the fun we had. Great job.

In pod cast news. We, believe it or not, recorded two show’s Sunday the 29th of June. Everyone seemed tired but we made it though.

The first will be up tomorrow since I’m just plain wiped out. Yeah I’m getting old.
Also June will be a record for the pod cast as we’ve posted six show’s in one month.
Our 1st year anniversary is coming up and we are firming plans for what we are going to do.

One last thing.
Jim Kaye, the voice you hear in the open/closing credits for the show and the Buried Under Comics commercials now has a 5150fm internet radio show. He did the first one last night and it went off great.
Jim’s show won’t be on next week but it will be back on July 13th.
Please check it out. If you love all kinds of rock you’ll love Jim’s show.
Well that’s it for now I’ll post tomorrow when the new show is up.
Later.

Episode 35 is now up!

Wow! Another episode in the same week?
Believe it!
Here’s the description…

What cartoons did we grow up on?
Prefect topic on a rainy night down at Buried Under Comics.
The Panel gets animated (sorry couldn't help that.) as we discuss this subject that Lita suggested.
With a wide time frame of show's to talk about, Dave from the 60's and Lita in the 90's, and all the rest in between, we point to our absolute favorites. Get ready for all kinds of laughter, singing and mayhem!

We had so much fun with this episode. It was a raining like a monsoon down in Connecticut on Monday night June 23rd.
I had mistakenly drank a drink with caffeine in it, but it didn’t stop the craziness. It just added to it. We we’re singing the themes to the show’s we love and laughing our collective ass’ off.
I really love doing the pod cast with this group and I don’t think I could have asked for better people to do it with.
One of my favorite episodes and one of NPN best ever!
Enjoy.

Drop us a line at npnpodcast@hotmail.com
Friend us.. http://www.myspace.com/ninepanelnerds

New post and Cartoons

A new special episode is know up and you should check it out. Cross has an interview with artist Chris Batastia. Here’s the show description…

It's interview time once again, and today, Cross sits down with famed penciler Chris Batista. You've seen his work for DC Comics, most recently on Robin, but also on Firestorm, Legion of Super-Heroes, and JLA. And if you read Marvel Comics back in the early 1990s, you saw his art there as well, gracing such books as X-Factor and G.I. Joe. Listen in as Cross and Chris talk about heat waves, breaking into the comic book business, animation, and midgets...I mean, "little people."

If you heard the Tom Chu interview you’ll love this one as well.
We recorded on June 23rd which was a Monday night and we had a great time. The topic was “What were our favorite cartoon show when we were growing up?” To say we had fun is an understatement.

Tons of laughter, singing of the themes to the show’s, we were in rare form on that rainy night at Buried Under. I hope you enjoy that show, because it was a hell of a good time for us! The Cartoon show will be posted next Monday June 30th.
Also we’ll be recording two more shows on Sunday the 29th. On it we'll be reviewing some summer blockbusters but I’m not tell which ones till the shows are posted.

Till then, be cool, say cool.

Show's Coming Up and Giant Monsters!

Things are a brewing. The Panel will be recording together on Monday the 23rd and then on Sunday the 29th.

The Monday recording has a great subject Lita suggested. “Which cartoons did we love as kids?” Since we are all nerds but from different generations it should make for some interesting conversations.

The Sunday recordings will be about some of the summer films that have come out recently. Namely Indiana Jones and Incredible Hulk. I sure that will have some interest to you listeners.

The other show will touch on the big summer comic book events, Secret Invasion and Final Crisis.

Thought I’d throw this picture up just to let some of you monster fans know that there is going to be a new X From Outer Space. What is XFOS? Back in 1967 Japanese film studio Shochiku jumped into the giant monster arena with this odd but fun film.
Well it seems they are making a sequel to it…41 years later…and the creature is going to attack a G 8 summit! Man I hope this ends up on DVD in this country!

Oh and I caught Kung-Fu Panda last night and absolutely loved it! Go see it you’ll, I hope, like it too.

http://ninepanelnerds.libsyn.com/

New Episode

Episode 34 is up and here’s the info on it…
A few shows ago one of our audience members asked "When did comics become more than funny books to you?
So we take up the issue (no pun intended) and tell you what comics or specific issues are the one's that changed how we looked at comics as a medium.
Then the Panel weighs in on a issue close to Boss-man Brian. Should low selling comics be cancelled to make room for better selling ones?

So check it out.
Saw the new Hulk movie over the week-end and I enjoyed it greatly.
Much better than the first film made a few years ago. It gave the fans what the first movie didn’t. Action and lots of it.
Saw the new trailer for the Star Wars Clone Wars animated movie coming out in August looks promising.
Just hope Lucas didn’t write it. God, those three prequels sucked ass .
Remember to drop us a line at npnpodcast@hotmail.com

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Show Note 7: Tom Chu

Hey everyone we're back with another special episode.

Here's the description...

Our pal Cross sits down to interview Tom Chu, comic book colorist extraordinaire. You've seen his work in DC Comics' Countdown, and plenty of other places you may not have known about. Join Cross and Tom as they discuss the trials and tribulations of a colorist's life, meeting your heroes, random video games, hot celebrities, and plenty more!

