COMIX Movie Premiere July 2015

 

It was an amazing July evening and the stars were in alignment for the premiere of COMIX at the Regent Theater in Westwood where 200 fans, friends, and family turned out to support the film. What a blast! People applauded and cheered at the end, and I was so touched by all the great and positive responses. I heard people describe the film as inspiring, fun, and informative, and I can’t wait for everyone to see this film.

 

 

 

 

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The Valentine’s hangin’ with Marc and Bridget Silvestri

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We had some of the cast of the film there as well, like Marc Silvestri, co-creator of Image Comics and founder of Top Cow Productions. He is a legend in the comic book world and we were honored that he and his lovely wife, Bridget, were there. Fans and cast members, like the Vera Vanguard and Christopher Dennis, also known as Superman, came in full support. We had puppets there, and there was even an Elvis sighting!

 

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Wonder Woman Vera Vanguard

Superman, Michael Valentine, and Brian Ging want YOU to be a COMIX Crusader!

To see the film on the big screen was a very emotional experience that represented twelve years of hard work. The night was topped off by an after-party next door complete with a COMIX cake and COMIX candy bars. I was even asked to autograph a few of them. It was a night that I will never forget!

COMIX Podcast Interview from Stan Lee’s Comikaze

Just wanted to share my podcast interview at Stan Lee’s Comikaze last month with The Brothers Bear Podcast.  Enjoy!

 

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Please help us spread the word about our COMIX Kickstarter campaign! There are all kinds of cool rewards, including getting the chance to get a pre-release copy of the movie.  

Join us at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732480229/comix-beyond-the-comic-book-pages-the-movie.  

You can make a difference!

THE TRUE DARK KNIGHT SPEAKS

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 Frank Miller has had a universal impact on comic books, not only in the evolution of  Batman into The Dark Knight, but especially in the indie world with his titles like Sin  City and 300. He is an artist, writer, film director, and creator. He changed Batman   forever in his Dark Knight series and created the stylized Sin City which, for me, is the  closest looking comic book turned into movie I have ever seen.

 I was fortunate enough to get an interview with this legend never having spoken to him  beforehand and not knowing how it would turn out. Frank is kind of a recluse so there  was a bit of mystery, mystique, and I must admit, trepidation mixed with excitement, in  meeting him.  After all, it had taken a good year or so of coordinating it with his team,  with a whole lot of back and forth on the date and the time.  Truth be told, our interview  was nearly canceled just before our flight over from LA to NYC.

 With the final green light, my good friend and amazing cinematographer Douglas Brian  Miller and I flew to New York on a rainy day. We were greeted by a chauffeur that  Frank’s assistant recommended who showed us the city before making our way to Frank’s loft in Manhattan to interview him.

When we arrived, we were told that Frank had 45 minutes and all I could think of was “Oh Sh** We just flew over for this interview!”  I was already so nervous because – well, he’s FRANK MILLER for crimeny’s sake!  But Frank was gracious – he gave me two hours of his time and I will never forget this experience.  A bit reserved at first, he opened up about his work on Batman and his take on making him look older and darker.  He also talked about how another industry icon, Batman artist Neal Adams, was his mentor. I was sOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAurprised to find out that Neal, in the early years, told Frank to give it up and move back to New Hampshire. He also went into depth about his Sin City characters, and even though set in a dark city, most of the main characters represented characteristics like love and honor. Speaking of which, it was indeed an honor to meet this comic book hero who changed the face of the comic world.

We flew in to meet and interview this true dark knight on a rainy city, very reminiscing of the dark city that Frank just talked about, and flew out all in one day!  It turned out to be a great day that I will never forget.

 

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Please help us spread the word about our COMIX Kickstarter campaign! There are all kinds of cool rewards, including getting the chance to get a pre-release copy of the movie.  

Join us at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732480229/comix-beyond-the-comic-book-pages-the-movie.  

You can make a difference!

IN SEARCH OF THE ULTIMATE COMIC BOOK FAN (PART 3 OF 3)

And so, here it is…the third of a three-part installment where feature some awesome fans who let us know why they are the Ultimate Comic Book Fan.  Hey, are you the Ultimate Comic Book Fan?  COMIX wants to know!  Keep spreading the love!

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Please help us spread the word about our COMIX Kickstarter campaign! There are all kinds of cool rewards, including getting the chance to score yourself a pre-release copy of the movie.  

Join us at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732480229/comix-beyond-the-comic-book-pages-the-movie.  

You can make a difference!

To Comikaze and Beyond!

Reunited with John Romita Jr!

The COMIX crew and I went to Stan Lee’s Comikaze Expo in LA this weekend and had a blast!!!  We met up with some old friends like Stan Lee and John Romita, Jr. and met new friends like Image Comics Co-Founder Rob Liefeld (Youngblood, X Force, Deadpooland hip hop legend/comic book entrepreneur DMC who just released his first comic book!    We also got to see J. Scott Campbell (The Amazing Spider-Man, Wildstorm Comics), the guys from Comic Book Men, and more.   We almost had a chance to eat the Hulk!  Actually, it was about a 15-ft. cake for display, ginormous and smelled so good!  

Among the many highliMV_Podcast Interview1ghts was that I had my first Podcast interview  and will share out when it broadcasts.  Another personal highlight was giving my very first autograph to a fan who heard about the film.  It was a truly humbling and awesome moment for me.

