OK, I’m giving away my geekdom here but that’s what they say in the software biz when an app ships to the vendors. Not sure what they say in the comics world. It’s off to press?

However I should say it, Spud #0 is finally done and has been sent to the publisher. It’s been a very long journey getting here. One i may regal here in the blog another time. But I’m very, very excited that after a year of hard work and numerous sacrifices, Spud is about to see print.

I’ve gotten sappy before in the Dimestore forums about Mark’s talent and contribution in making Spud a reality, but one more time can’t hurt. Without Mark, there’d be no Spud today. Thanks man. Glad to have been able to take the ride with ya. My doors always open if you should find yourself stateside for a beer and a hearty pat on the back. And I’ll grab the Fosters should we ever make it to Oz. And another important thanks to Brant Fowler for jumping in and saving my ass with his lettering help. I owe ya one, man.

A final thanks to our families for their immense belief and support of our efforts. And to our fellow Idol contestant, friends, peers, supporters in the SPA and last but not least, the great Spud fans out there in cyber space. Thanks for helping us to have a great ride. Hope we get to make more comics for you all very soon. After we take some time to get our wits about us again of course.

The site provide you many identical samples written in Flash and Silverlight. If you are Flash Developer, you can definitely become Silverlight master easily by knowing how to achieve the same effect in different technology. Full set of source codes are provided and they are all License Free!!!

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I was a HUGE fan of Knight Rider back in the day and I just saw the premiere of the new 2008 Knight Rider series. I’m not sure why, but they’ve tried rebooting this franchise several times now and they just keep missing the mark of what made the original so cool. It was a guy, a car and some intrigue (and ladies to boot). It was one man making a difference, not a team of lame Hollywood hipsters auditioning for a guest spot on the Hills.

To me, the new version is a glossy bubblegum reboot lacking in just about any substance. I use Battlestar Galactica as an example of how to do a reboot right. Take the core elements of the original, update them for the modern generation, and then add some realism to make it relatable to the audience. Thus far, the new Knight Ride does not of this. It just seem transparent, putting the look and gimicks of the show over any type of character devleopment or substance.

Now to the most important aspect of the show, the car. First, they made it a Mustang? Ugh. Guess Ford won the endorsement sweepstakes this go around. And Gm already used their new Camaro reboot in Transformers last year. Then there’s the cars “transformations”. While the switch to combat mode in the premiere episode was sort of cool (thought a little too “Fast and the Furious” wanna be for me), the car transformation into an F-150 4×4 was a little ridiculous.I get the “nano technology” angle, but this is Knight Rider, not Transformers guys.

Speaking of that, the producers should have taken a note from Michael Bay and brought William Daniels back to voice KITT. Instead they tapped Val Kilmer whose about as boring a voice as you can get. Sorry Iceman. Note to the producers, less dialog and better voice would help a lot. Overall, the car looks cool enough, but it needs more substance. Will Daniels brought life and added humanity to the original series. Kilmer adds nothing for me personally.

What else stick out in my mind? The home base/computer lab with almost 100 people running around aimlessly was also a little pointless to me. They also put two beautiful, if completely vacant and talentless people up to star as Michael and his female sidekick (I don’t even remember her name) so there’s human eye candy but that does little to help the aforementioned substance issues.
It looks from the premiere that they’re dumping a bunch of money into the new KITT and the shows special effects in general, but with a lame duck star, a transparent cast of characters, James Bond meets the transformers storyline and a style over substance writing approach, their missing the mark yet again. The fact that KITT only transforms into Ford vehicles gives me the feeling that Knight Rider may very well end up being this years Bionic Woman for NBC. Maybe J.J. Abrams or Moore and Eick can be tapped for the next reboot for n a few years.

So we didn’t win Small Press Idol. The honors went to Marshall Simon and Chris Marshall’s epic western story, Warpath. We placed second of the top 3 with Daniel Cox’s Tokyo Gonzo finishing a respectable third. Team Marshall truly lit the war party bonfire and never let it die down. I feel very proud to have completed against two such great teams and how Spud finished overall. Each one of these guys were pros the entire run through Idol so I  tip my hat to them and send a big congratulations to both of them for a well played contest.

Am I bummed we didn’t win? Of course. We worked out butts off and were just never able to get to that top spot. But we definitely made a good showing of our skills and what Spud can be so I think we have a great opportunity to continue from here and grow this series.

So now what? Well, first and foremost Mark and I need to complete our #0 book. Marks’ made great strides art wise and as pages trickle in to me, I’ll be lettering and finishing them. Based on what I’ve seen, the later nine pages will blow the first 3 we previewed out of the water. I think we truly have a makings of super issue here.  So stay tuned. I’ll continue updating on the #0 progress and further story developments here.

Well, our #0 issue is now a reality, sort of. It’s available for pre-sale and shipping this September. The script is done and Mark is laying out and drawing the book in the midst of a major relocation back to Oz. I’m really excited about actually having a book I wrote be published. It’s been a very long hard road, and I’m ready for it to arrive.
Right now we need every Spud fan to get out to the site and grab a copy of the book and help us WIN the contest. The #0 page on the Spud site is http://www.advofspud.com/contestant_round4.php. Grab one for yourself then Tell a Friend or ten about us!

