#Licensed Property books are just like. yeah it’s got the brand name on it just run it

[j-esbian]

i was just talking about this the other day so maybe that’s why it’s so obvious but tbh it’s always at the top of my mind. it is so frustrating that some books don’t even feel like they’re read over a single time before they get published

[popculturebuffet]

Screwhead Fiction Double Feature: Army of Darkness: Ashes 2 Ashes Review: 50% Groovy (Comissioned by WeirdKev27)

Happy Halloween ya Screwheads! Like last year we're taking a look at the evil dead courtsey of my good friend Kev, though trimmed down this time: we're only taking two looks at the king himself baby, but two that i'd be bound to eventually, both attempts to start an EviL Dead Universe from scratch. First up is Dynamite's Army of Darkness: Ashes 2 Ashes.

If your curious both why Army of Darkness of all three movies has such a sprawling comic line and why it dosen't bear the Evil Dead name as most media would from the 2010's onward that's simple: RIGHTS ISSUES BABYEEE! Much like another faviorite horror franchise of mine, Chucky, the rights are split due to Rami using a diffrent studio each time and while The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II eventually ended up lumped back together, Army of Darknesss so far hasn't, requiring coperation to use any of it's parts. As such Ash Vs the Evil dead choose to leave Army of Darkness out to avoid high costs on an already high budget show, and this comic exists as Universal or whoever owns the Army of Darkness brand could just lisence it out.

So thanks to the prologue these comics can use the cabin, the book, Linda, and all that but nothing specific from Evil Dead's 1 and 2, while having free reign to use anything from army of darkness. It's also why the now defunct Space Goat Publishing was able to make an Evil Dead II comic, which i'll be covering later this halloween season. Also tangentially related tangent but why HAVEN'T we had an Army of Darkness Vs Chucky crossover? I mean come on, the two are made for each other. We've honestly seen criminally few Chucky comics and general and given Ash has thrown hands with Herbert West, classic horror monsters and more, it only makes sense for the two to go at it. Come on someone anyone make this happen.

Speaking of publishing, to my suprise while i couldn't dig up much about these comics I did find out something fascinating: Dynamite, the comics company that publishes army of darkness comics to this very day, was BUILT on the back of this franchise. While they had to run it through Devils Due Publishing for the first two mini series their success lead to COUNTLESS more comics and Dynamtie getting more properties like Red Sonja, becoming a licensed comics machine over the years. Originals wise it's best known for Project Superpowers, an Alex Ross lead revival of various public domain golden age heroes and the Boys, aka the thing that haunts my nightmares at night after having to review it for Kev Last year.

Unlike Boom or IDW Dynamite is a company i'm not really experienced with, having not read an Army of Darkness comic till now as I hadn't seen the movie till last year, quite the screwhead I know. It dosen't seem to be a bad company and in fact will be publishing the Gargoyles and Darkwing Duck Comics this year, they just never seemed to have properties I cared about original or otherwise and I had to be paid to look at the boys for damn good reason

Yeah that's also so those of you who only watched the show know it's JUST the comic. I hate having to specify every time.. but i'd also hate for the actually GOOD efforts those boys running the show are putting in to get mixed in with the sludgey source it comes from.

Rami and Campbell arne't involved in these, likely because they weren't asked and Campbell seems very unahppy his best friend wasn't remotely consulted and this just.. happened without his consent. I don't judget the comics nor those who worked on them for that, or even Dynamite as if you have a shot with the boomstick, one that ended up being the backbone of your comapny for a long time, I cna' tblame you for not firing it into some screwhead. I do blame Universal for being fucking awful in this case, so I got that going for me.

And thus with all this preamble out of the way we have Ashes 2 Ashes

A 4 issue 2004 mini series picking up exactly where Army leaves off. It's written by Andy Hartnell, a comics writer known for writing the comic Danger Girl which I have not read and drawn by Nick Bradshaw. Hows it hold up almost 20 years later? Let's rev up our chainsawas and find out

