I Made a Movie AND NOW YOU CAN BUY IT!

I'm sure you noticed the significant drop off in posts around here circa 2012.  I assure you it wasn't due to a lack of love for comics, lack of desire to write, or a passing interest in blogging, but rather because my time was being taken up by something else.  That something else was a movie.  And now you can buy it on DVD and/or VOD.

Crazypants, right?

The movie is LOVE IN THE TIME OF MONSTERS, and I'm super proud of it.  The epitome of a passion project, it's something that my cohorts and I have been working on for a LONG time.  It's a tribute to not only to the power of hard work, but also the grueling realities of independent filmmaking.

"So, yeah yeah, hard work and all that.  What's this thing about?" I can hear you asking (BTW, you really should stop talking to yourself)

LOVE IN THE TIME OF MONSTERS is a horror comedy in the grand tradition of Evil Dead 2 and Slither, full of gags, gore, and girls.  It's fun for everyone!  Assuming everyone is over at least 16.

The movie follows sisters Carla and Marla as they travel to a kitchy roadside lodge to surprise Carla's fiance who works as a costumed bigfoot performer.  But wouldn't you know it, as the girls arrive the fiancé and his coworkers fall into a lake of toxic waste only to emerge as murderous monsters (underneath their bigfoot suits, 'natch).  Now the sisters, trapped at the lodge with other colorful employees, have to fight the monsters while saving the one they love.

As Best Horror Movies put it: "It is the very definition of a highly entertaining film.”  

And Fanboy planet continued:  "Once you think it’s gonna stop, it doesn’t. It literally doesn’t stop until the credits roll."

Excited yet?

What if I told you, in addition to this killer concept, the cast included Kane Hodder (Jason from Friday the 13th 7-X and Victor Crowley from Hatchet), Doug Jones (Abe Sapien from Hellboy, Fauna from Pan's Labyrinth, and just about everything), Mike McShane (Friar Tuck from Prince of Thieves and as himself in the British Who's Line Is It Anyway?), and Heather Rae Young (Playboy's Miss February 2010)?  Not to mention the slew of fantastic up-and-coming actors I'm sure you'll be hearing from more like Gena Shaw, Marissa Skell, Paula Rhodes, Ben Palacios, Hugo Armstrong, Alex Sanborn, and more!  I dare you to find a bad performance in the bunch.  Hint, you won't be able to, that's how great everyone is.

Don't take my word for it though, just check out what Doug had to say about Gena in particular when he was talking to Dread Central:  "She is a total movie star,”Jones said. “She is a screen presence that we’re going to be dealing with for years to come. She reminds me of a young Jamie Gertz, who I recently worked with on ‘The Neighbors.'"

Can you feel the excitement bubbling up inside?

How about our big official trailer.  Courtesy of our distributor, Indican Pictures:

Pretty cool, right?

"Okay, okay. Where can I see this thing?" I hear you asking (seriously though, you need to stop talking to your computer).

Well, if you're one of those modern kids who don't need a DVD, you can buy/rent a copy via most of the big sites like iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, and more.  We're also available on some cable providers, so make sure to give them a look if that's all you got.

Alternately, if you're like me and like to own DVDs, we're listed on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Best Buy.  I don't know if we'll make it into the stores (blame the weird economics of selling DVDs for that) but I'll let you know if/when we find out.

You can go for either one, but I suggest going for the DVD if only because it comes with the added benefits of a Blooper Reel, Deleted Scenes, BTS videos, and a commentary by me, the producer, and the writer.  We tried to make it full of as much material we had because we, like you, hate bare bones DVDs.

Now you know why I'm excited.

If you're curious, but not quite hooked or totally hooked and want to know more, then I'd like to turn you towards the official LOVE IN THE TIME OF MONSTERS web presence.  You can read about everything from our start to now at the official site, LoveInTheTimeOfMonsters.com.  You can keep up on the day to day at our Facebook page.  Or you can get little snippets of stuff via our Twitter, @UncleSlavko.

