Are you being lied to...?

"Truth-tellers, Pennebaker explains, tend to use more words, bigger words, more complex sentences, more exclusive words (except, but, without, as in the sentence "I think this but not that"), and more I-words (I, me, my, etc.). Liars, apparently, trade in simple, straightforward statements lacking in specificity because—Pennebaker posits—it's actually pretty difficult to make stuff up. " Read more on The Secret Life of Pronouns.

Phineas Gage or Sometimes I love doing research

While doing research for a comic project, I came across the strange case of one Phineas Gage.

"On 13th September, 1848, 25-year-old Gage and his crew were working on the Rutland and Burlington Railroad near Cavendish in Vermont. Gage was preparing for an explosion by compacting a bore with explosive powder using a tamping iron. While he was doing this, a spark from the tamping iron ignited the powder, causing the iron to be propelled at high speed straight through Gage’s skull. It entered under the left cheek bone and exited through the top of the head, and was later recovered some 30 yards from the site of the accident."

Mr. Gage became an important and controversial figure in the field of neurology and particularly brain trauma. Read more.

Liefeld and Mignola

Following a series of links, I came upon this post on Rob Liefeld's site.

"... way back in 1991 while I was writing and drawing X-Force and the schedule was getting heavy and after the initial 7 issues I needed a break. X-Men editor Bob Harras had some potential fill-in artists in mind, one of which was Mike Mignola whose work I loved. Bob wanted me to stay on as layout artist for the issue as well as provide a framing sequence to keep the flow of the book."

As usual, Mignola did a stellar job creating dense atmosphere and an evocative story. What I find most interesting about this is where Mignola departed from Liefeld's ideas: rather than going with dramatic angles that Liefeld suggested, Mignola used simple designs and focused more on composition, spot blacks and shadows. It's not often that we get a look at how two radically different artists approach the same material.

"Funny note, afterwards Mike told me he never, ever draws downshots, or anything from a bird’s eye view. You’ll see that he adjusts anytime I call for a downshot."

I highly recommend checking out the other pages Liefeld posted.

Lonely Night, Black Christmas

Whenever my girlfriend leaves town to visit her family - like she did yesterday - I take the opportunity to watch movies that she'd never stomach, like Robert "Bob" Clark's Black Christmas.

With little expectations, I watched this 1970's Canadian horror gem - also known as Silent Night, Evil Night and Stranger in the House - late last night alone in my apartment, which is the best way to watch many horror movies. The methodical cinematography and slow narrative structure create a truly suspenseful experience that produces genuine horror. The enjoyable female characters and general lack of gore, which plagued a lot of horror and especially slasher movies that came after, bolsters this film.

All in all, a near solid horror movie that established a lot of the elements that are now cliche in slasher movies.

Distraction and Inspiration

I often look at Warren Ellis' site for equal parts distraction and inspiration

One of his latest posts - "Research Gem of the Day" - did both in spades. Here's the full story behind this picture.

Cartoons with a punch

Cartoon by Zunar.

A buddy sent me this link. Cartoon Movement is a really cool site that collects political cartoons and is open for submission.

On the horizon...

Some trailers that piqued my interest:

Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Bullet Man. I'm a huge fan of the first installment Tetsuo: The Iron Man but didn't care much for the second Tetsuo: Body Hammer. (Maybe I need to rewatch the second.) Either way, I'm give this one a shot.

The Brothers Quay's latest stop-motion animation Maska is an adaptation of a Stanislaw Lem story. It looks to be a winner.

Johnny Tabor's horror movie Folklore looks promising.

Corpse Pusher by Gustavo Franco is definitely going to be a trippy treat.

Write it down

Interesting article on why writing by hand is more effective than typing.

Recently Read

Laymon's disturbing and horrific novel The Woods are Dark charges with exciting twists and turns but there was - I never I'd ever say this - too much needless sex and nudity. A decent read for those with strong stomachs.




Dick's The Cosmic Puppets is a far-reaching novel that begins with an odd mystery and leads to a startling look at our place in the cosmos. He spins this yarn without losing the reader. A definite recommendation.

Mo' Money, Mo' Money!

Who is this man and why is he on my blog? This is Jack Abramoff and he may be the future of lobbying.

In light of the recent Supreme Court ruling that would allow corporations and unions to give more money to political candidates, this interview with documentarian Alex Gibney will surely strike a chord.

Different Stories from Haiti

In light of all the charity work and news coverage of the Haitian crisis, I thought it would be refreshing to see different angles on the story.