We open cleverly, with the exact opening narration from Army of Darkness, covering a very truncated version of Evil Dead 2, i.e. Ash took Linda to the cabin, she didn't make it, he got sucked into a sky hole and wound up in the middle ages. The comic then recaps Army of Darkness itself. In short for anyone who missed my marathon of the films last year or is just a fan of this blog and is just reading this for completions sake, all two of you: Ash Williams was an average guy who went up with his girlfriend Shiela to a Cabin in the Woods wooo-oooo, only to accidently raise the dead. At least his car was fine. This was via the Necronomicon Ex Mortis, the book of the dead, an eldritch tome clearly made out of human skin that unleashes an army of darkness hoping to swallow humanities souls to take over the world, as you do. Ash was able to stop them the first time but got sucked into a sky hole and ended up in the past. After a breif touch of slavery and fighting in a gladiator pit, he worked to try and seal the book, failed specatucarliy and helped King Arthur kill a bunch of people, romanced a woman named SHiela and came back via some words having said them wrong. Thankfully this isnt' the directors cut so he did come back to present day.. but took some deadites with him, shooting one, making out with a lady.. and that's where our story picks up

In this version things aren't quite settled as Ash soon finds that the deadite he fought at the end isn't the only person to come back. The Wise Man, an old man who was basically their verison of Merlin has come to the present. In natural Ash Williams fashion he didn't say the magic words when going back to the present right.

This is also where my big issue reading these first two issues crops up: Nick Bradshaw's paneling. To explain here's a sample from this very scene)

As you can see for some reason his panels go left to right, then right to left with no arrows or clear visual trickery to get yoru eyes to move that way. You CAN make going all around the page work but your eye HAS to be able to follow it or you get situations like this. It's why when most artist's do something like this it's for movement and to really spice things up , not for ash pushing an old man around. It's a problem that isn't in EVERY page but pops up way too often.

The art style itself is decent, but I do think lacks in places, as while I do think a cartoony art style can work for a comic adaptation of a live action work, as seen with IDW's awesome ghostbusters comics i'll hopefully get to cover at some point, the art here really just dosen't seem to have enough balance between realism and expression at times. It's not terrible, but it's not exactly amazing either and often undercuts just how horrific the deadites were which, even in the more comedic Army of Darkness, are one of the most iconic things about this franchise.

Story wise it's decent and the premise is out and out brilliant: See while Ash DID come back to S-Mart turns out he was a few days early, and he soon finds that out from the Wise Man .. and from seeing his past self and Shiela get in the Delta. It's simple but brilliant: Ash has a chance to undo everything if he can get there in time, but both the fact he NEEDS the loop to close as intended and send his past self back so Army of Darkness happens, and having to travel through the woods on a motorcyle with The Wise Man riding sidecar make it hard.

That said while the premise is great… the comic doesn't make full use of it. Part of this I understand: with the rights issues their hands were tied and thus they couldn't exactly have Ash having the full adventure he should via time travel, with basically all of Evil Dead 2 having to happen off panel for this to work.

Sadly another thing holding it back is charcterzation issues. The comic dosen't just take after Army of Darkness in what it can use but in how Ash is portrayed. There is a it of a gap between his personality in Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. In the former he's a bit of a goofus, but also badass, and understandably terrified. While the latter two carry on to Army of Darkness, he also takes a sharp detour into dumbass ville, the Ash of AOD being more impulsive, selfish and dumb, causing the entire second half simply by getting the words wrong. As such instead of having Ash properly reflect on his second chance to save linda we get the wiseman refering to her as the cure for his "beaver feaver"

And him spewing out catchprhases, snark and suptidity. He's still Ash so we still get plenty of badassery including him destroying some woodland creature deadites on the way, and it's what keeps the comci from being out and out bad: while the art dosen't do it favors, ther'es still enough of the Rami-Style slapstick magic here and htere to go around> ti's not as good, again I don't think the artist quite got how to capture the deadites, but it's still not terrible.

So we end issue 1 with our heroes escaping and with issue 2 we jump forward a bit to the awesome equipment shed from Evil Dead 2, one of the most iconic locations. They even have the Freddy Kruger glove which kicks ass.. and provided a nice back door for later as while Ash hasn't gotten to fuck with the Chuck just yet, he did square off with Freddy and Jason, something I do intend to cover one of these days.

Ash rechainsaws his hand , having used the prostetic from AOD he built till now, which I admit is anothe rlost opprotunity as they don't homage the shot from evil dead II of him putting it together but him emerging ready to go only to nearly chop off the wiseman's head is classic evil dead stuff and helps make up for it.

What sadly can't be made up for is him seeing Linda again and trying to save her.. onlyf or it to turn out to be the evil dead. And then snap into trying to kill her like the love of his life turning evil on him AGAIN is no big deal. Sa'll good bro.