If you've read all that AND you love everything then I urge you to spread the word.  Tell your friends, your twitter feed, your Facebook, your barber, whatever.  We're doing what we can to get the word out, but any way you can add to the noise not only helps but is greatly appreciated.

I hope you end up enjoying it as much as I enjoyed making it.  Now, back to griping about comics... 

Talk About a Sophie's Choice

I don't know if you noticed, but Mighty Fine Tees has been knocking it out of the park when it comes to kick ass novelty nerd Tees. From the Doom riding a Unicorn to the indescribable power (to repel women, I'm sure) of the 3 Galactus Moon, there are just too many of those shirts I just have to have. And then I found their MODOK Shirts.

In a move that I wish other shirt companies would follow, Mighty Fine have made it possible to customize a small selection of shirts. They have a Scott Pilgrim one that might be pretty badass, if it wasn't for the stop everything coolness of their MODOK shirts. Instead of just having MODOK in different poses or locations, they've created their own MODOK Mashups for you new favorite shirt. You can do a Spider-MODOK or a THODOK, or this:



Right? As an unabashed Luke Cage fan, and with the knowledge that MODOK makes every thing better (he's like bacon), this is totally the best shirt ever. Until I saw this:



What the hell is going on? It's like they're trying to rob me! How am I supposed to resist something like this? That's just not fair!

So, pop quiz: Which should I choose? And more importantly, do you think my wardrobe could support two MODOK Mashup shirts?

It's a risk that I think I'm willing to take...

A Double Shot of Shameless Self Promotion

Did you know that I appear other places on the internet besides just here at the Platypus Robot? If you did, gold star for following the clues. But if you didn't, then I'm here to show you the way.

First off is a blog for an upcoming film I plan to make: Uncle Slavko's Fun Time Blog. With two other creative powerhouses (Michael Skvarla and Andy Gunn) who I'm making the movie with, we're cataloging the film's journey from start to finish. Being that we're deep in Pre-production, it's a lot of theory and general filmmaking philosophies, but soon it'll be you're source for the GREATEST HORROR COMEDY EVER MADE: Love in the Time of Monsters. It's fun, you should check it out.

But the creative overflow doesn't stop there, enter: Spicy Braun Comics. This weekly webcomic is the brainchild of myself and master artist, and full on creative behemoth, Don Nguyen where we can showcase our comic-ing to the world. Expect some short stories, both funny and action-packed, that are nothing but awesome and fun for the whole family. Well, the family that counts anyway.



Have no fear though, faithful reader, if you do nothing but read this classic of the blogosphere, you won't notice any difference at all. I just wanted to let you all know that there are more places to get my special brand of writing elsewhere on the interwebs and you should totally and absolutely check them out.

I promise it's worth it.

Looks Like There's a New Sheriff In Town

I'm out of it for a week or so and suddenly the whole world goes crazy. Thousands of dead birds and fish in Arkansas, DC bringing back two-page letter pages, freezing cold temperatures in Florida, and on and on. It's crazy times. And apparently Marvel isn't immune to this strain of Crazy 2011.

In case you haven't heard, Joe Quesada, one of the longest running E-i-Cs and the guy responsible for getting me back into comics, stepped down from his position today to focus on his COO duties. In his place, Alex Alonso takes over and will hopefully not rock the boat too much.

Honestly, I'm kinda surprised that Tom Breevroot didn't get the bump. Nothing against Alonso, but Breevroot's put in the time at the company (20 plus years), paid his dues (he wrote Fantastic Force, the terrible 90s edition one, not the new one), and has been the editor on all the really big events in the recent years. He did get a promotion of his own, it's just not quite the same. I'm sure everything will work out fine in the end.

Right?

Also: Hi, I'm back from the break and ready to get back into the business of comics. How about you?

No Bill Tonight

Sorry kids, with Christmas kicking into high gear I wasn't able to make it to the store today, hence no new comics. It's just as well, I only had one book coming out this week anyway.

Also, I'm going dark for about a week as I travel across the country to spend Christmas with the FutureInLaws. It should be a fun time, but will have limited access to things like scanners, comics, and time to craft my fine blog entries.

