Eric Zawadzki On Assorted Crisis Events, The Eisners and The Films Of Michael Mann

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Yeah, we did hear a lot of that.
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You know, readers calling their store saying I'd like assorted crisis events.
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And like, uh okay, which one?
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Which crisis event out of the assortment of crisis events we have to offer here.
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And action time.
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What is it?
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What does the hour hand mean?
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Oh, sorry.
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Welcome back to Direct Edition, a podcast where I talk to artists, comic creators, musicians, writers about the art that they create, the art that we love, and the influences that go behind that.
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Today is an episode in the making that I've been waiting to do for about a year now.
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Eric Savetsky, the artist behind the amazing image comic book, Assorted Crisis Events, along with writer Dennis Camp.
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I have been talking about this book, like I said, for the better part of a year.
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I think it is one of the greatest comic books, not only in modern times, but period.
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Uh, it breaks down the walls of what you think a comic can be and kind of makes you question why more comics aren't like this.
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If you're a fan of certain aspects of the way that uh directors, writers, artists play with time, maybe like you know, David Lynch or certain episodes of Lost, this book is gonna blow your mind.
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But honestly, I I can't say enough good things about assorted crisis events.
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So much so I'd like to at least uh also point out that Eric just won an Eisner for his work on the book for Best News Series.
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Me and Eric do spend probably about the first 45 minutes or so talking about the book, the creative process, the craft, what he does to create some of this amazing imagery, along with how he works with Dennis and uh just a fascinating look at what it takes to make a book like this.
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Uh, the second trade paperback just came out, so you can find both the first and second trade paperback at your local comic store.
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We also talk about the films of Michael Mann, which Eric is a very big fan of Michael's I Am as well.
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Uh, and we just talk about comics in general and art.
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Um, Eric's such a sweet, sweet person.
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You can see him, he'll be at New York Comic Con in October.
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So if you see him, say hello to him, get a book sign, tell him you watch the episode.
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Uh, he also has his own YouTube channel called Inc.
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X Scribes, and I will have that linked in the description below.
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He has a website too, you can check out, buy some original art from him.
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But um, yeah, I I can't say enough good things about assorted crisis events, and my conversation with Eric just affirms that.
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And um, I, you know, I I want to say I want to say thank you for being here.
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Um, and I want to say thank you to Eric for your time.
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And without further ado, let's talk to Eric Savadsky.
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Hello, friends.
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Today I have an Eisner winning artist with me.
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That is correct.
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He's worked on House of L, Heart Attack, and uh the um title that he was nominated in winning an Eisner for the best news series, Assorted Crisis Events.
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Uh, and he also has a YouTube channel called Inc.
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X Scribes, uh, Friend to the North Live from well, recorded for you from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Eric Zavetsky.
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And I got the name right.
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Oh, you pronounced it correctly.
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Oh, geez.
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Yeah, nobody pronounces it right, nobody spells it right.
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That's uh oh, I'm honored to be here.
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Now more than never.
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Yeah, yeah, I got it.
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Well, uh, you know, I a little background is for my listeners, and you know this.
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Like, I train wrecked your name in a video on my other channel, West Coast Avengers, and I apologized.
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I I put it on the screen.
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And there's a little asterisk.
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Yeah, yeah, little asterisk.
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And um honestly, the reason why I didn't write write down any questions is just because I needed to get your name pronounced right because everything else would crumble if I didn't.
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Well, it's all uh it's all downhill from here or uphill.
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I don't know.
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We'll find we'll find out.
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We'll find out.
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But uh you start off with such a high bar.
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Getting the name right is uh the challenge.
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I don't know if you grew up uh, you know, I I don't want to be stereotypical, but I don't know if you grew up a hockey fan, and and if you are a hockey fan, uh I grew up a huge hockey fan, and learning names was like a huge thing for me.
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You know, you got Swedish people, you've got Czech, Slovakian, Russians, uh, Finnish people, Canadians, like yeah, there are a lot of there's a lot of um lot of high bars for learning names in hockey.
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Yeah, definitely.
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Uh I have to admit I'm a terrible Canadian.
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Uh, you know, I I I don't follow hockey very well.
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Fair enough.
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Fair enough.
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Well then we'll just stop the hockey talk.
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Uh but um I do want to say but thanks for being here and uh congratulations on uh on your newly your newly engraved name in the Eisner, you know, in the Eisner lore for winning uh Eisner for assorted crisis events.
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Oh, thank you.
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It's uh yeah, it's pretty surreal.
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I uh I wasn't expecting to win at all.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Well it was kind of funny, like as soon as I landed the plane on the Thursday, the Friday before the convention, I got a message from Dennis basically saying, like, uh so I'm I'm on the plane on the tarmac, and I got a message saying, Oh, we won an Eisner.
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So uh yeah, found out almost 48 hours early.
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Yeah, that leak was kind of I mean, I it's funny.
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I saw you know people talking about the leak on threads and and on Instagram, and I was like, all right, let me look, you know, because I'm not nominated for an Eisner, and I saw you won, and I was like, yo, half split second was like, should I ask him if he knows he won?
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But then I didn't want to ruin it.
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But I'm I mean, like, how did that I mean, like, was that I don't know.
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I've never been part of something like that, and I not too many people have.
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Did it were you instantly happy or were you were you a little deflated because it was a leak?
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Oh, I was skeptical.
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I was like, I because like people didn't understand the leak right away.
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It was just somebody posted on Reddit.
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Yeah.
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Um, but it's funny, I I was staying at at uh San Diego with um my indie filmmaker friends, and they were working with uh Heidi McDonald's the beat.
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Oh yeah.
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And and so they they were in the room when I guess Heidi McDonald's phone blew up, and so they were they were hyper aware of all that.
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Uh and I ended up meeting up with them, but they were they had their lips sealed, like they're Eric probably hasn't even heard of this, and so they were kind of like bursting at the scenes, waiting for me to bring it up.
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And yeah, and and kind of foolishly, I was just like, oh, I don't know if you guys heard, but and then they just like exploded.
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Yeah.
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Congratulations.
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And but again, like I I was skeptical about it still.
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And uh I didn't I actually didn't really fully believe it until it happened.
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So uh in a way it was uh yeah.
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I mean it did it did relieve some of the nervousness and tension.
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Although although I'm I'm not good with uh public speaking or crowds, so I was still a nervous wreck the entire time.
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I I I kept my speed as short as possible.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Because I I just uh yeah, I'm I'm not uh I'm not good with public speaking.
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I don't I don't enjoy it.
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It's uh that's part of the reason why I created that podcast of mine is uh not for any other reason than to just A hang out with friends but also just get better at public speaking.
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Sure.
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You can only do that by doing it more, right?
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Yeah, yeah.
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I um yeah, it's very interesting because I never think about that because I'm just having a private conversation.
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It's not live until it's live, but then you know I've been doing live streams now for five, six years almost, and I did hosted one, moderated one panel, and uh it is it's a very interesting skill.
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Like I there are some people that are amazing at it.
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You just like you're born to talk in front of people.
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I'm envious of but it's uh I like talking, you know, and I uh clearly you do too.
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You wouldn't have had a YouTube channel if you don't like to at least converse with people.
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Yeah, as long as you can hide it as a conversation with friends, I suppose it makes it a lot easier.
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Um it's it's still tough for me, and as especially I I edit everything that I like, all the episodes of the show I do, and I I get to watch myself.
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And I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and so there's a lot of uh the self-loathing comes out.
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Um yeah, there's there's there's pieces of that that hit me sometimes, but then most of the times I just learn to be like, yeah, whatever.
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If you don't like, you know, if somebody if somebody doesn't like my weird imperfections, then you know they can go away.
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I like them sometimes.
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But um, I want to jump into talking about this book because you know, I I've said it multiple times to people in conversation on the channels and stuff.
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Um, assorted crisis events, I don't know.
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There's something about this book that I think breaks down the walls of what a comic book can or is expected to be in the best way possible.
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And I truly think, like in the terms of original books, it's the best thing I've read.
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And I don't even know.
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I don't even know if I'll I'll say a time limit, you know, in two decades, three decades, but it's the best thing that I've read in a long, long time.
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And I think in 10 years I'll still be talking about it.
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Oh, I'm honored because you're a very well-read comic reader.
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Yeah, I do read a lot.
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I do.
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Well, that's um that's very cool to hear.
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I mean, that that was kind of I think we me and Dennis wanted to create ambitious comics.
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Um there there are there were many goals involved with um a sort of crisis events, but like uh towards the top of the list was to create something ambitious and memorable, memorable and human.
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Um it's amazing the amount of people when I go to conventions come up and are very emotional about the book.
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Yeah.
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Because and it is a very emotional book, so it's understandable.
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Uh I I've been accused of being a robot from time to time, and uh, some of these scripts get me misty-eyed.
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Yeah.
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Oh man, I was uh there's so much to talk about.
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I do want to just kind of reel it back one question before we talk about the book is you as an artist, but you've also you've also done some writing, correct?
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Am I or am I off on that?
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Uh no, not really.
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Uh well, I mean, if you're going back to like 2009, I I wrote a short story, but it was a silent story, so I didn't have to do dialogue.
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But um yeah, I don't think I've written anything.
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I am potentially going to write some short things in the future though.
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Cool.
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But that's still up in the air.
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Well, in in that I was just kind of curious is not your first, like the first comic you read, but like do you remember the first comic that really like story-wise really stuck with you, and like the first artist that really kind of stuck with you and set you on a path, you know, to want to tell stories with pictures, um, you know, as as an artist?
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Oh, that's a good question.
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Uh yeah, when I was like I've been reading comics since I was uh three or four.
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I think when I was three, I was just cutting the comics up.
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Yeah.
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They were cutting up like Disney comics or or something, but then eventually you start reading them.
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Uh my mom was obsessed with romance novels, so she would go to the store to buy romance novels, and there was also a comic section, and so she'd buy something for us.
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Uh early on, I think I was really obsessed, like as a four or five-year-old, with the the Archie Ninja Turtles comics.
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Oh, yeah.
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And the continuity of that, the continued story, uh really blew my mind as as uh as a you know uh young mind.
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Uh but then of course this is a cliche, but the the 90s X-Men cartoon changed everything.
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Sure.
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Uh and uh I eventually became uh an X-Men kid.
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And as far as artists, that really blew me away was uh Joe Manarera.
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Because uh my first X-Men comic was uh issue 311, which was John Romita Jr.
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Uh and then the very next issue was the first Joe Manarera issue, and that uh that comic kind of blew my mind.
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Yeah, and he was like my favorite artist for the majority of my childhood, I think.
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That makes sense.
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I mean he spoke to it was like he was the first kind of stylistic change post all the guys leaving for image.
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Like they didn't, you know, and then he sets off a path of like all of these guys that were manga influenced or anime influenced, or looking at that kind of like, you know, I think I don't know if you were a video game kid at that time, but a lot of Marvel Capcom looking stuff uh in that era.
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Yeah.
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What's interesting is that I I didn't have a lot of that context.
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For me, it this this was just what X-Men comics should look like.
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I I do distinctly remember uh telling my local retailer that I love Joe Menerera, and and his response was like he's just an art artams ripoff.
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And like I I had no context for like the idea of an artist ripping off another artist, or or I didn't know who Art Adams was.
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Right.
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And and so it is funny now that I've you know gotten older and I've I've read the entire Claremont run, and I have the full context.
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I I can see just how much of a sea change Joe Matarera's art was.
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Yeah.
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Which must have been wild for anybody watching, because uh and I I do believe he got a lot of hate mail or whatever.
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Yeah, we all big change like that is going to.
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Yeah, but we all know who was on the right side of history.
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People don't look at Joe Madarera and say that guy stinks.
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Everybody looks at him like like like you're talking about him, like in in reverence.
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Um yeah, an entire generation grew up on those Joe Mad issues.
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Yeah, yeah, it was I rem and and like when you think about it in the context of you know, going from Jim Lee back to Johnny Romita Jr.
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and then to Madareira, like that's that's insane that change.
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Like those three, you know, because I don't think maybe Wills did an issue or two, and Jim to Wills makes sense, but Wills to Johnny Romita Jr.
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does, you know, like for if you're thinking about like the general reader, it wouldn't make sense to them.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Uh and I I actually I don't know if I loved the that John Romita Jr.
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stuff when I was a kid.
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I think I just liked everything, but I love that John Romita Jr.
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stuff right now.
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Oh yeah.