The first is from Democracy Now and explores how the US government's policy in the Caribbean country exacerbated the crisis.

Ashely Smith's article on Counter Punch is an enlightening read on Haiti before and after the quake.

Lastly, The Nation's article sheds some light on IMF's solution for the crisis, which includes more debt and freezing wages.

Thieves and Liars

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Day, I felt it was appropriate to post up a link to this fascinating yet unsurprising article on the connection between power and hypocrisy.

Open Up and Say...

Often, I'm bored and disappointed by contemporary horror movies. I doubt I need to name them because horror fans will know which ones I'm talking about. (Hint: Each time they come out with a sequel we roll our eyes and groan "another one?")


One lazy afternoon, I cued up Netflix on my girlfriend's computer and saw Mitchell Lichtenstein's Teeth. Like horror master Richard Matheson (I Am Legend), Lichtenstein mixes the everyday (a girl comes-of-age) with the horrific (she has vagina-dentata) to create an insightful and entertaining story. Funny, witty, original and tasteful with judicious gore, this movie is a welcome relief from the tried and tired horror flick.

© Frank Reynoso, Jan. 13, 2010

The Art of the Scream

There are some sounds that just cut through everything, through all the distractions and thoughts and hits your very core. A baby's crying is one of them. A crash is another. These are sounds that highlight our very existence.

As a disenchanted, morose and morbid high-schooler, I listened to a lot of metal, punk and watched what some might say "too many horror movies." Needless to say, I was well acquainted with yelling, grunts, screams and wails of every sort. Then I listened to "Another Body Murdered" by Faith No More and the Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E off the Judgement Night soundtrack. The Boo-Yaa Tribe's rhymes were alright and the music was haunting and dynamic. Faith No More frontman Mike Patton's quasi-chanting bolstered the overall feel of impending doom.

(Mike Patton in the middle wearing a red shirt.)

But it was Patton's screams that cut through everything and made me feel for my very life. I literally felt shivers and goosebumps as Patton unleashed his vocal fury into the microphone. Not an easy feat. Give it a listen and let me know what you think. (Ignore the sound bites from the movie.)

© Frank Reynoso, Jan. 13, 2010.

Sharks and Digital Death

Very much like the way sharks need to continuously move in order to breathe and therefore survive, having a constant web presence means continued virtual existence. So rather than suffer digital death, I'm reviving my writing blog. (Moreover, I've been writing a lot more lately and not drawing as much.)

Came across this while doing a search for a podcast interview with one of my favorite writers, Warren Ellis. It's a rare audio interview with the English writer. He talks about his novel Crooked Little Vein. If you haven't read any of his works and want to jump right in, I'd suggest starting with his seminal comics series Transmetropolitan. Imagine notorious journalist Hunter S. Thompson in a dystopian future and you have only a kernel of an idea of what the series is about.



For those of you who want just a taste of his writing - though considering his versatility that might be difficult - then you can't go wrong with NextWave: Agents of Hate (a wild, action-packed, subversive take on super hero teams) and Ocean (an excellent blend of action/adventure with science fiction).

Transmetropolitan cover courtesy of Vertigo Comics.

© Frank Reynoso, Jan. 12, 2010

RIP JG Ballard

The other day, I learned from my roommate and sci-fi fan Keizo that the great JG Ballard died earlier this month.

I can't explain how much of a loss this is to readers and fans. Grab any of his books and you'll see what I mean.

Learn Journalism

Great and talented folks from various radical and alternative media are doing the annual Grassroots Media Conference in NYC. Learn 'Journalism 101' from the editors of The Indypendent.

Where the Action is

Visit my other blog to see what I've been up to.

More pictures from this year's MoCCA Fest

Here's another batch of picts from this year's MoCCA Fest.

(Liz Tillotson and I sharing a moment.)

(Check out the spread. Toy octopus courtesy of Nik Moore and Liz Tillotson.)

(The always-in-demand Nik Moore and Liz Tillotson on the frist day of the fest.)

(A couple of tired pups after a weekend of comix fun. Moi and James Spruill.)

SPX anyone...?

© Frank Reynoso, June 2008, All Rights Reserved

Re: MoCCA Fest 2008

(James Spruill and I. Finger-raising excitement.)

(Liz Tillotson chilling while I chat with a MoCCA Fest attendee.)

This year's MoCCA Fest inspired and reinvigorated me. Thank you to all the folks who stopped by the table and to all who I chatted with. Lots of great conversations.

Rock on!!!

© Frank Reynoso, June 2008, All Rights Reserved