I hope you enjoy it because Cross has another interview with...ahhh but that would be telling.

and Mama don't like no tattle tails!

Later.

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Show Notes 6: New post

Episode 33 is now up and I hope you enjoy it.

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Rodan/War of the Gargantuas DVD set!

Here are the spec’s for that Rodan/War of the Gargantuas DVD set coming out in September.
(Remember these can change.)
Love the fact that an extra is a new documentary on the Godzilla films. The extras on the previous Godzilla DVD’s were good but I had hoped for more.
Here you go…

Classic Media will unleash their long-awaited releases of RODAN and THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS as a two-disc double feature set.
RODAN: Languages: Japanese/English, Subtitles: English, English Version (72 mins.), Japanese Version (82 mins.).

THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS: Languages: Japanese/English, Subtitles: English, Japanese Version (88 mins.), English Version (92 mins.).

Special Features: "Bringing Godzilla Down To Size" Documentary (68 mins.).

In English and Japanese with English subtitlesRunning time: 68 minutesNarrated by Alex Cox

Produced and written by Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle

Directed by Norman England

Featuring appearances by Akira Takarada, Hiroshi Koiumi, YoshioTsuchiya, Shogo Tomiyama, Haruo Nakajima, Kenpachiro Satsuma, Tsutomu"Tom" Kitagawa, Shusuke Kaneko, Teruyoshi Nakano, Akira Tsuburaya,Ryuji Honda, Shinichi Wakasa, Yasuyuki Inoue, Toshiro Aoki, AkinoriTakagi, Toshio Miike, Shiro Sano.

The people who know me know I love Japanese monster movies with a passion and these two are some of my favorite non-Godzilla flicks. Rodan in particular which I love almost as much as Destroy All Monsters and Yog: Monster from Space, and that, my friends, is saying a lot!

Show Notes 5

The latest recording session went well if a little crazy with some minor technical problems and the consumption of some strange power drinks that looked like Slurm from Futurama.
We recorded 2 show’s and they will be posted in the next few weeks. Cross has an interview with Tom Chu and that is going up this week as special episode 6.
It was roasting here on the east coast with temps in the 90’s all this past weekend and it was a little hot at Buried Under Comics but we pulled though for you guys.
The topics for the show’s were: Previews and the Big Bang Theory and the next show was about when comics became more than then just funny books and turned into something more to us, then we talk about if low selling comics should be cancelled if favor of better selling books.
So I’ll post again when both episode 33 and the Tom Chu interview are posted on our site.
I found out today that Sony Classics is releasing a double DVD set of Rodan and War of the Gargantuas on September 9th in both English and Japanese versions. Yahoo! Giant Monsters!
Can’t wait!

Show notes 4

We will be recording on Sunday and the team is raring to go. We have our topics and a fairly good chunk of listener mail.
The response on the Bob McCabe and Tom Sniegoski episodes was great. I’d like to thank both of them for their great interviews.
We’re fast approaching are 1 year anniversary and it looks like we may be recording it here at stately Kraus manor.
The Panel has been working on a few projects and you’ll be hearing about them soon.
Till then ….later.

Show Notes 3: Iron Man episode!

The new episode (#32) is up tonight and it’s all about Iron Man!
The panel discusses the film in depth so if you have not seen it yet listen to it after you have.
We recently received an e-mail with a suggestion for a show which was “When did comics become more adult for us?” We’ll be doing that as one of the show’s we record on June 8th. The others will be on the June preview book and we may discuss the CBS sit-com “The Big Bang Theory”
Also Cross has something in the works but that’s a surprise for later.

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Show Notes 2

Well our 5th special is up and you should definitely check it out. Author Tom Sniegoski joins me as we discuss his writing and comic book work.
Those funny commercials are now done and should be posted on the new shows we record the week-end of June 8th.
The topics are still being decided on.
Next week June 2nd it’s our Iron Man show. We talk in detail about the movie and the new comic series by Matt Fraction, and Cross recommends what Iron Man collected editions are the best read.
That’s it for now.

Drop us a note at npnpodcast@hotmail.com

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and most importantly: http://ninepanelnerds.libsyn.com/ where you can hear the show.

Show notes:1 Where the Hell Have I Been?

