Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 277

April 10, 2018: #ILoveComics

I’ve always been an avid reader.  One of my most prized possessions during my elementary school years was a leather-bound copy of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.  I recall sitting down in my basement, writing up summaries of each act of every play, carefully recording them in a dedicated spiral-bound notebook.  As an early sci-fi fan, I never wanted for books growing up.  My mother fed my reading habit with the likes of Asimov, Clarke, Bradbury and Ellison, encouraging my love for literature with the paperback treasures she would often pick up on her way home from work.  While clearly dubious about the merits of comic books, another literary childhood obsession of mine, mom would nevertheless,  occasionally, reward me with the odd issue as a special treat.

The Japanese have a word, “natsukashii”, that roughly translates to “Boy, that takes me back!”.  Like the madeleine that transported Proust back to his childhood, there are certain comic book covers that will engender in me a wondrous and familiar excitement, a surprisingly precise sense of nostalgia that places me back in an exact instant of my youth.

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I’m 8 and thoroughly ecstatic, having just bought this comic book from a second grade classmate for the staggering sum of 50 cents.  I can’t imagine any heroes cooler than Sandman, Hourman, and Dr. Midnite.

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I’m 11.  I’m sitting in my room, trying to process the wonders of this delightfully atypical, twist-laden issue written by Tony Isabella and Scott Edelman, its payoff so perfect that I think “These are the types of stories Ray Bradbury would write if he were working for Marvel.”

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I’m 11.  It’s Christmas night at my cousins’ house and I’m downright giddy, having discovered this beauty beneath the tree.  My mother had finally acquiesced and gifted me my first comic book.

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I’m 12 and have just been emotionally bulldozed by Jim Starlin’s stunningly bittersweet tale.  Oh, Pip.

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I’m 13, it’s after school, and I’m with my best friend Cas Anvar (The Expanse’s Alex Kamal).  We stand in awe before the Holy Grail of comic books, Giant-Size X-Men #1, hanging on the wall of my local book shop, available for purchase – at a premium.  Which I gladly paid.

My interest in comics has waxed and waned (but mostly waxed) over the years, but my love and respect for the genre has remained strong, shaping my creative and, in turn, my career.  I owe much of my success to all of the writers, artists, letterers, colorists, and editors who fueled – and continue to fuel – my imagination with their amazing work.

I’ve heard some describe this era, with its proliferate superhero-themed big budget features and television productions, as a Golden Age.  And, while I won’t disagree, I can’t help but point out that beyond all of the onscreen explosions and Easter eggs, the amazing action and dazzling visual effects, the origin of it all, the source material, the comic book, continues to reign supreme.

So do yourself a favor and hit your local comic shop or, if you’d prefer to go the digital route, check out Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, IDW, Comixology, or countless other online shops.  Discover new titles.  Make some new memories.  Prepare to be Astonished and Amazed by tales as Incredible and Uncanny as they are Sensationally Spectacular.  Support the industry.  Read.

April 9, 2018: The Pitch!

There inevitably comes a moment, at the end of every phone pitch, when, after concluding my spiel, I am met with complete and utter silence.  It can last anywhere from approximately one to five seconds but, in those one to five seconds, my mind always drifts to the distinct and horrific possibility that the call dropped five minutes into the pitch and I have just been talking to myself for the past half an hour.  I mean, in a perfect world, pitches are, if not interactive, then at the very least provocative, spurring the person on the other end of the line to ooh, aaah, un-hunh and, hopefully, laugh at the right moments.  Devoid of these conversational prompts, it really feels like you’re talking to yourself which, in turn, causes you to entertain the notion that the people you are engaging may have simply muted the call, taken a stroll down to Starbucks, ordered a grande Americano and an apple fritter, and returned in time for the big finish.

Fortunately, in this case, the individual we were pitching asked all the right follow-up questions related to tone, theme, story and character arcs which seemed to bode well, indicating that he was interested enough to have at least followed the sum entirety of my verbal dish.

So what does this mean?

No idea.

But how do I think it went?

Haven’t a clue.

It’s a fantastic project looking to land at the perfect home where it should be shepherded by a very smart, seasoned exec with a respect for the genre.  So there’s that.

While I didn’t get the hoped for “How soon can you start?!”, I also didn’t get the dreaded “Please remove my number from your phone list.”.