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Uh that because that was his second run, and he he has more of the boxy style for that second run, and yeah, it's so good.
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I love it so much.
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That era of JRJR is it's so stunning because like the X-Men, and then you go peel back like a year or two, Punisher War Journal, and uh I feel like he did the Batman Punisher around then too, and he was just remember there was a cable mini series that's legendary, yeah, yeah.
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Um all hell John Romita Jr.
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But you know, yeah.
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Whenever I see uh dislike for uh John Romito Jr., it I I yeah, it it kind of bugs me because he's you know, he's one of the best.
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He's uh uh I I I think he's my favorite Spider-Man artist.
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Oh wow.
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He's a great one.
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Um, you know, I think it's obvious to anybody that knows me who mine is, and like his name's Todd.
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Um, but I love, I mean, I own a couple of JRJR Spidey pages, so you know Oh man, from what era?
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Uh early 2000s.
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So um, you know, when they introduced Ezekiel and Moreland, where um I wasn't reading it then, but I do there's a lot of horror going on in those that era, uh like of his kind of style.
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And um I I really dig him.
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Or I dig the pages that I own.
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Yeah, he's one of the best.
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Yeah.
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Um, so yeah, I just wanted to kind of get into to that little early influence and you know, you in your first experience.
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Um, and then did you go on to explore like I you know, your it's interesting reading assorted crisis events, looking at your art.
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I can see that like you love certain artists, but it feels like there's did you take did you go to art school at all?
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Like there's there's something in there that I'm like I've never seen, especially in assorted crisis events, like kind of the way you do some layouts and in the stories, like it's just stuff I've never seen in comics before.
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Uh yeah, I mean, uh uh.
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Uh I I did so I I was a big Marvel zombie for throughout the 90s, and then in the 2000s I became a vertigo guy.
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Yeah.
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Uh I I read almost all all the vertigo books.
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A hundred bullets was my favorite uh book for a while.
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Um and yeah, I I'm uh just sort of obsessed with the medium, so I um I I read almost everything.
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And um I yeah, it it's it's tough because uh I don't know if I I don't know if I can say we're we're inventing anything.
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Or maybe we are.
00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:38.720
There were some things yeah, it's it's tough.
00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:39.200
It's tough.
00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:46.480
Uh sometimes I think about the stuff we sort of like I don't want to say ripped off, but we were like influenced by others.
00:18:46.720 --> 00:19:05.440
And then uh but there is uh you know creation is such a weird thing because we are the sum of our influences, and um yeah, I mean what it comes down to is uh we just come up with a visual theme and then and then rack our brains and uh work from there.
00:19:05.839 --> 00:19:18.000
And um yeah, it's uh it's it's tough for me to discuss because uh sometimes I I finish an issue and look back and go, I I don't know how this came about.
00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:24.240
Yeah, that was uh that was the joke I said to you the other day, is like I was just gonna ask you one question, how?
00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:42.640
Um because what's funny is that uh I I think I always sort of forget how difficult it is, and then I I hold the published comic in my hand, and I guess I'm very impressed by myself and think like, wow, that was easy, I'm a natural.
00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:45.519
And then I I start an issue.
00:19:45.759 --> 00:19:49.920
So Dennis just recently sent me the script for issue 10.
00:19:50.880 --> 00:19:58.880
And I I it it all comes back to me, and I'm suddenly remembering how this is how every issue starts, where uh I'm like, How the hell am I gonna pull this off?
00:19:59.039 --> 00:20:03.440
Like, what why does Dennis think this is uh something that can be done?
00:20:03.599 --> 00:20:07.920
Yeah, and there's a lot of struggle in the beginning, and I always seem to forget.
00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:11.920
I brought this story up, and my wife mentioned uh it, you know, childbirth.
00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:23.359
That's a a biological thing that uh uh women have, which is they they immediately forget how tough it was so that for the survival of the species they uh can do it again.
00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:24.559
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:20:24.640 --> 00:20:26.240
It's a memory wipe.
00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:36.799
Yeah, so uh I I think I have a bit of that with the sort of prices tense because um yeah, I yeah, I I'm at the beginning of issue 10 right now, and it's uh a bit of a challenge.
00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:50.720
Well, going into your collaboration with Dennis and also, you know, there's Jordi and there's Hassan, like this is a full-on, like it does feel extremely uh teamwork, makes the dream work kind of thing.
00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:54.240
But uh how did he approach you for this series?
00:20:54.319 --> 00:20:57.119
Like, what what was his pitch to you?
00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:08.079
Because like I was trying to I reread both trades over the last 24 hours, and I was trying to kind of picture it as like, how would you pitch this to somebody?
00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:10.720
Like, how would you you know how?
00:21:11.200 --> 00:21:20.000
Once again, that that word, how well it's interesting because uh I met Dennis like 10 years ago.
00:21:20.240 --> 00:21:31.200
He was just uh somebody coming up to my table at New York Comic-Con as I I was vaguely aware of uh some he was he was kind of in the journalism comic space.
00:21:31.440 --> 00:21:31.680
Okay.
00:21:31.839 --> 00:21:36.319
And I was I was vaguely aware of him, but we we um hit it off right away.
00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:50.640
We kind of became instant friends, and from that from there, like I I went home to Calgary and he uh you know we we maintained contact and we would text frequently.
00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:52.799
And I was very busy.
00:21:52.880 --> 00:22:05.440
Uh I did a twelve issue skybound thing, and then right after that I did two and a half years of uh A three-book young adult uh DC book, uh House of L.
00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:18.720
And and then uh right after that I did a couple short things here and there, and then it was like w by then it was like five or six years of friendship with Dennis, where we always talked about the craft of comics.
00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:22.720
Uh we were sort of sympatical in our belief of what comics should be.
00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:27.200
And for me, it always felt inevitable that we would create something together.
00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:33.599
Uh, and I think, yeah, I approached him of like, okay, let's create something.
00:22:33.680 --> 00:22:47.519
And I sent him kind of a mood board of like various images of comic pages and illustrations of just like this is what I visually want to work with, and so he can sort of mold an idea around that.
00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:56.240
And then he did, but it throughout that process, he also mentioned, oh, I'm developing this comic and I'm developing that comic.
00:22:56.319 --> 00:23:14.960
And one of them was uh like the time book that he described, and I I remember after he described that book, I was thinking about it a lot, and I eventually told him, like, actually, let's throw away my thing.
00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:21.359
Like, we we actually we we got fairly we're not too far ahead.
00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:27.759
Like, he he wrote up a pitch and I did some designs, but I said, let's throw that away, and I I want to do this time book.
00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:51.920
And I think he always envisioned he yeah, uh he has said quite a bit in interviews that he always envisioned me for this book, uh, because I'm I'm willing to do anything and everything, and most artists, most artists are gonna, you know, look at a script that has 20 panel pages or or or some sort of crazy experiment and just say, Yeah, no, I don't that's not funny.
00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:53.039
I don't want to do that.
00:23:53.279 --> 00:24:03.440
And so, and he knew I was up for that, and so I think he always envisioned me for it, but there was a sort of um, you know, I I proposed something else.
00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:07.920
So uh obviously you're not gonna say, well, forget about that, or how about this time book?
00:24:08.079 --> 00:24:15.759
Uh but somehow it it got into my head and I uh I said let's do this, and yeah, and it all worked out.
00:24:15.839 --> 00:24:16.240
It's great.
00:24:16.400 --> 00:24:16.799
I love it.
00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:20.240
In in some ways, uh like it's really tough.
00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:30.000
We have to reinvent ourselves every issue, every issue, and I'm you know, I'm I don't think I'm a natural, despite what what I was joking before, I don't think I'm a natural at this.
00:24:30.079 --> 00:24:35.039
I'm not a natural at like uh character design or anything.
00:24:35.119 --> 00:24:39.680
It like it's a lot easier to just have like a set cast and sure continue going.
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:43.359
But um, but yeah, I mean I I couldn't be happier.
00:24:43.440 --> 00:24:48.559
Uh it's it's always a struggle, and um I'm I'm immensely happy with the book.
00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:55.200
Well, for anybody that's listening or watching this, it's 22 minutes into the show, and they're like, what is this book?
00:24:55.359 --> 00:25:04.319
I I can only say each, I mean it's an anthology has a central uh maybe like uh what is it called?
00:25:04.400 --> 00:25:05.039
A constant.
00:25:05.119 --> 00:25:10.480
You know, if we're using some talk from one of the greatest lost episodes that has to do with time, uh a central constant.
00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:11.680
I'm a big lost fan.
00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:12.319
Me too.
00:25:12.640 --> 00:25:27.599
I could I knew you were a big lost fan because I'm I'm reading this and I'm I'm just thinking like it's such an interesting thing because Dennis is writing these great stories, but they wouldn't work if you weren't playing with the format the way you're doing.
00:25:27.839 --> 00:25:37.920
That's I think that's one of most interesting things is that the format, you've got oh, is it the loop story, this this the last story on the first trade?
00:25:38.559 --> 00:25:48.240
I mean, you're turning the book, and I was even playing around in reading format and seeing like the way that you're constructing the page.
00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:56.000
And you know, I I don't know how you're working with Hassan with the lettering, but are you kind of like laying out where the lettering should be?
00:25:56.160 --> 00:26:07.279
Is he because like you can read some of those pages in reverse, you can read them in any order, and that's part of due to like the way that you're laying the image out on the page.
00:26:08.319 --> 00:26:12.640
Yeah, and part of that is just how much work Dennis is putting into these scripts.
00:26:12.880 --> 00:26:31.680
Uh, I was I was talking to some young writers at a convention, and uh, you know, there there could be there, I like who knows what anybody's perception is, but I I just want to like set the record straight that like Dennis is an incredibly hard worker, probably one of the hardest workers in comics.
00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:32.160
Oh, yeah.
00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:39.359
I think for every script that he writes, if the average writer is doing three drafts, he's doing seven.
00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:45.839
And for every script he writes, he's reading two or three books.
00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:51.440
And it he's just he's just working harder than than anybody else.
00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:55.680
And he's just putting so much thought in a sort of crisis events into the visuals.
00:26:55.839 --> 00:27:00.720
So I get like a um we discuss things as he's writing it.
00:27:01.279 --> 00:27:15.680
Uh there's a bit of a back and forth, but uh I get a script that is just like there's an immense thought put into the visual identity of this particular issue and and the influences and um what should be done.
00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:20.559
And and from there, it's it's sort of like here are the suggestions.
00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:22.160
I don't know if it's possible.
00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:24.000
Uh now you get to figure it out.
00:27:24.079 --> 00:27:31.119
Yeah, and and um sometimes the stuff isn't quite possible, and sometimes it's possible if I shift things over.
00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:43.440
And so it it's it's always um it is definitely a collaboration, and that goes goes with everybody on the team that uh uh we hand it off to Jordi and she does her magic for the most part.
00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:44.720
We just let her cook.
00:27:47.200 --> 00:27:49.440
And um same with Haas.
00:27:50.079 --> 00:27:52.000
I do do rough letters.
00:27:52.160 --> 00:28:00.559
I I like the idea of I like one of the first things I do is put letters down, like so that I can read the page.
00:28:00.720 --> 00:28:14.880
Uh I just want to be able to read it to to be able to read the comic and not have like the disconnect, like a lot of artists will have the script on one screen or or print it out and then the the page and then they can go back and forth, but I I just want to be able to read it as a comic.
00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:23.440
Uh I I do create like a rough version of the comic that like that I send over to Dennis and and we read it together.
00:28:23.519 --> 00:28:29.599
And um, you know, I I want to be able to read it's sort of the Pixar method.
00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:35.599
Uh Pixar, they they make the movie like seven times before they make the final movie.
00:28:35.759 --> 00:28:36.400
Right.
00:28:36.720 --> 00:28:46.400
They they do the the storyboard version and they um put it all together in a video and then they all sit in a theater and watch the storyboard version and then they pick it apart and then they watch the animatic.
00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:50.319
And it's like everybody all the entire animation team is in a theater watching the animatic.
00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:52.400
It's incredible and picking apart what doesn't work.
00:28:52.559 --> 00:29:03.440
And so I I kind of do that with uh with my comics as well, where we I create a comic at every stage just to read it and see what works and doesn't work.
00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:15.200
Uh in in the reading experience, like I think if if 99% of comics people tried to make this book, you wouldn't be able to read it.
00:29:15.359 --> 00:29:23.839
And somehow that what you and Dennis are doing with you know what you just said, this kind of process, like I found multiple ways to read some of these stories.