See this is where trying to use the style of writing fo AOD for EVERYTHING really weakens the film. Dont' get me wrong, while I prefer Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness isn't bad at all, and i'ts more goofy adventure movie tone likely meshes well later down the line: you can have ash do weird shit like team up with Barrack Obama and Xena, fight Herbet West or hunt down dracula. That's fine. Those stories likely fit the tone of AOD. But you really can't go back to the cabin and try to act like none of that shit hurt ash or traumtized him. He lost all his friends, and Scotty, the love of his life, and then MORE people on top of that. While Evil Dead II was more of a comedy April's death was played for horror and it was still scary and heartwrenching at times. You can ballance the pathos of Ash'es torment by the dead with him getting into a looney tunes battles with his own hand. It can be done. It's why this franchise keeps coming back from the dead again and again and I don't judge all the comics after this on this one and look forward to trying some. Trying to put dumb horny action hero ash in the palce of tormented but still awesome goofy hero ash just dosen't work.

We do get a decent if flawed sequence next, and one that explains the title and you likely saw coming: Ash Vs Ash, with Past!Ash assuming Present!Ash is a cabin hallucination. It's a good setup for a fight and gives us this amazing image

And has plenty of great moments, from Past!Ash cutting off his future selfs chainsaw hand, to the old wiseman fumbling around, to a dual wielding past ash … ramming himself into a corner. IT's great stuff. Problem is they DON'T really make the two ashes that easy to tell apart. initially I thought there were NO differences but Past!Ash has his shirt torn. But the two still look so similar it's very hard to tell whose who aside from the dialogue, which for an action scene isn't really ideal. It was easier to follow this go round but I shoudln't need an instruction manual to read a comic book.

That said this is where the comic goes from very clumsy, hard to follow and wasting opportunity to fun and enjoyable. The first issue and 2/3 of an issue aren't TERRIBLE, but this last half is more suited for the wacky tone their going for while still not forgetting how seroius or horrifying this situation is. Ash bumbles with the book.. and instead sends them to the alternate ending, a horrible wasteland ruled by the dead. There's also some slave women because this was the early 2000's and every other comic assumed you needed boobs in there or geeks would throw it out a window or something.

It does work well to both impart on Ash "Hey moron, shit be serious", and to trust the wiseman. We also get this gem of a line

So ash agrees to follow his lead to finding the sealing place of the necronomicon, then he'll do the hard part. So they plan to book a plane , with a great line from Ash...

While ash's evil hand from the past follows them.

We start issue 3 with the story all about how the Wisemans life got flip turned upside down. WHy he didn't tell Ash on the drive to the woods or from the woods to the plane, I don't know. It's simple yet horrific: thanks to Ash's time shenanigans EVERYONE from army of darkness but him got possed, includnig SHiela whose in a skimpy outfit because again, need that boob quota or shit's going out windows I guess. At presnt in a plane Ash is destracted by a creature on the wing which Wise Man oddly dosen't take seriously but at least goes to the pilots.. giving us THIS franchise all time great gag

Like I said , the back half of the story picks things up, and really fits the comedic tone way better, witht he wiseman accidently blowing a hole in the plane and our heroes finding an unsettling face growing out of a tree stump

Freshly Cooked Face leads them in the right direction to some cliffs, and we get a nice heart to heart between Ash and the Wiseman, with Ash admitting he may not be able to protect him, while the Wise Man assures him "I shall not die by your hand for int he past or the future I shall always be your friend" which is both sweet… and poor phrasing as he gets stabbed in the back by the hand Knowby style. It's heartbreaking, as Ash silently digs his grave for two panels.. and then .. we get this

THIS is what I wanted from the first half: Ash dealing with the sheer weight of what he's been going through for the last few days. And not just this story: given the timeline the events of the Evil Dead Trilogy ALL occured over a week at MOST, with the first two occuring over TWO DAYS. Remember in that timespan everyone Ash knows dies, and even cutting it down to just Linda as Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness did, and this comic goes with, he lost the love of his life, had to fight his hand, went insane, got possed, got unpossed, and watched a bunch of people die, then got flung back in time, enslaved, fought more deadites, and came back only to set of fthese events. The guy has had maybe a few moments to relax over this nightmare of a day. So him breaking down again felt.. right. He lost someone AGAIN, coudln't save someone AGAIN and by god if he coudlnt' do that much he'll fucking end this if nothing else.