However, I'm not just going to leave for the year without giving you something. To help get you in the holiday spirit, here's a little holiday cheer from a galaxy far, far away...



You guys be good while I'm gone, okay? See you in about a week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In honor of this most glorious of holidays, here's a clip from what must have been the BEST THANKSGIVING EVER!



Robots! Death! Taco Pie! Rambling stories about radioactive chickens! It's what I strive for each year to be, but just fall short of. Maybe next year....

The 1st Annual LA Taco Crawl

Today I am taking part in what should be a signature event in every man's life: A Taco Crawl.



It works just like a Pubcrawl, but without the music or official sanctioning. We have a list of a little over a dozen taco joints (both standing and mobile) and will endeavor to eat at least one classy taco at each place throughout the day.

It will be a whole lot of fun, and I'm hoping it turns into a regular thing (or hopefully a semi-annual thing).

Even though it's not entirely geeky, I wanted to let you all know about it AND plug my twitter at the same time (see what I did there?). If you would like to join us (digitally) on our trek through Mexican deliciousness, check out either @platypusrobot, or @RobGokee.

We ought to be posting all kinds of reviews, pictures, and random shit that happens. It'll be fun. Fun that I wanted to pass on to you.

*UPDATE*

Talk about a huge success! With SIXTEEN tacos under my belt (or rather, in my belly) and two fresh made Churros, we called it a day. And everything was nothing less than amazing. My personal top three (in no particular order), can't miss tacos in LA are officially:

1- The tender and delicious Lamb Tacos at My Taco
2- The sweet and flavorful Pineapple Pastor Tacos at Metro Balderas
3- The hand battered and WAY better than anything at "Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada", Fish Tacos at Ricky's Fish Tacos

With special mentions going out to the Bacon Chocolate Tacos at CaCao and the GINORMOUS shrimp tacos at La Estrella.

So much good food. I can not WAIT until next time.

Tucson Bears

Tucson is a funny town.

It's not just the high concentration of hippies and hipsters, not the abundance of stupid college kids (No judgment here, I totally was one), or the giant tiki head on the corner of 4th ave and 8th street. I mean, those things make the town kinda fun, but that's not the weird thing.

No. Somehow in this town of super cool thrift store connoisseurs, there are still all kinds of low priced gems in all the stores. Looking for a sweet powdered blue suit for under twenty bucks? Done. A belt buckle of pig? Only if you got ten bucks. How about a bear shitting into his sisters pot of honey?

Think about that last one for a second, and then look at what I found for a dollar.



Can you tell what's happening in that scene? Is that brother bear about to pull the worst prank ever? Or is that sister bear really anxious to have her turn? Most pressing: Who in the world would create such a monstrosity?

I didn't know whether to be appalled or overcome with laughter. Instead, I just stared at the thing for a solid ten minutes.

And then I convinced the GirlFriend to buy it for me. She's the best.

This Honey Pot Shitting Bear Statue is like Tucson in a nutshell: The weirdest fucking thing ever, but so awesome that you can't resist showing off to everyone you know.

That was my weekend. How was yours?

Read Comics In Public Day!

Just a reminder, if your going out today don't forget to bring a comic because it's Read Comics In Public Day.

I know it's easy to feel self conscious exposing yourself like that, but it'll be good for you. Just be confident in yourself and everyone will be jealous they didn't bring a comic too. And be friendly while you're at it, you never know, you could convert someone.

Me? I'm thinking of going to a coffee shop with my copy of Action Philosophers, or maybe to the park so I can reread Scott Pilgrim. All I know is that whatever I read, I want it to be something that I can actively and effectively discuss and recommend if a passerby is curious.

What're you going to read in public today?

Off to San Diego

Like most of the known comics-blogosphere, I'm off to the illustrious San Diego Comic Con this weekend. That being the case, I may not have a great ability to post any big articles or even give Scott Pilgrim vol. 6 a proper review (I'm sure it's going to be stellar though, how couldn't it be?).