00:29:24.079 --> 00:29:35.599
And and and I've heard you say it before, like you there's intentional things that you do to like kind of slow down the reader, and I was very cognizant of that, rereading everything kind of over the last 24 hours.
00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:50.799
Um, but these stories, like I can't imagine anybody any other team being able to construct them visually and you know, thematically and narratively, and have them be like make sense, and and it does.
00:29:51.039 --> 00:29:59.920
And that loop story you said, like, I don't know how you felt when you first read that, but the second time I read it is when it really hit me emotionally.
00:30:00.240 --> 00:30:06.000
Because that like, you know, there's there's aspects of it of abuse in some way, shape, or form.
00:30:06.079 --> 00:30:17.200
And I, you know, I I was I've been sober for 12 years, but there's certain lines in there and certain images in there that I was like, yeah, it is kind of a cycle, and time just never, yeah, it's just a cycle.
00:30:17.359 --> 00:30:18.880
You gotta get out of it.
00:30:19.680 --> 00:30:26.880
Yeah, yeah, that's uh that's one of the scripts that uh that got me a little misty-eyed, especially at the end.
00:30:27.119 --> 00:30:27.440
Yeah.
00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:29.599
Yeah, I kind of I don't want to spoil it.
00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:36.799
I I I I would love people to go and read it, but um that's actually my favorite issue out of all of them.
00:30:37.200 --> 00:30:49.279
And uh when I got that script, I I I loved it so much and I said, okay, I'm gonna make the best possible comic I can possibly make, because this this uh that's happened a couple times.
00:30:49.359 --> 00:30:53.359
I got the script for issue three and basically said this is the best script I've ever gotten.
00:30:53.599 --> 00:30:56.079
I I need to I need to nail this.
00:30:56.240 --> 00:31:14.799
And um yeah, it is it's I feel so incredibly fortunate to be getting these scripts, and you know, I I I'm just trying to um you know appreciate the moment because uh uh I don't know if it'll always be like this.
00:31:15.519 --> 00:31:31.039
Uh where you know uh people have long careers, and um you know, just just to just to get scripts that I am overjoyed to work with and that have create an emotional reaction out of me is uh you know, it's the dream.
00:31:31.519 --> 00:31:37.359
And um I I should say I should say these Dennis doesn't write these in like a month.
00:31:37.599 --> 00:31:43.839
Like he spends he spends like two or three months writing a sort of crisis band script.
00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:52.799
And um so so the it's funny, we had seven issues come out in 2025, but that was three years work.
00:31:53.119 --> 00:31:53.759
Wow.
00:31:54.319 --> 00:32:04.799
And uh I'd imagine it looked very impressive, like, especially because their first issue is 40 pages, uh, every other issue is 30 pages.
00:32:05.200 --> 00:32:13.839
Uh you know, I crammed a lot of detail on there, and um yeah, uh going forward, we're gonna have a lot less issues come out a year.
00:32:14.079 --> 00:32:14.640
That makes sense.
00:32:14.960 --> 00:32:25.119
But uh, and and the point I'm trying to make with that is that um I don't care how long Dennis takes to write these, as long as they're still this good, like uh I have no complaints.
00:32:25.519 --> 00:32:26.160
Right, right.
00:32:26.319 --> 00:32:28.160
Like you're you're having a good time doing it.
00:32:28.240 --> 00:32:39.680
It's coming off on the page that you are, and I just want to make people aware the second trade uh just came out like a week ago, last week, I believe, uh, which contains issues what six through nine.
00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:49.200
But it's like you said, it there's well there's a part of it where like you can, yeah, you know, you you're slowing the reader down.
00:32:49.279 --> 00:32:55.279
I really enjoyed the uh it seems like you had a lot of fun with the gutters issue, but I don't I don't want to put words in your mouth.
00:32:55.440 --> 00:32:59.039
But that that gutters issue, uh I think it's seven or eight.
00:32:59.200 --> 00:33:03.039
Um it's very it's for all comics fans.
00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:07.200
Yeah, very influenced by the work of Scott McLeod.
00:33:07.440 --> 00:33:09.279
I knew I knew you were gonna say that.
00:33:09.440 --> 00:33:11.359
I was hoping you were gonna say that.
00:33:11.920 --> 00:33:21.920
And it was very cool because we were at San Diego, we did a uh a panel, uh, me, Dennis, Stepan, uh, moderated by Scott Snyder.
00:33:22.400 --> 00:33:29.599
And and we ran out of time, so Dennis went outside to talk with all the people who didn't get a chance to ask questions.
00:33:29.839 --> 00:33:38.640
And while I was waiting around, uh, somebody came up to me and uh introduced themselves and said they're they're a fan, and it was Scott McLeod.
00:33:38.880 --> 00:33:40.559
I I you know I didn't recognize him.
00:33:40.640 --> 00:33:42.799
He didn't look like his uh his avatar.
00:33:43.440 --> 00:33:56.160
But uh yeah, it was amazing because he we while we were working on it, me and Dennis were kind of discussing like is he is Scott McLeod gonna hate us for this?
00:33:56.319 --> 00:33:57.119
Is he gonna like it?
00:33:57.279 --> 00:33:59.680
Is he gonna have some issues with this?
00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:05.599
Maybe we're like ripping him off, or or just like we don't you never know how anybody's gonna feel about it.
00:34:05.759 --> 00:34:09.039
And um and he actually enjoyed it, he he loved it.
00:34:09.119 --> 00:34:10.239
So that's awesome.
00:34:10.480 --> 00:34:13.840
Yeah, that was just an honor, honor to hear, especially.
00:34:14.480 --> 00:34:16.719
I mean, I I don't have to sing his praise.
00:34:16.800 --> 00:34:18.719
Like he's a man who needs no introduction, right?
00:34:18.800 --> 00:34:27.119
Yeah, understanding comics is the Bible when it comes to uh understanding comics and making comics and what you can do with comics.
00:34:27.360 --> 00:34:29.280
Yeah, just a staggering piece of work.
00:34:29.440 --> 00:34:30.079
Yeah, yeah.
00:34:30.239 --> 00:34:35.440
I uh it's funny because I I totally forgot to even just like mention it.
00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:45.760
I you know, I I was just re-watching two weeks ago the K Fabe uh episode on understanding comics, and it clicked because it's the first time I'd seen that episode since the book came out.
00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:49.519
I was like, oh, this this is this book.
00:34:50.239 --> 00:34:53.920
I mean, do is that a book that fell into your hands pretty early in your life?
00:34:54.239 --> 00:35:03.920
Is it something that you've you know, you've kind of and you and Dennis, like is that something that was even talked about before the series started between the two of you?
00:35:05.599 --> 00:35:14.320
Uh I do remember discovering it discovering it at a local library and just um yeah, just uh reading it.
00:35:14.400 --> 00:35:17.679
Uh I was always in the comic section of the library.
00:35:17.840 --> 00:35:25.679
Uh, and I think I read it like multiple times over along like the hours and hours that we were hanging out in the library.
00:35:25.840 --> 00:35:26.719
Uh when I was young.
00:35:26.880 --> 00:35:31.840
I don't know what age, but um, yeah, it did kind of blow my mind as a kid.
00:35:32.159 --> 00:35:38.639
And uh so much so that it kind of got engraved in my mind, and I I didn't really own the book until like a couple of years.
00:35:38.880 --> 00:35:48.320
I realized that like yeah, I I kind of like took it for granted that it existed and didn't really um after a while I realized, oh, I should actually own this book.
00:35:48.559 --> 00:35:50.480
So yeah, I have it somewhere here.
00:35:51.199 --> 00:35:55.119
Yeah, it's uh that's a book that needs to be in every comic artist's uh library.
00:35:55.360 --> 00:35:58.559
Yes, and it should be in every also public library too.
00:35:58.719 --> 00:36:00.400
It should be in every comic store too.
00:36:00.639 --> 00:36:03.199
Very grateful for that when I was a kid.
00:36:03.519 --> 00:36:07.039
Yeah, that's uh you know, it's it's definitely one of those things that I noticed.
00:36:07.119 --> 00:36:16.400
And and you know, like you'd said, you know, there's there's things in there thematically and and stuff that I'm like, oh man, I you know, I wonder if this is an influence or I wonder if that's an influence.
00:36:16.559 --> 00:36:31.039
But this book gives, yeah, I I just I've never experienced a comic that can really convey, you know, there's there's emotion that like if you're invested in a character, you know, they can put you through the ringer.
00:36:31.280 --> 00:36:36.000
I think about like, you know, Tim Sale and Jeff Loeb with um Spider-Man Blue and stuff like that.
00:36:36.159 --> 00:36:53.199
But this is you know, what Dennis is doing and what you're able to convey visually, um, you introduce a character, and by the end of this story, you've put the reader through a journey that's evoking emotion.
00:36:53.440 --> 00:37:01.119
I think about the uh is it the second or third issue with the um with the uh I don't even know what to call it, the slaughterhouse.
00:37:01.599 --> 00:37:03.360
Yeah, slaughterhouse nine to five.
00:37:03.760 --> 00:37:04.960
Yeah my god.
00:37:05.119 --> 00:37:07.280
You know, I read that was a rough one to research.
00:37:07.599 --> 00:37:08.159
I bet.
00:37:08.400 --> 00:37:09.280
Oh man.
00:37:09.599 --> 00:37:17.519
And yeah, you're doing, I mean, like the dinosaur, the cows, like you're yeah, you got it, you're you're you're pretty on point with with your design.
00:37:17.760 --> 00:37:25.119
Um do you think you could have even approached the series uh doing traditional because it it's all digital?
00:37:25.199 --> 00:37:27.679
Like, would it even be a thing that you could do?
00:37:29.519 --> 00:37:38.480
Yeah, I mean, for me, uh, I should say that uh a sort of crystal minutes is like 95% digital.
00:37:38.719 --> 00:37:43.920
Uh I I can do everything traditional, but it just takes so much longer.
00:37:44.639 --> 00:37:54.000
Uh just because like the the layout stage is such a long pro yeah, I mean yeah, and I'm a bit of a perfectionist.
00:37:54.239 --> 00:38:00.320
Uh even when I do traditional pages, I scan it, bring it into the computer, and do heavy edits.
00:38:00.960 --> 00:38:13.280
Um I so with issue eight, that's when I decided to start doing some traditional pages, especially because people kept reaching out and saying, you know, are any of these available?
00:38:13.519 --> 00:38:21.119
And if only to provide something for collectors who who just want a piece of the book, I decided I should give this a try.
00:38:21.360 --> 00:38:25.440
And I got seven pages in, and it felt like I was moving in slow motion.
00:38:25.760 --> 00:38:32.320
So um I went back to digital for the rest of the issue, and then same thing with number nine.
00:38:32.559 --> 00:38:33.599
I tried again.
00:38:33.679 --> 00:38:38.320
Okay, I'm gonna try and do this traditional, and again, I got seven pages in.
00:38:38.480 --> 00:38:44.000
And um yeah, it you know, it you I just have to get these issues done.
00:38:44.320 --> 00:38:53.760
And um I do wish I did own more, and it's funny, I I did it under the guise of like I I should probably sell these, and now I kind of don't want to sell them.
00:38:53.840 --> 00:39:07.360
I've had a lot of people reach out, and I I did I did realize that um anytime I learned that a creator had kept their original pages uh for decades, I was always impressed.
00:39:07.519 --> 00:39:07.679
Yeah.
00:39:08.480 --> 00:39:09.440
Oh, wait, wait a go.
00:39:09.519 --> 00:39:10.239
Good for you.
00:39:10.480 --> 00:39:15.199
And then I thought to myself, well, shouldn't I be proud of uh my future self as well?
00:39:15.280 --> 00:39:16.639
Like, shouldn't I apply that to myself?
00:39:16.800 --> 00:39:18.159
Should I keep these pages?
00:39:18.400 --> 00:39:29.440
Um, so I'll but I'll probably keep the early pages, the ones I did for eight and nine, and then I'll probably continue doing like seven pages an issue or or whatever.
00:39:29.599 --> 00:39:31.599
Hopefully I can get past page seven next time.
00:39:31.679 --> 00:39:31.920
Yeah.
00:39:32.079 --> 00:39:36.400
Uh and then I'll probably start selling them after that.
00:39:37.519 --> 00:39:38.239
But I'm not sure.
00:39:38.480 --> 00:39:39.360
I'll buy one.
00:39:39.599 --> 00:39:41.199
Uh yeah.