We soon get some fun but enough time was spent on him mourning Wise Man that it dosen't feel like mood whiplash. We get Ash Indying it up, which i'm happy for: i'm sure had Rami had the budget he would've done somethign like this and Bruce still got to fight a mummy with the previously covered Bubba Hotep, but ash growing a giant beard then fightin ga buncho f mummies just.. reallyf its with the franchise. As does more hand slapstick of course. We also catch up with past ash as he finishes army of darkness… and as his hand slinks of to become MUMMY EVIL ASH

This is what I meant: you either gotta go full tilt rediculous, if still with some depth or sink into the horror and while they tried doing the former it dosen't work with a cabin in the woods, as said cabin has so much trauma for Ash it's weird he's not more phased by this. In contrast S-Marts Employee of the month carving his way through deadite mummies? MUMMY Ash? That.. that is truly

So we're onto the final issue, with Ash trying to force his way through a puzzle. Naturally this results in no air, and I mean how's he going to breathe with no air, how can he hear when we ain't there, no air. No air. Also little green ash's because FUCK YES.

Ash eventually puts the book in a slot for it but the ole Williams Luck strickes again adn it instead takes things outside.. and he's too busy to go play fetch as Mummy ash has rasied an army of the dead, and while we get a cool fight between the two including Ash suckering The Bad Ash with his mechanical fist, he's soon overwhelmed as they beg him to join us and die. He quickly plan chainsaw's his way out of it but by the The Bad Ash has the book.

Just as it looks it for Ash… cue… Ash as hsi past self rides in with Arthur, the Wise Man and a whole fuckload of guys on horses to turn the tide, stabbing his evil self in the back. Wait shoudlnt' this be called Ashes 2 Ashes Funk 3 Ashes? Eh, Sematnics I guess. The two ashes time merge and we get a kickass battle as Arthur clears the way for his best bro Ash.

With the Wise Man's advice, ash creates a ring of fire to cast the present day book into hell, cleverly using the gas cap from his chainsaw to ignite it aroudn the bad ash, sending him and his minons straight to hell…. and into one pissed off Imps office I assume.

So we end with everyone going back in.. and Ash being ash forgot to toss the book in. We also get a great bit of the wiseman, when ash dosen't show his alternate future self, realizing he's dead. Ash rides off into over a hundred more issues as we end this series.

Ashes 2 Ashes is a VERY uneven mini series: The first half wastes a BRILLIANT premise both due to rights issues out of it's control and tonal issues VERY much in it's control and has very messy paneling in a few spots, but the second half is a fun, kickass adventure tale in the style of Army of Darkness that more than makes up for it. The art is passable, nothing special but nothing that drags it down. Overall if your curious it's a quick and fun enough read to be worth the time and not a half bad way to kick things off. Not the best start these comics could've asked for, but still pretty groovy. Next time we take a look at another attempt to start over again with only one movie to go off of later this month. Until then follow for more reviews, consider joining my patreon, sorry I havne't been read morning lately (I didn't know the whole continue reading thing was just on the dash, my bad, ) and thanks for reading.

[notebooknebula]

Leverage Books to Grow Your Real Estate Business with Max Keller & Jay Conner

https://www.jayconner.com/leverage-books-to-grow-your-real-estate-business-with-max-keller-jay-conner/

Max Keller is a Best Selling Author, Investor, Entrepreneur, and National Speaker

Max joins Jay Conner to teach everyone how to create success.

Max went from being a full-time high school Math Teacher to creating multiple successful real estates and marketing businesses. He has published multiple books and currently licensees his lead generation systems to real estate professionals all over the country.

Although business is Max’s new full-time obsession, one thing has never left… the heart of a teacher. Max loves the opportunity to teach, inspire, and share real-world applications that can transform the lives of business owners.

Max earned his B.B.A. in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin and his M.A. in Teaching from Louisiana College. He has over 15 years of experience in real estate, finance, and teaching, and he was named the 2019 Industry Innovator of the Year. A few of his current roles are consultant, teacher, author, speaker, and expert panelist. He has flipped over 100 houses and is on a mission to help real estate agents and real estate investors have customers chasing them.

Max created Savior Publishing House as a way to serve his community and help seniors with their real estate challenges. The Savior brand of companies focuses on providing Christian real estate and business solutions to our clients. Max enjoys spending time with his wife and children and engaging in family activities, such as being involved at church and going on vacation. He is passionate about investing time in his family.