As a San Francisco Giants fan living in the NY area, I only get one chance to see my GMen each year when they come to town to play the Mets, and I picked last night, 7/8, as my game for this year. My wife and I spring for box fields seats as she calls it the one thing I do for myself each year. Who am I to argue with her? Last year was the first time that my wife and weren’t rained out for our game and also one in which the Giants actually won. Last night was a bit muggy, 80ish night, but perfect for a game.

I was excited that our new up and coming ace, Tim Linsecum was pitching last night. Rarely do we ever get to see an “Ace” pitch for thi Giants or someone who is 10-1. In my years going to Giants games, I’ve seen a wide array of pitchers including Jason Schmidt, Russ Ortiz, Shawn Estes, Kirk Rueter, and Matt Cain, but I was very excited. And hopeful for a lights out win.

One thing that was noticeably absent this year compared to all my recent games was the near deafening “Boos” that accompanied Barry Bonds trips to the plate. I can’t say I miss the heckling from Mets fans about our “Steroid junkie outfielder” or the constant questions about the ever expanding size of Barry’s head. Personally, I reveled in the fact that everyone booed him so much. I was glad we had that type of player that riled people up. Most times it was a bit overkill though as Barry never hit a home run in any game I attended at Shea and only ever scored runs when he was walked (which he did quite a bit). But no boos for Barry this time around, though.

So back to last night’s game. While things looked promising for us in the top of the first, Linsecum surrendered a hit, a walk and a three run homer to Carlos Beltran in the bottom of the first to put us in a 3-0 hole. And the Mets never looked back. And Tim never look al that 100% sharp, despite consistently hitting 93 on his fastball and mixing in some nice change-ups and some nasty curve balls. Carlos Delgado also knocked one out off Tim, and relievers Steve Trachsner and Kevin Correia both allowed runs to score to put us in a 7-0 hole. The GMen managed just 3 paltry hits and zippo on the runs against Pelfry who walked away with the win. The high energy offense of old with guys like Kent, Bonds, and even Alou are long gone now.

My thoughts on seeing what is likely the last Mets/Giants game at Shea are simple. Shea is an OK ballpark and I won’t really miss it. Having been to Wrigley and also Angels Stadium in Anaheim back in May, I’m excited for my first game next year at Citi Field. Hopefully we won’t have to pay too much more for our good seats next year.

So Mark informed me last week that there is some pretty big stuff happening for him right now including a new job and a move back to his native Oz. What this means to Spud #0 is that we’ll unfortunately be delayed in turning in our final 12 pages for round 4. An unfortunate delay, but one has to expect that work and family matters have to come first.

Our #0 script is pretty tight right now and Mark had already jumped into penciling several pages before he accepted the new the job so we’re not terribly far behind. But we’ll be working hard to market #0 and make ourselves the winner of Small Press Idol 2008 nonetheless.

So gear up those e-wallets folks. Spud #0 goes on sale shortly and our round 4 marketing campaign hits very soon.

Well, almost 2 1/2 weeks after the end of round three voting, the final standings for Small Press idol 2008 have been released, and Spud is an official participant in the final round of the contest! (final standings are on the Spud Web site)

I have a number of thoughts on the events of this years contest, but as Mark and I have serious work to do to win this contest now, they will have to wait until it’s all over. Luckily, others have been sharing their thoughts in a special discussion on  he site thus far.
Next up for us is a completed #0 issue  for pre-sale on Dimestore’s site and our (hopefully) much anticipated round 4 marketing bonanza. Mark and I have been kicking numerous ideas. i think we’re going to score big with it. Stay tuned and buy your copy of Spud #0 on sale July 15th (my birthday for those not in the know) to help us win Small Press Idol 2008!

Well, the judges vetoed In-Flight Service down to a MVA cover story moving Shamrock into third place making the new final three:

• Warpath
• The Adventures of Spud
• Shamrock

I like Josh and crew and think Shamrock is a solid story so I’m happy for them, but also feel bad that IFS had to be moved down. Sorry guys.
As they were beginning to debate on moving another book up, the site has gone down. So we’re in a holding pattern. I’m anxious for the final decision as I have Web site updates ready and Mark and I are already hard at work on our 12 pages. Here’s hoping all goes well with the site fixes.

With 652 votes and 117 unique voters, Spud finished in second place in round three of Small Press Idol 2008. The top three in votes looks like:

• Warpath (691 votes)
• The Adventures of Spud (652 votes)
• In-Flight Service (628 votes)

It’s a huge confident booster to see our fans come out and support us this way. Next up is the judges veto talks. Crossing fingers that they go smoothly. Last year was a bit of a roller coaster ride going into round four with numerous book moving around. Luckily, there are less books and less spots available to vote on this time around. We’ll see what happens.