00:39:41.679 --> 00:39:50.800
Uh yeah, and I and you know, I look at some of these stories and you do a lot of, you know, like the bodies episode, I forget what the or the bodies uh issue after.
00:39:51.840 --> 00:39:58.559
Yeah, like you're you you couldn't you couldn't draw that many times.
00:39:58.639 --> 00:40:05.519
Like, I can't imagine drawing that same body curled up in a fetal position or missing a head or missing it out, like over and over and over.
00:40:05.599 --> 00:40:14.159
And you do a lot of mirror image, you know, because this plays with time, so you know, the everything about it, there's a lot of like mirror imaging.
00:40:14.239 --> 00:40:22.000
I was thinking about uh I guess it was loops, it was she's in like the same position in that center page for the first you know five or six pages.
00:40:22.239 --> 00:40:31.360
It's like to and then she's having uh flashbacks, and so we reuse uh the pages page one a bit for her flashbacks.
00:40:31.599 --> 00:40:32.159
Yeah, yeah.
00:40:32.239 --> 00:40:35.039
So I was just like I'm very cognizant while I was reading.
00:40:35.119 --> 00:40:41.679
I'm like, you know, knowing what I know about artists, I knowing how you know long it takes to draw a page.
00:40:41.840 --> 00:40:48.880
Uh yeah, I I it would have it would have been you'd probably go crazy trying to draw the same thing over and over and over and over.
00:40:50.159 --> 00:40:50.559
Yeah.
00:40:51.360 --> 00:40:52.239
I'm up for the challenge.
00:40:52.320 --> 00:40:55.760
I'm a I'm a glutton for punishment, but uh it's just time.
00:40:56.079 --> 00:40:59.199
Yeah, time is always the uh the problem.
00:40:59.760 --> 00:41:02.639
Especially now that um now that we've slowed down a bit.
00:41:02.800 --> 00:41:07.440
I'm uh very conscious of people constantly asking for the next issue.
00:41:07.599 --> 00:41:13.360
And um yeah, um I I want to get this stuff done and get it out there.
00:41:13.679 --> 00:41:17.840
Of course, of course, but you know, this stuff, what is it?
00:41:17.920 --> 00:41:21.920
Rome wasn't built in a day, neither was assorted crisis events.
00:41:26.880 --> 00:41:27.760
Oh, hello there.
00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:29.199
We'll get right back to the video.
00:41:29.360 --> 00:41:35.199
I want to let you know that I have a Patreon that supports both of my channels, Direct Edition and West Coast Avengers.
00:41:35.360 --> 00:41:38.239
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00:41:38.400 --> 00:41:40.400
You get bonus videos from both channels.
00:41:40.559 --> 00:41:51.519
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00:41:51.679 --> 00:41:55.599
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00:41:55.760 --> 00:41:57.119
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00:41:57.280 --> 00:42:02.480
Direct Dave Engerinos, that's my Patreon, five dollars a month, and now back to the video.
00:42:04.880 --> 00:42:14.159
I went to a couple conventions and I did have a lot of people, a lot of readers tell me that they are willing to wait as long as it's good.
00:42:14.400 --> 00:42:23.119
And that because it's an anthology, it's uh it it's uh it's fine if it's not monthly, or if it's fine if there's only other four issues a year.
00:42:23.280 --> 00:42:32.480
But it is it is something I am uh concerned about, especially it does feel like we're um I guess on the upswing.
00:42:32.639 --> 00:42:38.800
And it does feel like there is a bit of hype, and so now that we're like slowing down, it's a it's source of stress.
00:42:39.199 --> 00:42:41.119
Yeah, I I I can understand that.
00:42:41.199 --> 00:42:45.760
I mean, like I agree with the what you were saying, just you know, talking to people about waiting.
00:42:45.840 --> 00:42:56.880
I'm fine waiting, like because I find so much value in the reread that like if I need my fixing, just go back and read any one of the stories.
00:42:57.920 --> 00:43:05.440
Yeah, and I think they're um they're meant to be reread because you can up on new details with every issue.
00:43:05.599 --> 00:43:14.960
I like I do hide a lot of things, and Dennis has such uh these scripts are so rich, yeah, that there's there's always extra details waiting waiting to be found.
00:43:15.280 --> 00:43:19.360
Yeah, like uh on the reread, I noticed one of your hairless cats in there.
00:43:19.440 --> 00:43:23.280
I don't I didn't notice more than one, but I noticed one of your hairless cats in there.
00:43:23.840 --> 00:43:32.719
That was uh so that was in the first issue, and very early on I I was like, you know, Tom McFarland has had his Felix the Cat thing.
00:43:33.199 --> 00:43:37.840
And so sometimes I think about that, and so I was like, I'll put a hairless cat in every issue.
00:43:38.000 --> 00:43:40.559
Uh but then after the first issue I forgot.
00:43:41.360 --> 00:43:46.239
So I uh maybe I can make maybe I can start that up again.
00:43:46.320 --> 00:43:49.840
And so like every issue post issue 10 will uh have a hairless cat.
00:43:50.239 --> 00:43:52.639
Um yeah, those are those are my babies.
00:43:52.800 --> 00:43:54.800
I uh I love them so much.
00:43:55.840 --> 00:43:59.760
And and I think that's you know, like there is a lot of stuff that I noticed in the background.
00:44:00.079 --> 00:44:00.320
Background.
00:44:00.400 --> 00:44:02.559
And I do want to ask about that specifically.
00:44:02.719 --> 00:44:09.119
Like I don't know what the terminology is, but like there's a lot of background stuff that's shaded differently.
00:44:09.280 --> 00:44:11.199
The foreground stuff is bolder.
00:44:11.440 --> 00:44:13.440
Um working with Jordi.
00:44:13.599 --> 00:44:18.079
Like, is that you know, there's a lot of the colors do a lot of that.
00:44:18.320 --> 00:44:21.280
Is that just the note that you gave at the beginning of the series?
00:44:21.440 --> 00:44:29.280
Like, you know, like this is how I kind of want it to look, or is she just kind of making that choice based off of what you're sending her?
00:44:30.400 --> 00:44:33.280
Uh I think that was the visual style that she came up with.
00:44:33.519 --> 00:44:46.000
Which actually, um actually, I colored the I color all the covers, and I guess I colored the first colour cover that way, so she might have gotten that from the first issue cover.
00:44:46.480 --> 00:44:49.039
Although that's more, yeah, I'm not sure.
00:44:49.280 --> 00:44:54.639
Um because when she did it, it just seems so bold and and new and fresh.
00:44:54.800 --> 00:44:54.960
Yeah.
00:44:55.199 --> 00:44:58.320
And so it just seems like wholly her.
00:44:59.039 --> 00:45:03.760
And and it it from my memory or whatever, she came up with that.
00:45:03.840 --> 00:45:08.400
And it it's it's a very important part of the visual identity of the book.
00:45:08.639 --> 00:45:13.599
It um in a book where like everything's constantly changing, I like that consistent element.
00:45:14.239 --> 00:45:24.480
Uh, because it's good to have certain visual consistency, and um, yeah, like Geordie's work is is so important to the entire book, I think.
00:45:24.800 --> 00:45:37.440
She's an absolute legend, and you know, it does really help move it it helps in uh yeah, uh prepare the reader for impact or make the impact felt a little bit more.
00:45:37.840 --> 00:45:48.800
And I think that's super important with a book like this because there's so many different aspects to the impact, whether it's the story, whether it's the art, whether it's the background interacting with the foreground.
00:45:48.880 --> 00:45:50.960
So yeah, I don't really dig that.
00:45:51.360 --> 00:46:03.280
The fact that we got Jordi on the book was because so we started developing this Dennis's uh biggest book at that point was Bloodshot.
00:46:03.360 --> 00:46:07.119
That was his first like big break after an indie indie book.
00:46:07.440 --> 00:46:31.360
He did an indie book like five years prior to that, and and of course 20th century man, but uh Bloodshot was uh his big break, and he wasn't that well known, and I I wasn't well known, so just the fact that we got Geordie, who's like they they need to rename the best colorist award at the Eisners to the Jordy Belair Award, because she wins like oh like almost every year, yeah.
00:46:31.519 --> 00:46:39.360
Um but it felt like a coup, us getting her, and and Haas as well, one of the best letterers in in comics.
00:46:39.599 --> 00:46:48.719
But um part of that was because uh I did a fill-in on Bloodshot, and the uh it's it's Bloodshot Unleashed number four.
00:46:49.519 --> 00:46:53.920
That's kind of the proto uh a sort of crisis vents issue.
00:46:54.159 --> 00:46:54.800
I'll have to track it out.
00:46:57.039 --> 00:47:02.000
I'm I'm very proud of that issue, but it's I don't think anybody's read it.
00:47:02.079 --> 00:47:03.920
I think it has an incredibly low print run.
00:47:04.000 --> 00:47:04.559
Yeah.
00:47:04.800 --> 00:47:08.159
And uh that was basically just as valiant.
00:47:08.400 --> 00:47:16.880
I I don't know what happened, but there was a bit of a collapse because right after that they sort of licensed it out to alien books or something.
00:47:17.119 --> 00:47:22.719
But um even when the issue came out, like I couldn't find it at my local comic shop.
00:47:22.880 --> 00:47:23.519
I couldn't get it.
00:47:23.679 --> 00:47:25.199
Yeah, those books are tough.
00:47:26.079 --> 00:47:31.119
Yeah, like that that particular issue I I think is um very hard to find.
00:47:31.199 --> 00:47:45.199
But uh, if if anybody's interested in like the the sort of uh proto sort of crisis events comic where it has the entire team on it, it's got Dennis, me, Jordy Haas uh just doing our thing.
00:47:45.280 --> 00:47:46.639
It's a very emotional issue.
00:47:47.360 --> 00:47:56.719
And uh and yeah, I I I found a new way to do like alternating flashbacks, which is really cool.
00:47:56.960 --> 00:48:00.320
Um yeah, yeah, I'm I'm pretty proud of that issue.
00:48:00.559 --> 00:48:35.519
And you know, when you start to reread it and you go, you know, second or third time or whatever, you really start to see the team effort and like who's you know, like it's it it it's just I think that part of reading comics is an added bonus, you know, when you can see who's doing what and you understand like that's why it's working so well, because you know I think we're a lot used to the the Marvel method kind of thing or like that that kind of storytelling that it's just it works for some people and and a lot of people don't understand it.
00:48:36.079 --> 00:48:50.000
Yeah, and everybody wants to work differently, and that that's the interesting thing about Dennis is that he I think a lot of writers say that they approach the script based on the artist, but I I I don't know if that's always true.
00:48:50.159 --> 00:49:06.000
I think it's just a thing you're supposed to say, which I don't know if I should be saying that out loud, but uh um most writers have their set way of doing things and it it it you trained your entire life uh to do your craft, right?
00:49:06.079 --> 00:49:09.679
And so it it's it's hard to to change on a dime.
00:49:09.760 --> 00:49:22.960
But Dennis actually does change his change how he writes a script based on who he's he's working, because how he works with Stepan is completely different than how he works with me, is completely different from how he works with Javier.
00:49:23.199 --> 00:49:23.840
Yeah.
00:49:24.320 --> 00:49:33.280
And um with with Javier, it's it's a little uh it's a little more uh open.
00:49:33.599 --> 00:49:35.760
And with Stepan, it's very open.
00:49:35.840 --> 00:49:39.199
Like Stepan makes a lot of changes to the script.
00:49:39.440 --> 00:49:47.360
Sometimes Dennis throws out entire arcs because Stepan like swerved in a completely different direction, and like and and Dennis loves it.
00:49:47.440 --> 00:49:47.760
Yeah.
00:49:48.000 --> 00:49:50.880
Um and but me, I love a full script.
00:49:50.960 --> 00:49:57.039
I love uh um for me, it was always about the dialogue and the acting.
00:49:57.119 --> 00:50:03.280
Like, I need that dialogue there to know exactly how the characters are going to act.
00:50:03.440 --> 00:50:12.800
It Marvel Method is is very unusual because you can go re-read those 80s comics and you can sometimes see the dialogue fighting with the art.
00:50:13.119 --> 00:50:26.000
Yes, where like Chris Claremont is explaining well the you know, the thing I am doing as a character doesn't make any sense, and let me monologue as to why.
00:50:26.960 --> 00:50:32.400
Yeah, I think one of the famous ones is like Silock, where Silock is a telepath.