Timestamps:

0:01 – Get Ready To Be Plugged Into The Money

1:42 – Jay’s New Book: “Where To Get The Money Now”- https://www.JayConner.com/Book

2:59 – Today’s guest: Max Keller

5:26 – How Max Keller got into the real estate business

7:19 – Max Keller’s first real estate deal.

8:23 – Max Keller’s struggles during his start-up in the real estate business

13:29 – Max Keller’s marketing strategy in finding deals in the senior market

17:41 – They see me differently because I have a book – Max Keller

20:38 – Let Max Keller help you create your own book for your real estate business.

27:34 – ‘Real Estate Investors’ Book Writing Checklist” – https://www.DealsChasingYou.com/Conner

28:57 – Max Keller’s parting advice: Lead with value.

Private Money Academy Conference:

https://jaysliveevent.com/live/?oprid=&ref=42135

Have you read Jay’s new book: Where to Get The Money Now? It is available FREE (all you pay is the shipping and handling) at https://www.JayConner.com/Book

Free Webinar: http://bit.ly/jaymoneypodcast

Jay Conner is a proven real estate investment leader. Without using his own money or credit, Jay maximizes creative methods to buy and sell properties with profits averaging $64,000 per deal.

What is Real Estate Investing? Live Private Money Academy Conference

https://youtu.be/QyeBbDOF4wo

YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/c/RealEstateInvestingWithJayConner

iTunes:

https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/private-money-academy-real-estate-investing-jay-conner/id1377723034

Listen to our Podcast:

https://realestateinvestingdeals.mypodcastworld.com/11247/leverage-books-to-grow-your-real-estate-business-with-max-keller-jay-conner

Real Estate Investing With Jay Conner

Jay Conner

00:02:40

My special guest knows how to teach and create success. In addition to that, my guest and friend went from being a full-time high school math teacher to creating in such a short period of time, a moldable successful real estate and marketing businesses. In fact, he’s published multiple books and currently licenses his special proprietary lead generation systems to real estate professionals all over the country. Also, I want you to know that all of those businesses are my friend’s new full-time obsession. But one thing has not changed, and that is his heart of being a teacher.

He’s got a servant’s heart. He’s always looking to give value and he loves teaching. He loves the opportunity to teach, inspire, and share real world applications that can transform your business. In addition to that, my special guest and friend has been investing in real estate. He’s got 15 years of experience in real estate, finance, and teaching. And as a matter of fact, he was named the 2019 Industry Innovator of the Year. Also, he has already flipped over 100 houses. In addition to that, he’s created a company called Savior Publishing House as a way to serve his community and to help senior citizens with their real estate challenges, enjoy spending time with his wife and children engaged in family activities. And something very, very important to him is being very involved in his local church, just like me and Carol Joy. With that, welcome to the show my good friend, Max Keller.

Max Keller

00:04:57

Hey, good to be here. Let’s go.

Jay Conner

00:05:00

It is awesome to have you on here, Max. Good to see you again. You and I are in a fellow mastermind. You and I have probably known each other now for about 3 years or so. And I tell you, it’s just amazing to watch all the phenomenal successes and the growth of your company that you’ve got going on. We’re going to be talking about private money with you here on the show today. But before we jump in, tell us, Max, how did you get into real estate?

Max Keller

00:05:28

It was sort of by accident. So, I was teaching Math at an inner city school. I was coaching football, basketball, and track, and I didn’t want to actually get into real estate full time. I just saw it as a passive income opportunity. My pay was pretty much fixed to being a teacher. And so I was like, I got to do something as my kids were getting older. So what I did was I just wanted to maybe get one or two rentals a year. I figured if I did that over a period of time, I could have a pretty good nest egg and then pass it on. What ended up happening in 2015 was I just kind of got sucked into real estate. I mean, it’s not just a good way to make money over long periods of time, but you can really increase the active income.