Fret not, dear reader, I'm not totally leaving the internet this weekend. What with technology being what it is, I'm crossing over to the dark side and debuting a twitter account. It's here that I can give you live updates from the floor (mainly me complaining about how full it is) along with any exciting things that happen after hours. It should be a good time. I suggest you stop by and give me a follow or at least just check up on my 140-character ramblings. You can find me here: @PlatypusRobot

Also, if you happen to be in San Diego you should try to run into me. I'll be there all weekend, probably closer to Artist's Alley than the main super drag. That, or I'll be drooling over the new minimates that I hope Art Asylum debuts while we're there. I'll be the tall guy with a well kept beard and glasses. I'm sure you won't be able to miss me /sarcasm.

With that, I'm off. Finally the time is nigh to finish my Secret Defenders collection.

And we're back

What a week. Let me tell you, life without a computer and/or a reliable internetting device is hell for a guy like me. I was like a junkie, cut off from the source and going through withdrawals. It was a dark time....

But now a new light has shone me the way. That's right, rebuilt with a brand new hard drive and an updated OS, my Macbook is back and better than ever. What this means for you, is that given a few days to restore all the old programs and such, I'll be back in business posting the good stuff on a semi regular basis.

Good times indeed friends. Good times.

You got Questions?

I got answers. A few weeks ago I added a formspring box along the side panel for any questions you might have that you don't feel like posting as a comment (or emailing me directly). I finally remembered my password, and found a few questions waiting for me. Here are my answers:

Anonymous asks:
This Blog is Pretty good. Is there anything else you've written recently?

Let me tell you, compliments like that just make me feel all gushy inside. Thanks Anon, I'm really glad that you enjoy my ramblings However as it is, this is the only place you'll get them.

I do somewhat keep tumblr blog with a buddy of mine (itsatrap), but I've been overly lazy with 'trapping' new content. I should really get better at that.

Also, I wrote a couple of articles for the awesome guys over at Comic Impact, but a combination of work, holidays, and personal stuff (I moved) made it kind of fall by the wayside. I did write some fun stuff though, including a full on history lesson on industry game changers and a recap on who Rikki Barnes is. Even without my writings it's a great site and you should totally check it out. Sheldon, Simon, Dana, and (I assume, because I've never really interacted with him) Rob are great people with a fantastic comic resource page.

And hey, I'm always open to writing anywhere else if anyone's looking...

Nameless asks:
How's it been going for a year now? How come you don't actively try to get more followers? Have you made any money? How?

That's a really good question that I don't really have a good answer for. Honestly I just use this blog as an outlet for my comic passion and haven't really considered how I can make money off it.

It's weird, because I totally could, and ought to, I just never think it's an option. Part of me would feel like a sellout putting up Amazon links, but maybe I ought to just because. I dunno, it's something to consider that I really haven't thought of yet.

As for seeking followers, honestly it comes down to my modesty. I always feel weird pimping out the things that I do to other people, like I'm trying to force my products upon them, so instead I rely on other people to do the pimping for me. In life outside the internet it's the same way, where I won't tell people my accomplishments and have people around me who will tout this or that. It takes the pressure off, and then I don't feel so bad talking about it or myself because someone else is asking about it.

Maybe that's what I'll change going into year two, more amazon links and more shameless promotion. Whadda think?

My buddy over at Rated Awesome to Awful asks:
How's it going with the wirting and directing? Anything new coming up? How would The Cove like to help RATA Weekly make his Awesome commercials/webspots/youtube sensations?

Okay, for the uninitiated I'm a filmmaker. When I'm not trudging through reality TV shows, I'm part of a up-and-coming collective named Cove Entertainment. Together we focus on making fun internet shorts, our most notable ones being Living With Galactus and it's sequel.

In addition to this, I directed an award-winning festival short Background(ed) a few years back and am currently working with the team from that on a feature.

Anyway...