00:50:32.559 --> 00:50:51.199
Yeah, and and I guess Jim Lee just wants to draw her as a badass ninja using a sword, and so Claremont would have monologues of just like, well, it makes no sense that as a telepath I would get this close in battle, but and it's a long monologue explaining why I guess she loves the thrill of the battle or something.
00:50:52.000 --> 00:51:09.920
Yeah, it's kind I mean that is one of the reasons why I struggle to read that era of comics, like the art I love, but you know, after 26 you know boxes of thoughts or yeah, monologues, I'm just like, okay, I I could have just read a book.
00:51:11.920 --> 00:51:15.199
I I I really love those comics, but they are very dated.
00:51:15.360 --> 00:51:15.679
Yes.
00:51:15.840 --> 00:51:26.239
There is uh there's a quality to them, and that is very dated, and you know, uh ideally as a creator you want to be creating something timeless.
00:51:26.639 --> 00:51:36.079
And and there are aspects of the medium where you know there are qualities you want to avoid from that era if you want to be timeless, uh, I should say.
00:51:36.559 --> 00:51:43.920
Yeah, I think I think that's why the vertigo era that you were, you know, you said you read through, and I've read all you know 85% of it.
00:51:44.000 --> 00:51:46.559
All I would say most of it's timeless, you know?
00:51:46.719 --> 00:51:47.519
It it really is.
00:51:48.000 --> 00:51:48.400
It really is.
00:51:50.000 --> 00:51:53.920
I was rereading some 100 bullets recently, and yeah, it really holds up.
00:51:54.079 --> 00:52:04.880
I will say, like, the the one thing I'm always been aware of, and is that like the thing that dates your comic more than anything is uh what the cell phone looks like.
00:52:05.119 --> 00:52:11.920
And I've tried to avoid that, but but I think in issue nine we did have a cell phone very prominent.
00:52:12.000 --> 00:52:12.320
Yeah.
00:52:12.559 --> 00:52:16.320
And uh like there's not really any way around that.
00:52:16.480 --> 00:52:21.599
There's not way of creating like a universal, like I don't know what phones are gonna look like in 20 years.
00:52:24.000 --> 00:52:26.239
They'll probably be injected in your brain or something.
00:52:27.119 --> 00:52:36.880
So so in that way, like uh I I hope that Osar Christ events will be timeless, but the cell phones are always gonna get us.
00:52:37.280 --> 00:52:39.760
Well, I mean, I think I don't know.
00:52:39.840 --> 00:52:52.719
It's it there is a piece of that that if the story itself is timeless, like your brain's not gonna be like, oh, this doesn't make sense because of the cell phone, it's just gonna accept it, you know.
00:52:52.800 --> 00:52:56.880
Like Yeah, I like you could be drawing a period piece, right?
00:52:57.119 --> 00:52:57.360
Right.
00:52:57.519 --> 00:53:03.679
I mean, look, assorted crisis events is that time is you know kind of just breaking down.
00:53:03.920 --> 00:53:07.039
So in essence, it'll always be timeless.
00:53:07.519 --> 00:53:08.559
That's a good point.
00:53:08.639 --> 00:53:09.599
I think I'll use that.
00:53:09.920 --> 00:53:10.559
There you go.
00:53:10.800 --> 00:53:11.360
There you go.
00:53:11.519 --> 00:53:14.239
The next trade paperback or the hardcover collection.
00:53:14.719 --> 00:53:17.119
Yeah, it's built into the uh the concept.
00:53:17.360 --> 00:53:18.159
Yeah, yeah.
00:53:18.400 --> 00:53:34.960
Uh, but it just is such, I mean, like I I want to if if if I had an endless source of money, uh, I would have contacted Image and been like, look, send me 15 cases of the first trade, and I'll just give them to everybody that buys a book for me.
00:53:35.039 --> 00:53:41.280
Like everybody should be reading Assorted Crisis events because I'll say it again.
00:53:41.599 --> 00:53:44.559
Whatever you think a comic book can be, this smashes that.
00:53:44.800 --> 00:53:48.079
And what you think a comic book can't be, it smashes that.
00:53:48.480 --> 00:53:49.599
Oh, thank you so much.
00:53:50.079 --> 00:53:54.079
It is interesting because I go to these conventions and uh it is a word of mouth book.
00:53:54.239 --> 00:53:54.559
Yeah.
00:53:54.800 --> 00:53:58.000
Like we were not a high seller right off the bat.
00:53:58.719 --> 00:54:01.920
We're still not like uh sales aren't like we're not getting rich.
00:54:02.800 --> 00:54:11.920
We're we're doing we're doing all right, but um uh it's one of those books that sales have gone up, which is extremely rare in comics, and it's all word of mouth.
00:54:12.000 --> 00:54:24.559
I go to these conventions and I hear people say all the time, like, oh, my friend was pestering me to read this for the longest time, or or people say that I bought extra copies just to give to friends.
00:54:25.119 --> 00:54:32.559
And um that's very cool that uh that's how people are discovering it is uh through recommendations.
00:54:33.280 --> 00:54:46.559
And uh it is it is wild to see that like yeah, uh issue eight is when things sort of like started skyrocketing rocketing, and then issue nine was late by four months, but it we quadrupled sales.
00:54:47.199 --> 00:55:02.000
That's kind of unheard of, especially like, yeah, for you know, there's there's some books that have come out in the last 25 years that people know, you know, like I think it was Walking Dead that like it went down and then it just started going like this, um, which is rare.
00:55:02.239 --> 00:55:04.639
And for me, I'll I forgot to tell you this.
00:55:04.719 --> 00:55:06.000
This is hilarious.
00:55:06.320 --> 00:55:13.599
You know, my my story in Tacoma Stargazer comics, like that's where I get everything, then that's where I picked up the first trade.
00:55:13.760 --> 00:55:19.039
But when I first started hearing about the book, you'll you'll laugh at this.
00:55:19.199 --> 00:55:21.519
I'm hearing, like, oh, you gotta read a story to crisis events.
00:55:21.599 --> 00:55:24.559
I'm like, I don't want to read another DC Crisis crossover.
00:55:25.679 --> 00:55:26.880
We heard that a lot, actually.
00:55:27.039 --> 00:55:43.440
Well, because right, because like if you don't see the book and nobody tells you who's publishing it, they kind of own in comics the word crisis, whereas like uh Marvel kind of owns the word infinity, you know, like those you kind of hear those words or war.
00:55:43.840 --> 00:55:45.119
Or war, yeah, yeah.
00:55:45.280 --> 00:55:55.440
And so I was just like, oh, you know, I'm hearing about Dennis, you know, because he's doing ultimate and he's doing this, and and I'm just like, yeah, I don't know if I want to dive into another DC crossover.
00:55:55.599 --> 00:55:59.679
And then I saw the book and I'm like, oh, this is this is not a DC book.
00:55:59.760 --> 00:56:01.039
I will read it.
00:56:02.400 --> 00:56:09.760
Yeah, we did hear a lot of that of um, you know, readers calling their store saying I'd like assorted crisis events, and like, uh okay, which one?
00:56:09.920 --> 00:56:15.280
Which crisis event out of the assortment of crisis events we have to offer here?
00:56:16.159 --> 00:56:22.320
Which is kind of funny, like the title is clearly a riff, it's a very comics uh oh yeah uh title.
00:56:22.559 --> 00:56:29.199
Uh it I Dennis had like five or six different titles before, and none of them felt right.
00:56:29.280 --> 00:56:34.880
And then as soon as he hit this, as soon as he came off with Sword of Crisis Events, it was like, we know that's the title.
00:56:35.039 --> 00:56:36.320
Yeah, that's definitely it.
00:56:36.880 --> 00:56:40.559
Yeah, and it fits the book, and it, you know, it was a word of mouth thing for me.
00:56:40.639 --> 00:56:41.760
Like I hear about it.
00:56:41.840 --> 00:56:45.599
I mean, that's how that's how I read comics more or less these days.
00:56:45.679 --> 00:57:01.119
Like, I know the the creators that I follow and the creators that I'm gonna read because I trust them, but when it comes to creators I don't know, like you and Dennis, I didn't know, or uh, you know, just trying to think of something off the top of my head, but that just comes to it.
00:57:01.199 --> 00:57:06.719
It's like, yeah, if if two people tell me I should read it, then I already know I should be reading it.
00:57:06.800 --> 00:57:11.039
If if I hear it from the mouths of ten different people, I'm like, damn, I'm late to this.
00:57:12.880 --> 00:57:13.840
Oh, very cool.
00:57:14.000 --> 00:57:30.880
Yeah, it's it it's strange because we were working on it for three years before it came out, and the entire time, like that's three years of me being in my head, yeah, thinking like this is a weirdo book, and I like it, and I want to continue working on this.
00:57:31.039 --> 00:57:42.000
But we we actually did have uh we sent it to some creator friends, and there were some comments of like this book is amazing, and I'm so sad because I don't think anybody's gonna appreciate it.
00:57:42.639 --> 00:57:51.440
Um and I yeah, there was this worry that like this weirdo book nobody would get or uh or appreciate.
00:57:51.679 --> 00:57:59.599
So uh it's just sort of a dream come true that uh I can continue drawing this just because people are enjoying it.
00:57:59.920 --> 00:58:18.960
Well, and it's you know, what you and Dennis are doing creatively really speaks to, I mean, I I can not everybody, but it speaks to a lot of us on the the shitstorm of events that we've endured in this world and in in in America at least over the last 10 years.
00:58:19.199 --> 00:58:32.159
Um and and you know you watched you you've heard me talk about this like very much like the comic book medium should be reflective of what's going on.
00:58:32.239 --> 00:58:39.760
I mean, it's the it art is the voice of people, and you know, we need that to remind ourselves that like yeah, we're not alone.
00:58:40.559 --> 00:58:43.199
And it's the most immediate art form, I think.
00:58:43.840 --> 00:58:51.440
So, you know, uh theoretically we can do a comic in like 30 days and talk about what's going on now, right?
00:58:51.679 --> 00:58:56.239
Probably more than any other visual medium at a at a faster pace.
00:58:56.480 --> 00:59:14.400
Um but yeah, the there's there's a two-panel sequence in issue one that seems to go around social media about once every three or four months, which is the um Ashley waking up to a a Nazi uh occupation of the city.
00:59:14.639 --> 00:59:21.920
And and it's it's the the phrase, but I still gotta go to work that really gets to people because that's that's that's what we're doing.
00:59:22.159 --> 00:59:28.800
That's what people feel like every day, it feels like you what is the latest crazy thing to read in the news?
00:59:28.960 --> 00:59:30.000
Well, I don't have time for that.
00:59:30.079 --> 00:59:30.639
I have to go to work.
00:59:30.880 --> 00:59:42.400
Yeah, I've got to get on with my life, and and yeah, it is I I you know very very effective and affecting um and I one last thing about just kind of the more recent issues.
00:59:42.480 --> 00:59:48.079
Uh uh your Carlos, uh, I think it how you say his last name, Pacheco, uh homage.
00:59:48.159 --> 00:59:50.000
Uh not a lot of people got that.
00:59:50.239 --> 00:59:54.000
You know, it's uh because I you know I deal with comics, I look at comics all day.
00:59:54.079 --> 00:59:56.559
I'm like, oh wait, I know that image.
00:59:57.440 --> 01:00:03.440
Yeah, it I th that was a big comic from my youth, but uh I I don't think it's as incredible.
01:00:03.679 --> 01:00:07.519
It's an iconic in my head, but I don't think it's iconic in the the bigger space.
01:00:07.679 --> 01:00:11.360
Because we yeah, we posted it on social media and say, does anybody get the reference?
01:00:11.599 --> 01:00:18.159
And you know, uh dozens and dozens of comics, uh comments of people not getting the reference.
01:00:18.320 --> 01:00:25.280
Uh but yeah, that was uh that was my favorite era of Carlos Pacheco and that Avengers Forever run.
01:00:25.599 --> 01:00:27.679
I I read it as it was coming out and I loved it.
01:00:27.920 --> 01:00:32.480
And we lost him a couple years ago, so it's you know a nice little homage, right?
01:00:32.639 --> 01:00:33.599
He did pass away.
01:00:33.679 --> 01:00:35.199
I'm not making that up, right?
01:00:36.159 --> 01:00:38.480
Sorry, my audio keeps cutting out.
01:00:38.639 --> 01:00:39.599
I just can't repeat that.
01:00:39.840 --> 01:00:42.079
I said we lost him a few years ago.