Look, there’s no single right way to pitch.  On the other hand, there are seemingly endless wrong ways to proceed, too innumerable to get into.  From a purely creative and structural approach, I think the pitch went well.  Lots of great jumps scares.  Lots of great character moments.  Lots of instances of dark humor.  A fairly detailed game plan for the first episode and the season as a whole.  A solid blueprint for each of the main character arcs covering multiple narrative progressions.  Hints of twists, turns, shocks and surprises.  A suggestion of the emotional heart at the core of the series.

But did it resonate?

Well, it looks like we’ll find out later this week.

In the meantime, as you were…

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April 8, 2018: Is this the week it all comes together?

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Maybe?

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Who’s feeling confident?!!

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Yeah!!! That’s what I thought!

Yes, this looks to be the week when it all falls into place, when those countless hours of painstaking research, writing, and rehearsals finally pay off in a big BIG way!

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No, really.  I realize that this business has a way of constantly frustrating expectations and putting off answers indefinitely, but I’ve got a really good feeling about this week.  Trust me.

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Alrighty then.  Remain cautiously optimistic if you will, but also prepare to be thrilled by the grand announcement which should be coming your way on the heels of this crucial, all important –

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Hey!  Come back!  You’re gonna miss it!!!

Okay.  As for the rest of us…

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April 7, 2018: A trip down blog memory lane!

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been updating this blog daily for over eleven years. Over that period, I’ve covered a lot of ground in a lot of entries and I thought it might be fun to randomly select some photos, one for each year this blog has been in existence, to see how far we’ve come…

2006…

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My gal Jelly was a chunky monkey back in the day.  She was my longest relationship – 16 years and 4 months!

2007…

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The late Don S. Davis, Stargate’s General Hammond, was always a class act. Occasionally, he would swing by my office to chat or – in this case – sample from my stash of dark chocolate.

2008…

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Syfy cancelled Stargate: Atlantis – but we still had a whole sixth season of stories to tell!

2009…

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Ming-Na and Louis Ferreira being the scenes on Stargate: Universe.  So much fun!

2010…

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Executive Producer Carl Binder winding up to knock some sense into Script Coordinator Lawren Bancroft-Wilson.

2011…

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My handsome boy Maximus.  Near the end, I was taking every half-Wednesday off so that we could drive the 90 minutes to Guelph, then another 90 minutes, and wait around for an hour while he received his chemo treatment at Guelph Animal Hospital.

2012…

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Akemi would always send me off to work with a bento box snack – oatmeal, peanut butter and fruit arranged artful display.

2013…

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Back on the homefront in Van – from left to right: Jelly, Lulu, and Bubba (the love of Akemi’s life).

2014…

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Five years later – What have I gotten myself into?

2015…

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During Dark Matter’s first season, we lived in the same building as actors Roger Cross and Jodelle Ferland.  They, and VFX Supervisor Lawren Bancroft-Wilson, would come over every Sunday night for The Walking Dead and bourbon milkshakes.

2016…

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On our last trip to Tokyo, Akemi signed us up for a chocolate-making class.  Here, I’ve selected the manliest apron.

2017…

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The ladies (Melissa O’Neil and Zoie Palmer) kicking back on The Raza bridge.

2018…

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Keeping touch with that old gang of mine – Dark Matter Co-Executive Producer Ivon Bartok and Dark Matter’s FOUR/Ryo Ishida, Alex Mallari Jr.

Good times, good times.

April 6, 2018: Hey, Stargate fans! Want to see something really cool?

Yes?  Okay then…

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Al’kesh fighter

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Puddle Jumper

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Destiny shuttle

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Atlantis on the Ocean

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Puddle Jumper and Space Gate

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Prometheus Nebula

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Odyssey Sunset

A huge thanks to the hugely talented (and longtime Stargate fan) Samuel for the visuals.

And Happy Birthday, Luis!

April 5, 2018: Home Shift!

Well, that was…unexpected.