Right now, the writing is going WAY better than the directing. I'm working on a graphic novel (It's a western with super-science), I just finished a horror feature (Two horror geeks find themselves the stars of their own horror flick), and am just about to start writing another feature (the content to be determined, my partner and I are working on it). On the directing front, I have a really awesome horror comedy script lined up, but I'm waiting for one more revision before we really start on it.

As for new stuff, I know the guys have been hard at work pumping out new material lately, or at least shooting a lot of stuff. From what I understand, they've shot three or four shorts and are in the process of putting them together. Speaking of, I still have some really old footage that needs some love so it can be released....

As for helping out RATA, how about you shoot me an email about what you're looking for and I'll run it past the guys. We'll see if we can't figure something out.

The Lonley Lady asks:
What are the attractive qualities you look for in a woman?

After years of rejection, miscues, and otherwise not getting any, I came up with a list of requirements I look for in a woman:

1- She has to have a cute face. The way I figure it, when I'm talking to a girl for th emost part I'm gonna be looking at her face, so it better be worth looking at. I need captivating, emotional eyes; a clear-ish complexion; and a nose that fits on the face (not too big, and definitely not too small). Don't get me wrong, I love me some big boobs and/or a nice booty, but that shit doesn't last. A cute face will.

2- She has to be nice to Strangers. The easiest way to tell if someone is a good person is by how they treat people they don't know, be it waiters, ushers, or just people on the street. If I catch a girl I'm into being overly rude to someone who doesn't deserve it, it's a huge red flag.

3- She has to be Smart. Do you know how annoying it is to not have a compelling conversation with someone? Or have your jokes constantly fly over their heads? Or to have to explain the basics of everyday life? I'm sure you all do, so I'm sure you understand where I'm going with all this.

4- She has to 'get' my geekiness. This is the deal breaker. I don't mind if the girl I'm with is into comics the way I am, but I want her to understand that I love it and not try to change it. The worst thing in the world is to be embarrassed by, or otherwise shamed by what you love. I want a girl who accepts me and my geekiness as one.

And there you have it, my list for the perfect woman. Everything else (hair color, height, nationality, glasses/no glasses, etc) is all gravy. Although western shirts and polka dots are a HUGE plus.

Alright, first round of formspring down. Keep'em coming, and I'll keep answering em.

Crash'd!

You know what's fun? Turning on your Macbook to discover it can't find its boot disk.

So yeah, my machine crashed and I've spent way too many hours wrestling with it to get my data off it while trying to reinstall the OS. And its not going well. The good news I got all the really important stuff of, the bad is that the damn thing freezes up while trying to read the recovery cd. Sigh.

Anyway, I wanted to let y'all know I might not be posting a lot in the coming days as I get this all figured out. But Matt, you say, how are you posting this? The wonders of modern technology, ie my phones keyboard, and let me tell you, as convient as this is, I don't think I could go off on a hundred word diatribe on Nomad even if I wanted to, I think my thumbs would revolt.

Wish me luck and I'll see you on the other side.

UPDATE: So, as it turns out my computer is now a paperweight: The hard drive is dead. Alls not (totally) lost though, as I'll start the wheels turning on a way to fix it all tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll be stealing time on the GirlFriend's laptop when I get a chance to keep the posts a-rollin'. It can only go up from here, right?

Right?

In case you weren't aware...

Over at Thenerdybird.com there was a contest to win a four day pass to the Geek Mecca that is The San Diego Comic Con. Many entered this random drawing, and only one emerged the winner.

That winner was me.

Crazy, right? I can't tell you how excited I am. I've had a huge smile on my face all weekend and I don't suspect it'll go away until the end of July. It's going to be a blast and I can't wait to go. I'll bring my laptop so I can keep y'all posted on the happenings and experiences inherent in the world's biggest comic convention.

And hey, if anyone wants to meet up let me know, I'm planning to take in the entire convention the right way, with loads of comics by day and gallons of drinks by night. I'm game for whatever, who's with me?

Super Gigantic Hyper thanks to Jill at theNerdybird for making it all possible!

Ask me things!