01:00:42.239 --> 01:00:44.639
Uh so it's a nice fitting homage to that.
01:00:44.719 --> 01:00:46.719
Uh and that that that story was great.
01:00:46.800 --> 01:01:02.639
I mean, it's you know, I I'm I'm going to tell everybody listening to this if they're not, you know, reading assorted crisis events currently, they can change that by picking up the two trades from image and getting those first very meaty nine issues uh into their eyes.
01:01:02.960 --> 01:01:09.199
And if people if people keep buying it, then we can hopefully make some card hardcovers in the future.
01:01:09.440 --> 01:01:09.679
Yes.
01:01:09.920 --> 01:01:10.480
Here's hoping.
01:01:10.639 --> 01:01:11.840
Yeah, I'd love, I'd love an over.
01:01:12.239 --> 01:01:22.000
I mean, to be honest with you, an oversized hardcover, although unwieldy twirling it around on some of the it would be it would really be nice.
01:01:22.159 --> 01:01:28.960
Like I I haven't put my face into a book as you know, much as I have this one in a long time.
01:01:29.119 --> 01:01:35.440
Like literally just yeah, that that loops issue is still it's gonna sit in my head for a long time.
01:01:35.760 --> 01:01:41.199
I mean, that's exactly what I want to hear because of the amount of hours I pour into those pages.
01:01:41.679 --> 01:01:47.440
Because that's a thing about comics where you pour hours into it and then people you know read it in five minutes.
01:01:47.679 --> 01:01:56.239
But um just to hear anybody say that they stared at it for a while is like, oh, okay, well, uh hard work paying off.
01:01:56.559 --> 01:02:18.000
I you know, I I the things that I love art wise, whether it's music, movies, comics, or just illustration, like I I will go back to often and and frequently, and the noises, the sounds, the wow, the holy shits that I was saying out loud in just reading it, it it's special, man.
01:02:18.079 --> 01:02:21.519
And and Eric, like your art is at the pinnacle of that.
01:02:21.599 --> 01:02:24.559
Like the Dennis's stories are gonna give me a big head.
01:02:24.880 --> 01:02:28.559
The the Iisers are have already turned me into an arrogant narcissist.
01:02:28.880 --> 01:02:31.360
Now uh you're you're making it worse.
01:02:31.679 --> 01:02:36.239
I don't I haven't met a Canadian with an ego, so I don't know.
01:02:36.480 --> 01:02:40.239
No, actually, I'm uh I'm I'm an insecure mess deep inside.
01:02:40.320 --> 01:02:45.199
I um you're an artist imposter syndrome and and the whole deal.
01:02:45.440 --> 01:02:56.719
They actually not to get too like I'll keep it short, but like uh somehow the the Eisner made the imposter syndrome like flare up even more, like the the week after.
01:02:57.360 --> 01:02:58.800
So I can imagine.
01:02:59.039 --> 01:03:09.519
Um yeah, yeah, it it it's weird how that works out where you you should be celebrating or or whatever, but um it it just yeah, I don't know.
01:03:09.679 --> 01:03:10.639
Let's keep things positive.
01:03:10.880 --> 01:03:15.119
Yeah, well I'll I'll pretend that I'm I'm my biggest fan or whatever.
01:03:15.199 --> 01:03:29.039
Uh well look, I mean people are loving the book, and like, you know, I mean the single issues, even you know, even though I'm sure that first one, like, you know, people weren't expecting it to to go crazy, but you can't find these single issues anywhere.
01:03:29.199 --> 01:03:33.039
Like no stores have them, so that's a great sign.
01:03:34.000 --> 01:03:41.119
Yeah, it is uh I I I've been going to a lot of cons and a lot of people want their cover A's first print.
01:03:41.280 --> 01:03:44.079
And uh yeah, they are they are hard to come by.
01:03:44.320 --> 01:03:47.440
There was um yeah, it was in January.
01:03:47.519 --> 01:03:50.880
There they were they were going on eBay for like crazy money.
01:03:51.280 --> 01:03:57.199
And um I remember seeing like accusations of shenanigans going on, and just like I don't know what's going on.
01:03:57.840 --> 01:04:13.920
No, no, it's I mean there's there there has been a bit of that just overall in the last year, but like there are certain books like sorry, crisis events or dork that people were like, Oh, there's shenanigans, and then everybody's like, wait, no, this is really good.
01:04:14.079 --> 01:04:16.719
That's why people are buying them because they're reading it.
01:04:16.880 --> 01:04:20.159
Oh my god, what a surprise! People reading comics.
01:04:20.719 --> 01:04:32.239
Yeah, I I I was told it was the top 10 list that we ended up that every December there were like end of year top ten lists, and that contributed to people discovering the book and eBay sales going up.
01:04:32.480 --> 01:04:33.920
Yeah, it's a cause and effect.
01:04:34.079 --> 01:04:45.360
I I've kept a fair amount of cover A's, but uh no, not not a crazy I think I might have like 10 copies of the first issue, but um yeah, I don't I don't know what to do with them.
01:04:45.519 --> 01:04:49.280
Uh I I feel a little weird selling them for crazy amounts of money.
01:04:49.360 --> 01:04:56.480
Uh well, jumping off the book, and I wanted to talk about something else that you know I I I'd mentioned before we started recording.
01:04:56.639 --> 01:05:02.000
You recently posted about one of your, or maybe he's your favorite director, um, Michael Mann.
01:05:02.320 --> 01:05:18.480
And you know, Michael Mann's been making movies since before we we were both born, but uh, you know, I have my favorite or two, but I I would love to hear like you know why why you love him as a filmmaker and like what your favorite films of his are and why.
01:05:19.760 --> 01:05:22.880
Oh man, that answer changes uh constantly.
01:05:23.039 --> 01:05:25.280
Like the obvious answer answer is heat.
01:05:25.440 --> 01:05:25.599
Yeah.
01:05:25.920 --> 01:05:29.519
I think that I mean that is the pinnacle of Michael Mann films.
01:05:30.000 --> 01:05:33.119
Um but I mean all it takes is watching another one.
01:05:33.199 --> 01:05:39.679
I I like even the even the ones that are quote unquote lesser, the ones that are less appreciated, I'll say.
01:05:40.079 --> 01:05:43.119
Uh I love like Ali doesn't get a lot of love.
01:05:43.360 --> 01:05:47.840
And yeah, it's I mean it's up there, it's one of my favorites.
01:05:48.000 --> 01:05:59.760
Um there's there's a vibe to all of his movies that I think which I mean if I'm being honest, I did uh his most recent one I didn't I didn't get that same vibe.
01:06:00.400 --> 01:06:02.000
That you get from a Michael Mann movie.
01:06:02.320 --> 01:06:03.280
What was the most recent one?
01:06:04.480 --> 01:06:05.599
Uh Ferrari.
01:06:05.920 --> 01:06:06.880
I still haven't seen it.
01:06:06.960 --> 01:06:11.360
The last, I think the last movie of his that I saw that was new was Maybe Black Hat.
01:06:12.320 --> 01:06:16.079
Did you see the pilot episode for uh Tokyo Vice?
01:06:16.480 --> 01:06:18.639
No, I didn't realize he directed that.
01:06:18.960 --> 01:06:26.000
Yeah, I think it was originally supposed to be directed by um shoot, the guy who just directed Spider-Man.
01:06:26.320 --> 01:06:29.039
Oh uh uh Daniel Daniel Destin Creight.
01:06:29.519 --> 01:06:30.719
Crest, yeah.
01:06:30.960 --> 01:06:35.840
Um, but something happened and then Michael Mann filled it in, and it it's got that Michael Mann vibe.
01:06:36.880 --> 01:06:41.199
The only problem is that you go on to episode two of Tokyo Vice and it feels like a regular TV show.
01:06:41.920 --> 01:06:45.840
But um yeah, so like there's it is interesting.
01:06:45.920 --> 01:06:57.599
So Tokyo Vice has uh the pilot has that vibe, but then Ferrari for some reason maybe I need to rewatch it, but um he does have that uh a very specific vibe on almost every movie.
01:06:57.760 --> 01:07:03.519
Maybe you could argue that um uh Last of the Mohicans feels a little different.
01:07:03.599 --> 01:07:08.880
Um, because it's not set in a real it's not set in current time or anything like that.
01:07:09.199 --> 01:07:12.639
Yeah, because he's very good at doing like modern professionals.
01:07:13.440 --> 01:07:14.400
Here's my cat.
01:07:14.639 --> 01:07:14.960
Hi.
01:07:16.960 --> 01:07:17.760
What's the matter?
01:07:17.840 --> 01:07:18.800
Why are you complaining so much?
01:07:19.199 --> 01:07:26.239
She wants on uh you know you're now you're now the second guest to have a cat on your shoulder.
01:07:26.400 --> 01:07:28.719
It happened in the Jeff Darrow episode.
01:07:29.760 --> 01:07:33.199
And uh is his back slowly being wrecked as well?
01:07:33.280 --> 01:07:34.960
Or oh, he's got a mancoon, doesn't he?
01:07:35.039 --> 01:07:36.480
Yeah, he's got brutal.
01:07:36.639 --> 01:07:37.039
Yeah.
01:07:37.280 --> 01:07:39.679
And you've got an alien on your shoulder.
01:07:40.079 --> 01:07:41.440
This is my little gremlin.
01:07:41.840 --> 01:07:42.880
She loves me so much.
01:07:45.440 --> 01:07:48.239
Um but what's your uh what's your favorite Michael Mann movie?
01:07:48.480 --> 01:07:59.599
Well, I mean, it would have if if you had asked me when I was younger, it definitely would have been Heat, but Collateral slowly became not just my favorite Michael Mann movie, but I put that in my top 10 of all time.
01:08:00.239 --> 01:08:07.039
Like I think that's yeah, I I think it hits it hits so many things about a movie that I love.
01:08:07.199 --> 01:08:36.239
But one of the things is like I almost moved to LA in 2004, and I became obsessed with like just kind of the vibe of LA, but that movie just you know, it's an incredible look at what LA looks like on well, it's I guess it was digital, but what it looks like on screen at night, and it's got you know Tom Cruise doing something that he never did before, which is playing a villain, playing a villain, and and Jamie Foxx is great.
01:08:37.199 --> 01:08:41.600
Yeah, although yeah, like um Magnolia, he played a really slimy.
01:08:43.039 --> 01:08:43.439
He played slimy.
01:08:43.600 --> 01:08:45.600
He does a really good job when he's playing a douchebag.
01:08:45.760 --> 01:09:01.760
Yeah, yeah, Tropic Thunder and Magnolia, but but I mean, yeah, he played the villain, like it was one of those villains that's like at the end of the movie, you don't feel like you're not like I, you know, oh I'm glad he's dead.
01:09:01.920 --> 01:09:07.119
It's kind of like oh man, I know he had to die, but he was so cool.
01:09:07.359 --> 01:09:11.039
Uh yeah, and that yeah, that ending.
01:09:11.199 --> 01:09:18.399
Yeah, and the music the music, it's oh my god, my cat's about to wreck everything.
01:09:18.720 --> 01:09:22.720
I'm gonna go offline for suddenly it's just like your hour is done.
01:09:23.119 --> 01:09:23.760
Yeah.
01:09:24.640 --> 01:09:28.479
Um that that's the thing about Michael Mann movies is the music.
01:09:28.960 --> 01:09:37.119
The um the music is always so carefully chosen and uh just works so well and and just gives off this vibe.
01:09:37.279 --> 01:09:48.000
And I think um I said heat was the quintessential Michael Mann movie, but it it feels like his Miami Vice movie is just being talked about more and more every year.
01:09:48.239 --> 01:09:51.760
Which is interesting, yeah, because it was kind of panned when it came out.
01:09:52.800 --> 01:10:06.079
Yeah, I mean it bombed no it I think it got terrible reviews, but um uh I think I mean uh because of its vibe, you can kind of like forgive almost anything of it.
01:10:06.159 --> 01:10:23.840
It's just like like the the characters are almost ciphers in that movie, but but you just buy it, uh you you buy into their friendship, you buy into their relation, they're all the relationships in it, and uh it's just so effortlessly cool.
01:10:24.159 --> 01:10:25.600
It is that's the thing.
01:10:25.680 --> 01:10:35.119
It's that movie is cool, and I do love that with collateral and Miami Vice, which were you know, he did one and then the other uh Miami Vice was after Collateral.