We put in an offer on one of the condos we visited and received a counter.  As we were preparing to counter their counter (because, if six seasons of Million Dollar Listing New York has taught me anything, it’s that no one ever starts with their best and final offer at the risk of robbing negotiations of all the fun and drama), the seller’s agent contacted our agent to inform him his client wasn’t going to agree to anything below an overpriced drop dead number.  However, my agent suggested that, for formality’s sake, we counter with our best and final.  So we did.  And were told by the seller’s agent that it wasn’t going to happen, that the seller was perfectly willing to test the market for a while longer.  Cue…

Stressing?  Obsessing?  Reassessing?  Nah.  I immediately switched gears and started thinking about that second condo and where I would put my new treadmill.  Then, I receive a text from my agent who had received a text from the seller’s agent informing him that if I was willing to come up to just $5000 off the seller’s drop dead price, they would find a way to make it work.  Cue…

Elation?  Celebration?  Reconsideration?  Nah.  So immersed was I in imagining our new lives in that second condo that I neglected to even respond.

Then, thirty minutes later, I received word that our counter had been accepted and congratulations.  Cue…

Excitement?  Amazement?  Contentment?  Nah.  More…

Ambivalence.  It’s a beautiful place, nowhere near as pricey as the second condo, but now I have to move.  Again.  And next to driving around looking for parking or visiting Home Depot, I can’t think of anything I’d rather not do.

Fortunately, my good friend Ivon lives only three floors down and will, no doubt, be more than happy to shoulder the heavier carries on account of my delicate back.

Akemi, meanwhile, well, she’s already started opining, outlining, and interior designing.

I’m just going to try to stay out of her way.

April 4, 2018: Best Comic Book Covers of the Week!

These were the ones that caught my eye…

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The Amazing Spiderman #798 (cover art by Alex Ross)

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Avengers #687 (cover art by Mark Brooks)

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Black Bolt #12 (cover art by Christian Ward)

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Eternity (cover art by Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic)

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Norah #3 (cover art by Jordan Westlake)

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Paradox Girl #6 (cover art by Yishan Li)

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Redlands vol. 1 (cover art by Vanesa R. Del Ray)

Weigh in with your favorites!

April 3, 2018: Things seem to be coming together. SEEM to be coming together.

“Oh!”said Akemi, throwing her hands up to cover her face as though trying to avoid some terrible sight, this just five minutes into my pitch.  “I don’t think I can watch your new show.”

In all fairness, it’s technically not my new show.  Yet.  But if I were a betting man, I’d put money on my next series being a horror entry.  No less than three of the projects currently on my docket are in the horror genre and two look precariously poised to get the go-ahead in the month of April.

Of course, that’s what I thought some three and a half years ago when I was preparing to get the green light on another project, a seeming sure thing, that quickly fizzled and faded just as another seemingly dead project, a sci-fi series called Dark Matter, go the surprise go.  There’s no predicting this business.  Still, if I were a betting man, chances are good I’ll be delving into the macabre in a few short months.

The timing is perfect as the lease on our apartment ends June 1st and it would be nice to know where I’ll be living for the rest of the year.  Could be Toronto or, depending on circumstances, could be further east.  Not quite the middle of the Atlantis, but pretty close.

Anyway, we’ve continued the hunt for a new place and have narrowed the possibilities down to two lovely condos.  The first is smaller, part of a bigger building, situated directly across from a dog park and three floors above my good friend Ivon (who we can now rely on for emergency grocery items and dog-sitting services).  Also, it has a narrow balcony that I will never step out onto.  The second place is almost twice the size, significantly more expensive, and is a second floor condo in a boutique building hosting eleven units in all.  No concierge and the maintenance fees are ridiculous but the wrap-around terrace is pretty sweet and with a professional cleaning and some painting, it would be killer.  Akemi leans towards the first, more modest, unit.  I, of course, prefer the second.  OR we just bite the bullet and renew our lease here for another year.  OR we put all our stuff in storage and move (further) east to work on this other project for the foreseeable future.  Who knows?

Tomorrow, it’s lunch with a young talented writer, then work on that SF pitch I’ve reworked what feels like a dozen times now.  I’m feeling good about this latest take.  About as good as I felt about the other eleven.  Then, Thursday, I’m off to pitch some original material.  According to my agent “They’re looking for a space show”.  I was extremely dubious: “There’s no way they’re looking for a space show.”  “Yes,”he insisted.  “A space show.”  So, I’m going to go in there and lead with a space show – and if they tell me they’re not looking for space shows, I’ll be having a long and involved discussion with my agent later that afternoon.  The BIG pitch (for that OTHER horror series) is Monday.  Wish me luck!