In case you haven't noticed (and I'm sure you did because you pour over my entire blog everyday... right?), I added a formspring box over along the side bar.

What's formspring, you ask? Well it's effectively a way to ask me questions in a really convinient way and/or anonymous way. It's kinda silly, I know, but hey, why not right?

So, want to ask me something, but don't want to leave a comment? Too lazy to send me an email? Scared that I might actually know who you are? Whatever the case, try the formspring if you want. Anonymous or not, I'll post the answers here so we can all reveal in the answers together.

Here's the form, just in case you never noticed it before.



Here's looking forward to answering the burning questions you might have from a strange blogger on the interwebs. Because when you have a blog like I do, suddenly your opinion matters... or something.

A Survival Guide To Your First Indian Wedding

I was a groomsman in one of the most extravagant weddings I've ever been to this weekend. There was a horse, swords, two big dance parties, and a guest list exceeding 300 of the couple's closest friends and family. If you haven't guessed by now, this wasn't the traditional Christian wedding, instead it was a traditional Indian wedding.

As a white guy, I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. The bride and groom (an Indian girl and a white guy) did their best describing what the different events were and what to expect, but there still details that slipped through the cracks which I had to figure out the hard way. So, in an attempt to pass on the knowledge I picked up, allow me to present a survival guide to your first Indian Wedding.

What to Expect

The thing to remember when attending one of these ceremonies is that it's more for the families than it is for the bride and groom. Traditionally the wedding is about the integration of these two different families, so all of the events therein are designed to get both sides talking, mingling, and otherwise joining together. This is also why the events take place over the course of a few days, as just one or two days with your new in-laws just isn't enough to really bond everyone together.

The ceremony has remained the same for some 5000 years, but has seen some things rearranged in the past few years as the whole pre-arranged partner has fallen by the wayside. Currently, the ceremony can be divided into four significant events: The Mehndi, The Grah Shanti, The Garba, and the Wedding.

The Mehndi (Min-dee)

The Mehndi is largely for the women, but has become the hallmark for kicking off the proceeding events. The whole thing starts with a March of the Colors, which is basically a walk loudly proclaiming that the bride is ready for marriage and the wedding is imminent. You basically make a big ruckus, which will be a reoccurring theme for the whole ceremony.

After the march, it's time to tat up the bride with Henna, this brown ink-like stuff that gives you a wicked cool tattoo for up to three weeks. While the bride is getting herself all kinds of intricate designs, the other women are encouraged to get designs on their hands as well.

Traditionally it's a way for the women to bond, fawn, and be all girl-y before the wedding. But what about the men? From what I figure, traditionally the men would have other things to do, so they weren't a part of the event at all. However, as time rolls on, the event has evolved to be a semi-casual event for everyone to coome enjoy. The men generally just hang out with each other while the women tat each other, but at least they're in the same location.

In the end, it's a good chance to get to know the people that you'll be seeing a lot of for the next few days. For me, it was the biggest culture shock, but as long as you have an open mind and an appetite, you'll be fine. Just don't forget to take your shoes off.

The Grah Shanti

Welcome to the religious precursor to the wedding itself. In a relatively short ceremony, the bride is blessed and covered with a yellow paste to purify her for marriage. From what I gather, this is every woman's chance to rub yellow paste on the bride if they'd like.

As a quick side note about these weddings, it's very pro-participation. Most of the events boast big group events that encourage you to join in and have fun, so don't be afraid to get in there and do it. It might feel a bit strange at first, but it's all part of the fun.

Anyway, the paste is later washed off, leaving the bride a glorious shine. I think that traditionally the groom gets the same process, but because our groom was white it would make him look more sickly than glorious, so we skipped that part.

Finally the bride and groom get small 'forget-me-not' bracelets, intended to remind them that in a few days (or the next day in our case) they would be getting married to each other. I guess that's one way to make sure the groom doesn't oversleep and/or run off.

The Garba (Grr-ba)

This event is more of a regional thing (Gujarati, specifically) than an all encompassing Hindi thing, so you might not get to experience this crazy dance party.