01:10:35.279 --> 01:10:40.720
That's when he found his love for putting Audio Slave on in his movies, yeah.
01:10:40.960 --> 01:10:47.920
And like I was like, oh man, you got you got Cornell's voice on these movies, and it's just like uh yeah.
01:10:48.079 --> 01:10:53.359
Um, I do think Manhunter, and I know that just got the 4K, or it's getting the 4K really soon.
01:10:53.520 --> 01:11:02.960
I think that one is one of those ones that people talked about over the years so much, but it's getting a little more love in the last five than it ever did.
01:11:03.760 --> 01:11:16.800
Well, it was uh I it didn't have the iconic Hannibal Lector, so it was always seen as like the I feel like it was very ignored, and it was also got panned as like incredibly 80s.
01:11:16.880 --> 01:11:16.960
Yeah.
01:11:17.199 --> 01:11:20.000
So that that's another way of saying incredibly dated.
01:11:20.079 --> 01:11:20.479
Yeah.
01:11:20.720 --> 01:11:23.279
Because there was a while where the 80s was not cool.
01:11:24.640 --> 01:11:40.319
And uh I I did feel like Manhunter didn't get a lot of love for for many, many years, but um I mean it it is in my opinion the best Hannibal actor movie, but I'm biased because any like Michael Mann does is all my favorite movies.
01:11:40.479 --> 01:11:42.399
I mean, I uh what do you think of the keep?
01:11:42.880 --> 01:11:46.159
The keep I've okay, I've never seen it, so don't judge me.
01:11:47.119 --> 01:11:52.239
Because it's that's uh he's disowned that one, I think.
01:11:52.560 --> 01:11:56.800
Like he's famous for he's famous for reworking all his movies, yeah.
01:11:57.680 --> 01:12:06.479
To the point like multiple director's cuts, and he gets criticized for a lot of it because a lot of his fans fall in love with the first version, and then he makes an alteration.
01:12:06.560 --> 01:12:43.600
And like there's famous stuff where like Last of the Mohicans he took out a song and then there was outrage, and so in the next edit, he put the song back in but with no lyrics, and so it was like a compromise with the fans, and and yeah, so so that's a long way of saying that like the keep, a lot of people are waiting for the 4K version or the the director's cut, and and he's not touching that, and part of that is because the the guy who did special effects I think died, and and also he the movie was taken away from him, and uh yeah, the the there's a whole story behind that.
01:12:43.680 --> 01:12:54.720
I think there was somebody working on a um a documentary on the keep just because it's got such a uh a storied past, but or or history.
01:12:55.279 --> 01:13:04.960
But and and I I want to watch it, but uh it it is seen as like one of the the I don't want to say lesser Michael Mann movies, but uh kind of forgotten.
01:13:05.039 --> 01:13:07.760
I I highly recommend though recommended though, it's a lot of fun.
01:13:08.000 --> 01:13:08.720
Yeah, I'll check it.
01:13:08.800 --> 01:13:40.960
I I I remember and it's funny talking about Manhunter, like I remember seeing that probably after I saw Silence of the Lambs, but you know, I was probably like 17 and I was like, ah, I don't know if I love it, but I'm dying to revisit it because of the fact that like time does change a lot of how we view any piece of art or entertainment, like movies that you didn't love, you might find a love for movies that you thought you loved, and you go back and watch, and you're like, eh, it was better in my childhood or something.
01:13:41.119 --> 01:13:50.239
But I I do think revisiting some of these classic directors' movies, it you know, is it's definitely gonna change how you how you view it.
01:13:50.960 --> 01:13:58.239
Yeah, and and I I should say that uh the post you you found out I was a Michael Mann fan because I posted on social media.
01:13:58.640 --> 01:14:10.720
Um editing is kind of a hobby of mine, and I was having a discussion with a friend who wasn't as aware of Michael Mann, and I brought up the recurring themes in Michael Mann movies, yeah.
01:14:11.039 --> 01:14:25.600
And there's a recurring phrase, and I as I was explaining this to my friend, I'm like, okay, uh on YouTube there's got to be a a compilation of the this theme and this recurring phrase, and I found out there wasn't.
01:14:26.000 --> 01:14:28.319
And so I said, Well, somebody's gotta do this.
01:14:28.479 --> 01:14:30.479
I guess I guess it's gotta be me.
01:14:30.720 --> 01:14:43.359
So uh if if anybody watching this looks up uh Michael Mann, Time is luck, you can see how I've I've compiled everything, and it's it's a phrase that's in like every second movie.
01:14:43.520 --> 01:14:55.760
Um and it has to do with like the just the the notion that the time we are given isn't a guarantee, and we have to cherish it.
01:14:56.000 --> 01:15:07.520
And it's interesting because it it was uh the time is luck, quote, is in a deleted scene of Manhunter that was put in I guess it was it was put in like an extended edition.
01:15:09.359 --> 01:15:13.279
And um yeah, I mean it it was fun putting that together.
01:15:13.600 --> 01:15:14.800
I'll have I'll link it in the video.
01:15:15.039 --> 01:15:24.880
Ever since then I saw before after I made that video, I'm I saw his he did a made-for-tv movie before Thief called Jericho Mile.
01:15:25.600 --> 01:15:25.920
I don't know.
01:15:26.079 --> 01:15:27.039
And I've never seen it.
01:15:27.279 --> 01:15:32.479
I wish I could go and and take a sequence and put it in into that, uh, but it's it's already up there.
01:15:32.800 --> 01:15:38.479
Uh Jericho Mile, I it's probably really hard to track down, but uh I I recommend watching it.
01:15:38.560 --> 01:15:42.159
It's it's like an amazing TV movie, just so well done.
01:15:42.399 --> 01:15:45.920
Yeah, and they don't really those don't exist anymore, made for TV movies.
01:15:46.239 --> 01:16:08.720
Yeah, it's such a an old-fashioned quaint uh now, I mean, now made for streaming movies is kind of like uh in terms of quality, I guess like the average made for TV movie wasn't high, and like uh, you know, I th I think the average like uh you know made for streaming movie probably is is uh about the same quality, maybe.
01:16:09.119 --> 01:16:18.479
Might even push to saying the average movie is not yeah, but that's that's a different conversation for a different time, you know.
01:16:18.720 --> 01:16:31.119
Um but yeah, I I wanted to just kind of get your thoughts because like yeah, collateral is one of those movies, you know, like heat I can watch pretty often, but it's you know it's three hours and it's extremely intense, you know.
01:16:31.199 --> 01:16:37.520
The last 40 minutes of that movie just kind of have more intensity than any five movies put together.
01:16:37.760 --> 01:16:46.479
Um but collateral is one of those movies that like if I'm having a bad day, if I'm having a good day, or I just want to put something on to relax, that movie does it for me.
01:16:46.800 --> 01:16:47.600
Yeah, definitely.
01:16:47.680 --> 01:16:49.760
Even the soundtrack I love listening to.
01:16:50.560 --> 01:16:58.079
Um have you seen the the one gap in my uh Michael Mann Odyssey?
01:16:58.239 --> 01:17:13.680
I have not seen the original version of Heat, which was uh a made-for-TV movie called uh actually I can't remember what it's called, but um yeah, he did a in the late 80s Michael Mann did a TV movie, which was the first version of Heat.
01:17:13.920 --> 01:17:17.119
Ha! His TV movies are a complete blind spot to me.
01:17:17.920 --> 01:17:22.159
Well, and and he obviously was on the first Miami Vice.
01:17:22.399 --> 01:17:22.640
Right.
01:17:22.800 --> 01:17:24.319
Like the original TV show.
01:17:24.880 --> 01:17:28.560
And um he was involved in a bunch of TV shows.
01:17:28.800 --> 01:17:32.479
Uh he also, yeah, I think he was involved in Luck.
01:17:32.640 --> 01:17:32.880
Yes.
01:17:33.039 --> 01:17:34.159
Which is a David Melt show.
01:17:34.640 --> 01:17:37.039
Was that the one with uh Dustin Hoffman?
01:17:37.600 --> 01:17:37.920
Yeah.
01:17:38.079 --> 01:17:38.720
Yeah.
01:17:39.439 --> 01:17:41.199
Yeah, which was uh a great show.
01:17:41.359 --> 01:17:44.720
Yeah, but I I still need to watch the original version of Heat.
01:17:45.119 --> 01:17:48.640
Um it's it's an interesting artifact because you get like similar scenes.
01:17:48.800 --> 01:18:00.000
You get you get like TV actors doing the the um De Niro and um and Pacino and Pacino scene where they're they're having a discussion in the restaurant.
01:18:00.159 --> 01:18:00.720
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:18:01.119 --> 01:18:05.600
You get sort of a um it sounds kind of mean, but a lesser version of that.
01:18:05.920 --> 01:18:10.000
Well, of course it's gonna be a lesser version because it doesn't have De Niro and Pacino in it.
01:18:10.239 --> 01:18:12.800
Yeah, yeah, that's uh that's just a given.
01:18:12.960 --> 01:18:13.439
Yeah.
01:18:13.680 --> 01:18:14.000
Yeah.
01:18:14.239 --> 01:18:27.760
It was I remember, you know, I saw that movie in the theater, and I remember I probably saw it with my dad, and I remember asking him maybe after the movie or before, like, how have they never been in a movie together?
01:18:27.840 --> 01:18:29.039
Like, have they never done a scene?
01:18:29.279 --> 01:18:32.720
That was the first time they had ever acted on screen together, wasn't it?
01:18:33.039 --> 01:18:37.039
Yeah, I guess Godfather 2, they were never together.
01:18:37.359 --> 01:18:37.600
Right.
01:18:37.840 --> 01:18:38.159
Obviously.
01:18:38.800 --> 01:18:45.920
And yeah, I guess that would have been and uh hopefully nobody is uh you know screaming at the screen right now.
01:18:46.159 --> 01:18:48.640
Yeah, like no, they were in the yeah.
01:18:48.880 --> 01:19:07.520
Yeah, there's this obscure 80s movie where No, I I think it was one of the I want to say it was one of like the key pitches for the movie, or at least like the key promotional pieces, was that like they're on they're on screen together for the first time, like in that in that you know, the end of the movie.
01:19:07.760 --> 01:19:09.680
Um but what a what a classic.
01:19:09.760 --> 01:19:11.439
And now he wrote I didn't read it.
01:19:11.520 --> 01:19:12.560
I I don't know if you've read it.
01:19:12.720 --> 01:19:14.159
He did you read Heat 2?
01:19:14.319 --> 01:19:18.319
Because like they he made it, he wrote a book and now they're making a sequel.
01:19:18.880 --> 01:19:22.960
Yeah, I I I have it on my Kindle, just waiting to be read.
01:19:23.279 --> 01:19:25.359
Uh I'm a little scared too.
01:19:25.840 --> 01:19:28.000
Yeah, a little skeptical on it.
01:19:28.720 --> 01:19:36.159
Yeah, I uh for the same reason, I guess, that you you know, I was disappointed by um by Ferrari.
01:19:36.479 --> 01:19:38.560
I I just I just don't want to be disappointed.
01:19:38.800 --> 01:19:41.520
He's I I just revere him so much.
01:19:41.680 --> 01:19:50.000
I I am worried about the sequel movie, but you know, uh I'll I mean I'll definitely watch it.
01:19:50.159 --> 01:19:51.199
Uh who knows?
01:19:51.439 --> 01:19:53.920
It's uh it is unfortunate.
01:19:54.000 --> 01:20:01.279
Uh there's always the worry that um doing a sequel will kind of hurt the legacy of of a movie.
01:20:02.000 --> 01:20:14.800
And um but I don't know, as long as he's making movies, which uh it is like how many people making movies, how many people who were making movies in the late 70s are still making movies now?
01:20:15.199 --> 01:20:15.680
Right, yeah.
01:20:15.840 --> 01:20:34.560
I mean, he's part of a very, very small class of of director, and you know, I mean I think the fact that he wrote that as a book before be, you know, was even Greenlit as a movie is interesting, and I I do want to read the book, but um you know, we had that, you know, talk about like kind of full circle moment.
01:20:34.640 --> 01:20:36.239
We you know, mentioned disclosure day.
01:20:36.319 --> 01:20:49.279
I think that was before we started recording, but you know, I mean, I'm glad that these people like Spielberg and Michael Mann and Ridley Scott and you know Coppola are still doing and Scorsese are still doing stuff.
01:20:49.359 --> 01:20:56.000
I mean, they're doing what they want, and it doesn't it'll never negate the greatness that they've already given us.