It was great getting to spend time with Stan Lee fans while we waited in line for Stan.  I want to thank them for being so cool about letting me share COMIX with them.  As for me, seeing Stan was like being a kid in a candy store all over again.  I was just so happy to share the movie with with him, and so I wanted to share this moment with you.

Please help us spread the word about our COMIX Kickstarter campaign! There are all kinds of cool rewards, including getting the chance to score yourself a pre-release copy of the movie.  

Join us at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732480229/comix-beyond-the-comic-book-pages-the-movie.  

You can make a difference!

Breaking News: Comix gets Geekscaped!

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Whoever thought being a geek was so cool?  We do!

 I’m so excited about this great write up we received from Shane O’Hare on Geekscape.net - a really cool site for podcast, news, and feature site on all things Geek! :) 

There’s a lot of excitement around this film and I couldn’t be prouder. Please help us spread the word. With 12 days left, you can make a difference!

Thanks, Michael 

CLICK ON http://www.geekscape.net/http://www.geekscape.net/crowdfund-this-comix-beyond-the-comic-book-pages

IN SEARCH OF THE ULTIMATE COMIC BOOK FAN (PART 2 OF 3)

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Hey, are you the Ultimate Comic Book Fan?  COMIX wants to know!  Here are some awesome fans who let us know why they are the Ultimate Fan and why comics mean so much to them. The second of a three-part installment, you’re gonna’ like this one!

If you haven’t seen the trailer for COMIX - please check out our website at www.comixthemovie.com.  We are almost done with the movie and are looking for support for our Kickstarter campaign.  There are all kinds of cool rewards, including getting the chance to score yourself a pre-release copy of the movie.  Check out https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732480229/comix-beyond-the-comic-book-pages-the-movie

LOVE LETTER TO THE FANDOM

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It shouldn’t be a surprise that I, a comic book fan, wanted to meet and get to know other comic book fans for the filming of COMIX.  I knew their stories were an essential part of the COMIX story. With crew in tow, we interviewed as many fans as we could at conventions like Comic-Con, Wonder-Con, Anime Expo, Wizard World, and Comikaze…and kept coming back for more!  I knew that the fans are the driving force of these conventions, but what completely blew me away is their integrity, kindness, loyalty, sincerity, intelligence, and passion for the art form.  These are the qualities that I admire and frankly, the fans have helped me to persevere over the last ten years.

It is amazing how fans can be seen as geeks. What is a geek, anyway?  I decided to look it up.  A geek is described as “a boring and unattractive social misfit.”  This can’t be further from the truth.  Consider that all of these conventions ARE places where interaction, in some form or another, whether in costume or not, are places where fans can socialize.  There is nothing boring nor unattractive about those fans who have the courage not only to dress up but also have the intelligence to create their costume or their “look.”  Their cosplay is indeed their expression of love.  For instance, take Chris Gutierrez, a school teacher by day, a cosplayer by night.  He makes his costumes from scratch and his attention to detail is genius.  He talks about how he uses things like old carburetor parts from engines to make his costumes.

Devotion and courageous-abandon are words that I would use to describe fans.  They let their imaginations run free and are not afraid to express themselves and show loyalty to what they love.  It’s these fans that any genre would be lucky to have.  They are the reason that the phenomenon has become the phenom that it is. I am proud that they are a part of my film and to be one of them.

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COMIX: Beyond the Comic Book Pages is an exciting new feature film documentary about the world of comic books told through the thoughts and images of the creators, artists, writers, collectors, store owners, independent publishers, and especially the passionate fans who have made it the phenomenon that it is today.  Please support our Kickstarter campaign to help finish COMIX.  We are almost there!  You will receive all kinds of amazing rewards, including being the first to receive the movie!  The link is below:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732480229/comix-beyond-the-comic-book-pages-the-movi

COMIX KICKSTARTER FIRST WEEK UPDATE!

A HUGE THANK YOU to those who have donated to our COMIX Kickstarter campaign in its first week!  I am so deeply grateful to you all.  We just wanted to remind everyone about the cool Kickstarter Rewards, including receiving a pre-release limited edition copy of the movie to one-of-a-kind rewards like a signed and sketched Batman book from legendary artist Neal Adams, signed books by writer Mark Waid, artist Marc Silvestri, and artist Amanda Conner, as well as limited edition and numbered hand-painted statues of Top Cow characters sculpted by Clayburn Moore.  Here’s a reader’s digest of the rewards…click on the graphic to zoom in:

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For a look at all the rewards, check out

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732480229/comix-beyond-the-comic-book-pages-the-movie

 

COMIX IN SEARCH OF THE ULTIMATE COMIC BOOK FAN

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Taking a break from the movie, the COMIX team went to Comic-Con in San Diego and had a blast (like always), but this time, in search of the “Ultimate Comic Book Fan.” They interviewed many really cool fans who got to express why they felt they were the Ultimate Fan and why comics mean so much to them. This is the first of a three-part installment, and the fans are awesome!  They are the real heroes of this world.  Are you the Ultimate Comic Book Fan?  We intend to keep searching for the UCBFs so keep an eye out for us.

Speaking of eyes – if you haven’t seen the trailer for COMIX - please check out our website at www.comixthemovie.com.  We are almost done with the movie and are looking for support for our Kickstarter campaign.  There are all kinds of cool rewards, including getting the chance to score yourself a pre-release copy of the movie.  Check out https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1732480229/comix-beyond-the-comic-book-pages-the-movie

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