Traditionally this was the reception to the actual wedding, but as the years have gone by, it has been moved to before the ceremony while a more western reception has taken it's place after the wedding.

When it comes down to it, this is all about dancing and making a ruckus (see, I told you!) while celebrating the new (or almost new) couple. It begins with a big circle dance where everyone who can dances and skips around in one joyous group.

Can't find the rhythm? Can't figure out the steps? Worried that you might fall over and make a fool of yourself? Don't even worry about it. As long as you're trying, that's all that matters. Find a gap in the circle and get those legs moving because it's more about the celebration than it is the moves.

It doesn't end there though, the big circle dance is only part of the whole thing. Next, sticks are busted out and the circles break into two (an inner and outer ring). Everyone has the same basic pattern to banging the sticks with a partner in the other, concentrically moving ring. It's like a big game of patty cake, but with sticks and your partner keeps changing. It's crazy amounts of fun, and don't be afraid to toss in a few flairs to the standard pattern to really have a good time with it.

Finally, there is what's called a 'Drunken Dance' where the circles are no longer in play and everyone just pretends to dance drunkenly.

Another quick aside here, be prepared to do all this dancing sober, these weddings are normally dry. I won't lie to you, this combined with the lack of meat, was a little rough for me to get used to, but once you fall into the excitement of everything your inhibitions just drift away just like with booze... it just takes longer.

The Wedding

Finally, after a couple days or partying, it's time for the main event and it starts with another big ruckus. This time it's a parade for the groom, where his side of the aisle dances, plays music, and generally celebrates how awesome this guy is as he rides to the temple atop an elephant or (in case an elephant isn't available) a horse.

Originally this was one of the first things to happen, as it was the first time the groom would meet with the family. So the purpose of the big parade is to prove to the other family how infinitely cool this guy is. Really you're just a big hype crew there to get the other family excited about this guy they're giving their daughter to.

As you get to the door, the other family welcomes you, joining in the dancing and generally trying to show the groom how awesome they are and why he should be excited to be there to marry their daughter. They welcome the groom in with happiness and humor, and escort him with his immediate family to the alter for the ceremony to begin.

Here things are pretty standard, all things considered. The bride and groom sit in chairs, flanked by their parents, and go through a ritual of blessing, cleansing, and bonding until ultimately being declared husband and wife. The words might be different from a Christian or Jewish wedding, but the intention is exactly the same.

That's pretty much all there is to it. After the wedding, there's normally a western-style reception that celebrates the union with more dances and good times.

Conclusion

It's very easy to get intimidated by a wedding like this, especially if you're not used to the culture, but if you look past the colors and the language, you'll see that it's all to celebrate the impending union. Yes it's a bit of a culture shock, but the trick is to let go of your inhibitions and stop worrying about doing things wrong and just go for it. You might not be able to understand all the words that are being said, or own the ornate saris, or have the great dancing ability as some of the others, but as long as you're trying it doesn't matter.

In general, when at an Indian Wedding just remember these three simple things:

1- Take your shoes off
2- Wear loose, bright clothing. It's hard to dance and celebrate in a black suit.
3- Make a ruckus. Remember you're there to celebrate this love and show how awesome
your side of the wedding party is, so don't be afraid to go big with your support.

I suggest you all go out and experience one of these, because it's totally awesome.

That's all I got, I'll go back to comics next time...I promise.

The Blackest Night Bet

If you recall, months ago I made a bet with a friend of mine regarding the penultimate issue of Blackest Night. In a nutshell, I put a steak dinner on the idea that Blackest Night # 7 would end with Hal becoming a White Lantern.

Today the issue finally came out and, well, it looks like I was wrong. But just barely.

I don't want to totally ruin the surprise, but if you're curious here's aspoilerific image.

So, anyone know of a cheap steak place in LA?

A Platypus Robot Special Presention

Today's my birthday, so instead of the normal snark about comics, I want to share with you, dear reader something I truly love.

Behold the beautiful friendship of Baman and Piderman, it's crazy absurdity at it's best with tons of quotable lines.

