BLAMO! Begins: The Mirage

Concept cover art for The Mirage

The Mirage was the first character I co-created with my longtime friend and collaborator Josh Workman. This was back in 2009 when we were just a couple of 12 year olds with undiagnosed ADHD and 1st period math. Every class we would spend the lesson precompleting our homework so that we could just hang out and make comics the rest of the time.

The Mirage was birthed out of my desire to be a professional magician. My grandfather and my uncle were both magicians, so it was in my blood. I had been practicing the art since the age of three.

The long missing (for better or worse) plot/character notebooks we made up were based on the low level street organized crime stories you’d see from Steve Ditko. But we mixed with it the glitz and glamor associated with stage magic.

Something that makes me shake my head and laugh is remembering the whole crime syndicate were not so subtly named after the various bullies and “bad kids” at school.

Yeah those were the simple times. A lot has changed with the state of BLAMO! Comics since those days. Practically none of the characters remain the same. As The Mirage has become a secondary character within the BLAMOverse, I don’t have a time frame on when they’ll be back. But you can be sure that when it happens, I’ll post about it.

Workman’s Workbench #1

Sudden Spider-Sense Speed Sketch – Joshua Workman – Art Set 4 with Apple Pencil

When deep in the throws of anxiety, I love to think back to “the good old days” (I can’t believe I’m only a few weeks shy of 25 and already saying that). In particular, seventh grade math class comes to mind. No, I despised math, but it was there I first bonded with my best friend Josh. We both loved comic books and spent all our class time building worlds, creating characters, and coming up with all sorts of stories for what we called Blamo! Comics. We are deep in the process of retooling and reshaping these characters with the hope of at least some form of a finished book by the end of the year.

But, in the mean time, I’m going to post art of his that I find. So up first, enjoy this sketch he made one day while discussing his thoughts on the future of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and The Amazing Spider-Man 3.

Five Favorite Film Finds of 2021

Thought I’d already given up? Nooooo, but I have been fighting with the editor in my head who continues to attack my every idea. And so, after a few days of typing, backspacing, and typing some more, here are five of my favorite film finds of the year.

1. Heard She Got Married: One of two features produced by Motern Media in 2021, and one of the few films of the year to really stick with me. At this point I have given the film eight dedicated viewings, as well as probably half a dozen more times where I’ve started it but had to turn it off before leaving.

Described by the creators as a “suburban noir”, Heard She Got Married is about a singer/songwriter who moves back to his hometown. He befriends his eccentric new mailman and stumbles onto a conspiracy involving his old clique.

I am eagerly awaiting the blu-ray, which also hosts their other 2021 film, Metal Detector Maniac. I have yet to see that one, however my excitement only grows each day I am left waiting. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for a full review soon.

2. Sons of the Desert: I’m embarrassed to admit how little Laurel and Hardy I have seen. Aside from a few clips online and the 2018 biopic Stan & Ollie, I’m a novice. But after my experience watching 1933’s Sons of the Desert I’m eager to seek out more.

These two friends mug around for 68 transcending minutes of comedy. It hits different cords than modern comedies do. I was content to sit back and let all the chuckles and hearty laughs wash over me. I hope to return to these comforting rascals shortly.

3. Dirty Work: Norm Macdonald’s passing last year left a hole in the hearts of comedians everywhere. And the loss of Bob Saget (who directed the feature) last week only widened it.

I wish I had seen this film earlier. Like many other films, this was one I purchased forever ago and let sit on the shelf for too long. But, aside from the previously mentioned Heard She Got Married, I doubt there is any film I have watched more times in 2021.

Funny side note, my brother and I inadvertently bought each other the OOP Olive Films blu-ray for Christmas.

4. Thrilling Bloody Sword: I first began listening to The Important Cinema Club podcast back in 2016. Since then the podcast has grown substantially, and my cinematic tastes with it. One of the favorite parts of my physical media collection is a complete run of host Justin Decloux’s Gold Ninja Video line.

From their celebration of the Prince of Poverty Row Sam Newfeld to the wicked wuxias of Pearl Chang and their magnificent Director’s Cult Collection titles, I’m constantly blown away by the sheer quality and care given by Decloux and his collaborators. Last year he ran a successful crowdfunding campaign where he purchased a brand new film scanner. And Thrilling Bloody Sword is the first release touting a new 2K scan!

Using the only known theatrical print, Decloux rescued this Taiwanese fantasy epic from the sands of time. A jaw dropping take on Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the eye popping colors and charismatic performances drew me in.

5. Spider-Man: No Way Home: Call me a basic blockbuster nostalgia-driven normie if you have to, but this is possibly a new favorite in the superhero genre. Instead of being a film about “a good guy beating a bad guy”, No Way Home was about trying to help and reform them.

I’ll admit I cried more than once at this movie. It’s so easy to let the anger, the apathy, and the cynicism of the world get to us. And the pressure can be too much. And after dealing with everything, it’s nice to slip away and let your six year old self take over again. That magic sense of astonishment is still there, it’s just hard to reach.

Utilizing The Motern Method

For what feels like years now, I’ve been stuck in a creative rut. Full of desire with a lack of drive. Consumed with ideas but no inspiration to see them through. Yearning to do nothing but create yet riddled with anxiety about “doing it wrong”. And all this has led to is procrastination and a worsening case of imposter syndrome.

Enter: Matt Farley, New England’s modern renaissance man. A man so driven to create he refuses to let anyone tell him no. Instead of giving up, he dives deeper into his art. You may not have heard of him, but once you do you will not soon forget.

As of this writing, Farley has released 23,000 original songs, a dozen feature films, and most recently, The Motern Method, a 136 page tome detailing his creative process. The book is filled with philosophical tidbits and reminders like “all works are flawed”, “world domination is not mandatory for artistic success”, and “there is nothing better than having a creative project to work on.”

And he’s right! There isn’t anything that compares to making art. You might spend hellish weeks freezing in the woods filming with friends. You can spend that time locking yourself away from the world to craft your next masterpiece. Once you finish (the key here is FINSH) feelings of pride will overtake you. Good or bad, whatever you made is yours.

I’m not quite sure of everything that I’m going to post here. But that’s okay. I just need to keep creating.