01:20:56.079 --> 01:20:56.720
That's the thing.
01:20:56.800 --> 01:21:01.840
Like, I don't look his legacy as something that can be ruined by a bad piece of art.
01:21:01.920 --> 01:21:20.560
It can be ruined by a a horrible person, but it can't be ruined by uh like uh disclosure day does not negate for me the 35 years of films that Steven Spielberg has given me that I will love until I'm dead.
01:21:22.239 --> 01:21:33.279
Yeah, yeah, no, that's uh uh for me, even if Disclosure Day was like a little disappointing in some aspects, there's always like certain things I can pick out and uh appreciate.
01:21:33.600 --> 01:21:36.000
Just uh filmmaking on a craft level.
01:21:36.720 --> 01:21:38.159
Um great set pieces.
01:21:38.319 --> 01:21:40.880
Oh, yeah, great camera work, great direction.
01:21:41.680 --> 01:21:48.159
Yeah, you know, and and just just amazing that um that we got that score.
01:21:48.399 --> 01:21:48.880
Yeah, yeah.
01:21:49.039 --> 01:21:52.960
John Williams at 94, 95 years old.
01:21:53.279 --> 01:21:56.800
And he thought he said he was retired too, but apparently not.
01:21:58.239 --> 01:22:07.199
Yeah, I mean, um, I guess he he's gotta be now, but uh I I mean Spielberg asked you just come on, one one one more.
01:22:07.359 --> 01:22:10.479
I I wonder how many more times he can say, come on, just one more.
01:22:11.119 --> 01:22:29.039
Yeah, and it you know, I I mean I even think about Scorsese, like I didn't like the Irishman, uh I but it doesn't make me not like Goodfellas or Raging Bull or you know, whatever, you know, the 40 years of filmmaking behind him at that point.
01:22:29.279 --> 01:22:35.359
So um, you know, so let's, you know, I I think it's something that you'll uh agree on.
01:22:35.520 --> 01:22:40.880
Let's appreciate we us having these people still creating while they're still here.
01:22:41.199 --> 01:22:48.880
Yeah, I mean it's just amazing that they're giving uh Scorsese like a huge budget for like Killers of the Flower Moon.
01:22:48.960 --> 01:22:56.800
And although although it might be slightly disappointing, it's it's uh I'm I'm happy, just keep on giving him as much money as possible.
01:22:56.960 --> 01:22:57.119
Yeah.
01:22:57.359 --> 01:23:11.039
Remember um Fellini at the end of his life couldn't get any couldn't get a budget for his movie, and Scorsese was the one like championing him and like uh getting out the bullhorn saying, give him a budget, we've got a living legend.
01:23:11.119 --> 01:23:21.840
And so the idea that we still have living legends that have streaming service giving them like 200, 300 million dollar budgets, uh, you know, I'm I'm all for it.
01:23:22.000 --> 01:23:22.159
Yeah.
01:23:22.319 --> 01:23:26.319
Even if even if I'm slightly disappointed.
01:23:35.840 --> 01:23:37.920
Just keep pushing the medium forward.
01:23:38.079 --> 01:23:42.479
Um, but uh yeah, I I thank you for being here.
01:23:42.560 --> 01:23:45.600
I wanted to ask, any are you gonna be at New York Comic-Con?
01:23:45.840 --> 01:23:55.680
Anything for the rest of 2026 that you'd like to just kind of promote or ask, you know, we got the new trade, which came out last week for sorted crisis events, that's volume two.
01:23:56.000 --> 01:23:57.359
But anything else?
01:23:58.159 --> 01:24:00.000
Uh I will be at New York Comic-Con.
01:24:00.159 --> 01:24:08.960
Uh I wasn't planning on it, but um, yeah, me and uh me and my wife at the last just yesterday, we decided to buy a plane ticket.
01:24:09.199 --> 01:24:09.760
Oh, nice.
01:24:10.000 --> 01:24:15.760
So I don't know if I'm gonna be at any table or anything, but I'll be I'll be floating around.
01:24:15.840 --> 01:24:16.720
Are you gonna be there?
01:24:17.039 --> 01:24:17.600
Probably not.
01:24:17.760 --> 01:24:21.119
I think I'm just saving my energy for my Japan trip in November.
01:24:22.079 --> 01:24:25.439
Okay, one of these days we'll uh we'll run into each other at a convention.
01:24:25.680 --> 01:24:29.840
Yeah, like if you do fan expo Vancouver, you come down to Emerald City.
01:24:30.079 --> 01:24:38.560
You know, we're not that far from each other, so uh we definitely I used to go to Emerald City every year for because uh yeah, I grew up in Vancouver.
01:24:38.640 --> 01:24:43.520
I only moved to Calgary about 10 years ago, but every year I would drive to Emerald City.
01:24:43.600 --> 01:24:45.680
Man, that was the coolest show.
01:24:46.000 --> 01:24:47.600
Yeah, it used to be so great.
01:24:48.960 --> 01:24:54.159
Yeah, and um, but yeah, yeah, I will I will definitely be at the Vancouver Fan Expo.
01:24:54.239 --> 01:24:54.960
So cool, man.
01:24:55.520 --> 01:24:57.840
Take my little three-hour drive for you, right?
01:24:58.000 --> 01:25:09.680
Yeah, yeah, it's three hours, and I I usually will stay in Vancouver for two or three nights and just eat all the sushi and go to all the comic stores, and you know, it's a beautiful city, absolutely beautiful city.
01:25:09.920 --> 01:25:30.239
Yeah, I feel like Vancouver and Seattle are kind of almost sister cities because there's there's so much to there's so much commonality between the two, the uh the the dreariness, yeah, the uh the artsy qualities to the cities, the mountains and the water within, you know, X amount of miles very close to each other.
01:25:30.399 --> 01:25:40.079
And uh you know, I think Vancouver does have a speed on good-looking people because I remember the first time I went to Vancouver, I was there for a week.
01:25:40.159 --> 01:25:41.359
I'm like, are there any ugly?
01:25:41.600 --> 01:25:42.880
And I mean across the board.
01:25:43.039 --> 01:25:45.039
I was like, are there any ugly people in this city?
01:25:45.199 --> 01:25:51.520
I was very taken aback by how like good looking everybody was, and didn't, you know, guys and girls.
01:25:51.600 --> 01:25:53.439
Like it was just like I was very impressed.
01:25:53.520 --> 01:25:55.359
I was like, what's in the water here?
01:25:55.920 --> 01:25:58.800
Oh man, maybe it's something I take took for granted.
01:25:59.039 --> 01:26:03.359
Yeah, but I I've also had a love affair with Canada since I was a kid.
01:26:03.520 --> 01:26:05.359
My parents took me up to Toronto.
01:26:05.520 --> 01:26:09.199
Well, it's like my 14th or 15th birthday to go to the NHL Hall of Fame.
01:26:09.279 --> 01:26:14.479
And I was like, I remember saying to my dad, my mom, like, why is everybody so nice here?
01:26:14.720 --> 01:26:18.159
And then like, you know, New York, really, yeah, especially coming from New York.
01:26:18.239 --> 01:26:25.119
It was just like, I was like, and I went to Montreal a few times and then yeah, moved out here and started going to Vancouver more.
01:26:25.279 --> 01:26:28.560
And I'm like, yeah, this is just a very lovely country.
01:26:29.760 --> 01:26:40.239
It's interesting, uh, always hearing that because um, you know, as a Canadian, I have a more nuanced perspective, but like everybody says, yeah, the uh Canadians are incredibly nice, so it has to be true, right?
01:26:40.399 --> 01:26:41.359
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:26:41.439 --> 01:26:42.000
It has to be.
01:26:42.159 --> 01:26:43.840
It's a fact, it's definitely a fact.
01:26:44.079 --> 01:26:51.439
But um, but yeah, any any other uh books coming out, like covers or anything like that you want to talk about?
01:26:51.680 --> 01:26:57.359
But you know, I know you're working on issue 10, so not gonna ask you when that comes out because you're working on it.
01:26:57.920 --> 01:26:59.199
Uh covers.
01:26:59.359 --> 01:27:24.159
Um I have a whole bunch of covers coming out, um, which you know, I I just lose track of when they're they're announced or um yeah, uh I that that's what I I I was waiting for a script for a bit from Dennis, and I I just filled the space with um filled my time with uh doing covers and uh commissions and uh and the like.
01:27:24.319 --> 01:27:31.119
And I I might possibly be doing some short stories here and there for for other companies.
01:27:31.439 --> 01:27:31.920
Cool.
01:27:32.159 --> 01:27:45.279
Um yeah, winning the Eisner, suddenly um my phone was ringing off the hook, and um with people wanting to to uh people offering some pretty cool opportunities.
01:27:45.439 --> 01:27:53.600
I I'm primarily want to work on a sort of crisis events wherever, but but in between issues, uh there's occasionally time for me to do other stuff.
01:27:53.920 --> 01:27:54.800
Cool, cool.
01:27:54.880 --> 01:28:02.479
Well, uh, you know, I'll be keeping an eye out for anything you're doing and always happy to chat with you and uh Yeah, this was fun.
01:28:02.640 --> 01:28:03.359
Yeah, this is great.
01:28:03.439 --> 01:28:04.239
And uh Inc.
01:28:04.399 --> 01:28:17.600
X Scribes, I'll have the link in the description below so you can subscribe and watch Eric and his friends uh, you know, just chat and uh you can follow Eric on Instagram, social media, and all that good stuff.
01:28:17.840 --> 01:28:19.920
Uh but thanks, thanks for doing this.
01:28:20.079 --> 01:28:23.680
I'm so glad that uh, well, we knew we were gonna do this eventually.
01:28:25.199 --> 01:28:30.239
Yeah, I I always get so nervous about these interviews, uh, but um this was a breeze.
01:28:30.479 --> 01:28:30.720
Yeah.
01:28:31.199 --> 01:28:32.960
This was uh this was a lot of fun.
01:28:38.000 --> 01:28:39.199
Thanks again for watching.
01:28:39.359 --> 01:28:47.199
Thanks to Eric for your time and for the amazing art and the work you've put in in the comic book medium that will um keep me coming back.
01:28:47.359 --> 01:28:48.720
And it'll keep you coming back.
01:28:48.800 --> 01:28:50.800
Because if you don't, I'll find you.
01:28:51.039 --> 01:28:52.720
I have a special set of skills.
01:28:52.880 --> 01:29:08.319
I would appreciate any support on this podcast that uh you're willing to give, whether that be a comment or a like or subscribing, rating and reviewing it on Apple or Spotify or Amazon or Pocket Cast, wherever you can throw a review, I'd appreciate it.
01:29:08.560 --> 01:29:14.960
And if you would like to support the work that I do here on this podcast, as well as West Coast Avengers, I have a Patreon.
01:29:15.119 --> 01:29:18.399
Five bucks a month gets you up to four bonus videos every month.
01:29:18.560 --> 01:29:22.479
To be honest with you, across the two channels and the Patreon.
01:29:22.640 --> 01:29:28.720
I'm I'm producing 12 up to 12, 12 or more videos every month.
01:29:28.960 --> 01:29:31.279
So five bucks a month, that's all I'm asking.
01:29:31.520 --> 01:29:37.279
But if you're thinking like Dave, I'd like to buy something from you, you sell comics, westcoastavengers.com.
01:29:37.439 --> 01:29:41.680
I have a web store there, put up some rare books, some regular books, a little bit of everything.
01:29:41.760 --> 01:29:47.199
There's t-shirts available there as well if you want to get a direct edition, West Coast Avengers shirt, whatever.
01:29:47.520 --> 01:29:51.199
And uh every two weeks and do a live sale on West Coast Avengers.
01:29:51.680 --> 01:29:53.119
That's my other YouTube channel.
01:29:53.199 --> 01:29:54.560
It's all about comics.
01:29:54.880 --> 01:29:57.840
So time.
01:29:58.319 --> 01:29:59.680
Let's talk about time for a minute.
01:29:59.840 --> 01:30:01.039
Do you have time to talk about time?
01:30:01.199 --> 01:30:02.079
I'm just kidding.
01:30:02.319 --> 01:30:03.199
Thank you for being here.
01:30:03.359 --> 01:30:04.159
My name is Dave.
01:30:04.399 --> 01:30:18.079
This is Direct Edition and I'll see you in seven days, which is approximately a hundred and sixty-eight hours.
01:30:18.800 --> 01:30:19.439
Anyway.