Witness their first encounter:



Taste the love:



Dance and Sing with they're new jam band:



And finally, Learn higher mathematics:



Baman and Piderman.

The best thing you'll see today. You're welcome.

Harry Potter and the Midnight Screening

Tonight I'm seeing the midnight screening of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with the woman and some friends. I'll try to whip up a review of it tomorrow for a fresh post. Until then, enjoy this poster:



I think Harry's getting a bit fat. Maybe they should retitle the next movie Harry Potter and the Weight Loss Program...

F1RST POST!!!11!!!

Hey there and welcome to Platypus Robot, my foray into true blue blogging. I was trying to think of a really effective, compelling first post but I couldn't think of one. Instead, I decided to piggyback on that facebook meme from a while back and tell you 25 things about me (and or my blog). Enjoy?

1- I read comics like it's my job
2- I have an uncanny ability to remember really minute details about the comics that I read. I've often wondered if I've squandered too much of my life
3- I'm a HUGE Marvel zombie.
4- I tend to love the lower tier characters and their often-short-lived series'
5- There are plenty of characters I want to like, but just can't seem to click with
6- While I'm reading comics constantly, my weekly pull list is actually quite small
7- I gave up on comics in 1999 after The Twelve saga. To me, that was the peak of the X-Men in the 90s, the culmination of all the story lines reaching back to the mid 80s and while I understood everything that was going on, it just felt WAAAAY too convoluted for it's own good. I got pulled back in two years later, but I don't think I missed all that much
8- I love digging through dollar (or cheaper!) bins and reading comics from way back when; it's like holding a piece of history.
9- I don't read DC because I can't connect with their major heroes. Batman and Superman, I understand are untouchable, but in my opinion Barry, Hal, and Ollie should have never come back.
10- The first comic I remember looking at in a news stand was at an airport on Phoenix,Amazing Spider-Man #347 , but I didn't buy it. Instead the first comic I ever owned was some crappy GI Joe issue. I still haven't got around to buying that issue of Amazing...
11- I started reading comics in 1991. I started reading around the time of Spider-man #1, and just before the Blue and Gold X-Men split. But the first series I really started following was X-Force, because Cable is awesome!
12- I inherited seven long boxes when a friend of mine moved away a few years ago, and then a huge run of Fantastic Four from another friend shortly after. I'm like a comic book Salvation Army.
13- I try not to have any 'sacred cows' when it comes to comics and I feel like I can enjoy the books more that way
14- I think Grant Morrison's New X-Men was the best run on the X-Men ever. It's too bad it all got erased.
15- I did a couple of shorts involving Galactus a few years ago, and people seem to really dig them. Check out the first one here and the second one here, I did the voice.
16- I used to be a big toy collector, but in recent years (read: since Hasbro took over the Marvel license) I've limited myself to just Art Asylum's Mini-Mates, one of the most cohesive and comprehensive lines I've ever collected.
17- Even though I've mainly talked about comics in this, I intend this blog to encompass all kinds of geeky things.
18- I'm a firm believer that the best video game music EVER comes from Mega Man 2. Go listen to Wily Stage One and try to disagree, that shit ROCKS!
19- I'm one of the few people around that will defend the Prequel Trilogy. I don't think it's as good as the Original Trilogy, but I don't think it's as bad as people make it out to be.
20- I like to make fun of Dungeons and Dragons (and it's fans) for no real good reason other than it makes me laugh. So try not to take it too personally if I throw a jab your way
21- I collect bad sci-fi movies on VHS. My policy is the cooler the cover, the worse the movie. I haven't been let down yet!
22- I think the Infinity Gauntlet is one of the finest storylines that Marvel has ever done, and if they ever released a life-sized Gauntlet, I'd be all over it like white on rice.
23- I fall on the Pirate side of the argument.
24- This isn't my first blog. I run a tumblr blog with a friend of mine called itsatrap, and yes I think you should add this to your blogroll too.
25- This took me way longer to fill out than expected. I need a drink.