April 2, 2018: I’m THAT guy!

I’m the guy who strikes up a conversation with the person standing beside me in the checkout line.  The guy who will approach someone on the street to ask them where they got the coffee with the unique lid they’re holding in their hand.  The guy my girlfriend considers crazy for talking to complete strangers every chance I get.  All true and yet, in feeding my socialpathic tendencies whenever we’re walking the dogs or going out for lunch or picking up almond butter at the local health food shop, I’ve met some very interesting people.  For instance –

Guy who lives in our building who works in intelligence (struck up a conversation with him in the elevator)

Music producer and his wife, the defense attorney (struck up a conversation with them while out for dinner with the guy who works in intelligence)

Owner of an indoor advertising company (struck up a conversation with him while visiting our storage locker)

Anime enthusiast and owner of online Evangelion t-shirt shop (struck up a conversation with him while out for a stroll)

Innumerable dog owners (struck up a conversation anywhere and everywhere provided they’re accompanied by a dog)

I’m thinking rather than tone it down, I’m going to make a concerted effort to meet someone new every day.  Yes, I’m going to be THAT guy – the crazy dude who’ll start chatting with you out of the blue.  Look out!

An interesting article on the future of Stargate by Adam Barnard:

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Stargate’s Return: The Next Step

A lot of ways things can go but, realistically, only one way they should go: whether it’s a direct-to-streaming film, a miniseries, a fourth long-form t.v. show, or wrap-up movie, IT HAS TO take place within the pre-existing television universe established by Stargate: SG-1 and developed in spinoffs Stargate: Atlantis and Stargate: Universe.  And I say “IT HAS TO” because, if it doesn’t, and we go the reboot route and wipe out 17 years of television history, I predict a lot of very angry, very vocal Stargate fans hitting the internet.

Finally, I leave you with a little something from back in the day.  Dark Matter Day 1 – introducing the crew of The Raza:

April 1, 2018: Lots of interesting news today!

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Limited Edition Dessert Whopper!

Kraken Spotted on River Thames!

Clean out your inbox with the Bad Joke Detector via The Files Go team –

Matching Makeovers for You and Your Pet!

Coca-Cola Launching Three New Flavors!

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PinDrop’s new tongue printing technology –

Klingon Alphabet Fridge Magnets from ThinkGeek.com

Brexit Emojis For Your Social Media Profile

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New from PopChips!  Unicorn Balls!

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VHS is making a comeback!

Presenting Honda Sixth Sense for the smart phone walker/talker –

Good Cloud Hummus API

Finally!  Fried food supplements for those who can’t stop for that burger and fries –

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Logitech’s Business Speak Detection for Video Conferencing –

Porch Piracy Protection from Man Crates –

Tasmania’s Police have a new addition to their K9 unit!

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The world’s first in-class cycling studio!  Virgin Spin Class!

From the makers of SodaStream comes…SodaSoak!

Ensure your clothing fits with Zappos new resizing service!

Who needs a remote when you have Roku’s Happy Streaming Socks?

Life Storage’s Smart Storage Smart Bot –

No longer will you have to sort your legos by hand!

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Cat prodigy loves Photoshop!

Move over AirBNB.  Here comes ShareBED –

New from Heinz – Chocolate Mayonnaise!

Adobe’s new Food Illustrator ordering system!

Learn to survive the coming robot apocalypse by taking this course.

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FMTrust’s new AiTM –

Razer’s nanotech gives you the gaming edge!

Ollie all natural dog food is expanding with a human food line –

Google Japan launches a more intuitive keyboard –

Lush launches beer bath bombs

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Introducing the REI Co-Op ZipAll –

Everywair’s Feline Atmospheric Distribution System –

94% of American Dogs Report They’re Happiest in Monogamous Relationships

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Dollar Shave Club announces Ghost Pepper face wipes –

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Introducing Genetic Select by Lexus –

Have trouble making sense of those British accents on British television?  Well, BritBox has you covered!

Deliveroo’s Try Before You Buy Taste and Smell Feature

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Meal deliveries to even the remotest of camp sites with BioLite’s Back Country Bites!

Amazon Publishing delivers authors right to your doorstep!

Also from Wayfair – Scentsible Wallpaper.

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The next generation of influencers –

Just in time for the royal wedding…

And kids get in on the fun too!

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