Wow it’s been over a month and I haven’t done a post in long time! I suck! (Not really, but I should have posted more.)
Some new things with the pod cast are going on and I’ll give a run-down on what’s new. First we’ve recorded two new show’s last night. (That was May 18th) The first one, Episode 30, we help Scott fill out BUC Eisner Awards ballot. We pick out what we think should win but in all honesty we picked what we were familiar with. Not to original but what the hell, I DID read some of it.
The second show we did, Episode 31, was all about the Iron Man movie that came out 3 weeks ago.
We also recorded some bits for some funny commercials. Both that will be added to the pod cast soon. I’ll keep um a secret that way when you hear them you’ll be surprised and hopefully find them funny.
Since the last post we’ve posted 9 show!
Episode 27: Suggested Reading . We give our picks for the best comics to start with or the best ones to start back up with.
Episode 28: NYC Comic Con wrap-up.
Scott, Marc, Lita attended the show while Luke, Cross and I run down all the news from the show.
The Summer Movie Extravaganza features my buddy Garo.
As discuss the big 2008 summer movie season and break it down week by week and give you our picks to win the big summer box-office this year.
Episode 29: Store Stories
The guys share the experience of working at Buried Under Comics.
(Warning do NOT go into the store with the idea of paying for something with a jar of change! NUFF SAID!)
Then it’s a short special episode, on Free Comic Book Day, which was the first Saturday of May. Luke, Lita and I interview some of the customers who piled into the store for the free goodies and believe me there were a LOT of customers who turned out!
Next up, Episode 30 features a very tired group of comic book store employees as we wrap-up FCBD.
Then another Special Episode featuring Bob MaCabre.
It's a very personal show as we talked with Springfield Massachusetts only original horror host Bob MaCabre! Bob MaCabre was played by Bob Austin a very sweet man who has lived a very interesting life as you are about to hear. Bob has preformed with Bob Hope, auditioned for the role to play Barnabas Collins brothers on Dark Shadows, managed movie theaters and of course been the horror host he played back in the 80's.
The show was a great one as Bob shared some fantastic stories with me and my buddy Jimmy.
(By the way Jimmy is the voice of Nine Panel Nerds. He recorded the opening and closings and the BCU commercials.)
That brings you up to today.
I just posted Episode 30. The Ballot and other things.
The panel doesn't have a topic so this time around we help Scott fill out Buried Under Comics Eisner Award ballot. We also talk about Secret Invasion, Internet Comics, Atomic Robo, and as Lita talks about the Teen Titans collections she is reading, we talk a little about the CBS series Big Bang Theory. Luke tells you what he's stop reading and why. The rest of us drop a bomb on George Lucas.
Oh and one last thing we’ll have another special episode this month as we talk with my best pally Author Tom Sniegoski about his new book “A Kiss Before the Apocalypse”
So believe me you’ve got a lot of new Nine Panel Nerds to listen too!
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The Last Man

Thought I’d share a personal note on the passing of Charlton Heston.
I grew up watching Hestons’s movies but none of them do I love more than the Omega Man. Yeah I know the guy did some of the most important films in history of film and I end up loving a little picture he did in the mid-70’s between his appreance in Beneath the Planet of the Apes and starring in Soylent Green. (It’s made of people!) I caught Omega Man on NBC in the late 70’s and was terrified when the world ended and those pasty faced Family members chased Chuck around a deserted L.A. I always had a soft spot for end-of-the-world films and even though people think Omega Man isn't a very good one, I ended up loving it very,very much.
I also remember seeing adds for Soyent Green on T.V. and thinking that it sounded pretty cool. My mom and dad took me to see the film Westworld at the Jerry Lewis Theater in Springfield Mass. and while standing in line I looked up at the marquee and saw the artwork for Soylent Green, which was playing in the theater right next door, I turned to my mom and said “Can we see that instead?” (Soylent was rated R I believe) My mother looked at me and said “You certainly may NOT! So I sat though Westworld, which I also enjoyed a great deal, but I knew I wanted to be with Chuck next door, and as I would later find out, exposing what the horrors the Soylent line of products where.
I also saw Midway with my Dad in blazing color and ear shattering sensurround and enjoyed it greatly too. When the film started with footage from Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo and their bombs are dropped, blasting the Japenese capital, my Dad turned to me and said “Jesus Christ is that loud!”
The point of this is I loved Charlton Heston 70’s films. Chuck was my hero, a man’s man, a tough guy. So when I found out he had passed last week I broke out my copy of Omega Man and watched it. I still loved it as much as I did when I saw it as a kid. (Though Rosalind Cash grates on me now with her crazyass jive talk, but it WAS the 70’s after all.)

I sat in my home and lamented the death of an icon. No politics, no left or right and no NRA. I was only thinking of the hero of my youth.

You’ll be miss Mr. Heston, and thanks for some of the great films.

Welcome to the NPN Blog!

Hey welcome to the first post for my pod cast companion blog Nine Panel Nerds. I created the NPN pod cast to talk about the things I love: comics books, movies, science-fiction, horror, and the culture that surrounds us nerds.
First if you want to listen go here… http://ninepanelnerds.libsyn.com/ then if you want more go to our My Space page. Here’s the link… http://www.myspace.com/ninepanelnerds
After doing about 27 show’s so far I’ve come enjoy it more and more. The people I do the show with are a great bunch and always, and I mean ALWAYS, have great opinions on all the things we discuss.
Some of the things we’ve got coming up in the next couple of months are pretty cool. We’ll be doing reviews of all the big summer movies and have coverage of the big comic book event books like Secret Invasion and Final Crisis.
Also coming up, a few of the Panel members will be attending the NYC ComicCom and have a wrap up on the show and what news comes out of it.
I want to keep you listeners and readers up to date on the recording sessions and on what the subjects the Panel will talking about. Next week is our newest pod casts and will be about what comics to suggest to people who either are getting into comics for the first time or for someone coming back into the hobby. Join us April 14th for the latest episode.