So I basically just got a local mentor. I worked all day as a teacher and then at night I would work for him. And within about 3 months I got a couple of houses under contract wholesale. One made about $16,000, which is like 4 months worth of teacher pay. I Then did it again. And then another time. And I just decided I needed to go full-time. And so that’s what I did. I just went full-time, I made the leap, it was a lot easier to source deals back then in 2015, 2016 than it is right now, but there’s still ways to do it. You just have to know what you’re doing, execute, and level up your marketing. And so that’s sort of been the journey that I’m on. I’m in Dallas Fort Worth and it’s very competitive like a lot of markets. And so what happened with me, I just had to figure out a better way to do my marketing because if you don’t have leads in your business, whether they’re for private money or for deals, you don’t have a business. So that’s kind of what happened to me. It’s been an amazing journey and it just keeps evolving every day.

Jay Conner

00:07:19

So was your first deal, a wholesale deal, a fix and flip, what was it?

Max Keller

00:07:23

So I have pretty good credit because I didn’t use it. That’s what’s kind of funny about credit. If you use it a lot, you don’t get very much more and your credit score is low. I had gone through when I was a teacher, like the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University model, so I had all my debts paid off. I didn’t understand how to leverage debt in a good way yet. So, I actually took down my first property with a line of credit, I guess I kind of really wholetailed it, I technically took title to it and then just sold it, like I did a closing 4 weeks later to a cash buyer. But yeah, it was $16,000. I mean, I didn’t squeeze every ounce of juice out of the deal like I could have, but what I did have back then, which was really important, is having some really consistent, solid buyers. And that allowed me to create some opportunities for bigger chunks of cash today. And then it allowed me to leverage into long-term assets.

Jay Conner

00:08:23

What were some of your early struggles when you were starting out?

Max Keller

00:08:26

I think probably the first one was what to focus on and like who to market to. So it’s funny. I do a lot of marketing now and I’ve gotten a lot better at it. But at first, the challenge was that marketing because there’s so many other people sending out the exact same thing to everybody. And so as the competition kept going up in our market, the return on my ad spend kept getting lower and lower. And so I had to figure out basically what I figured out in my market was the problem that we were having was every other investor and wholesaler were sending the same messages to the same people. Like if they’re on my list, they’re probably on other people’s lists, too. And we have hedge funds entering our market pretty early on and they were paying really, really high prices.

So I knew that if I was just going to only compete on price and compete against people who have multimillion dollar marketing budgets, that was going to be a tough order. So the good news is I just thought about what the problem was and said maybe I don’t need to take down every deal in Dallas Fort Worth. What’s the best niche I can focus on? And so what I did and what I would encourage people to consider, even if they’re brand new is like, I just kind of outlined what’s a perfect deal for me. And for me, a perfect deal is one where I make good profit on the deal because of a larger profit deal and a smaller one. They take about the same amount of time. Number two is I want to work with people that aren’t resisting me. Like, I would go over to people’s houses and they would argue with me when I showed them the comps and they hadn’t moved in 20 years.

They don’t have a real estate background. And I was like, this is kind of a joke. And so that was number two. I want to work with people who are like, “You’re the expert who helped me,” and I want to work with people that I just enjoyed working with, who were just nice people that just didn’t have a clear path. And so those are the kind of people I wanted to work with. I made a list when I’d already done about 30 or 40 deals, most of the deals that I’d already done didn’t meet all of those criteria, but the ones that did, you didn’t have to be rocket scientists to figure out what the pattern was and that they were senior citizens, they were senior homeowners. So that was sort of my first marketing A-ha moment, was that there’s this really large, fastest-growing niche in our real estate space that I could target with different messages.

Senior homeowners have different needs than millennial homeowners. They just do. They’re interested in different stuff. They have different questions. So instead of sending everybody the same message, “I’ll buy your house, paid cash in 7 days,” like everybody else is sending, I started sending totally different messages that were very senior-centric. And as a benefit, I got a lot more calls. I had a much higher response rate and then kind of the next thing that happened after that real quick was about a senior’s house. It was the dad, and his adult children were there. So he was probably in his early ’80s and the kids were in their ’50s, early ’60s. People were upset because they’re selling the family home. There’s a lot of memories, Christmas was right over there, but they had to do it.

The dad couldn’t stay in the house any longer. And so the adult daughter said, “I really appreciate everything that you’ve done for us. You’ve helped us out.” I found the dad a new place to live, like a senior retirement home. And she said, “You know a lot about this. Have you ever thought about writing a book about this?” I was like, Jay, my lands, that was the furthest thing from my mind. I was like, “No, I’m a Math teacher. I’m not an English teacher.” But then when I thought about it, I was like, that’s actually a pretty good idea because at the time in the little 3 cities that I focused on in this huge Dallas Fort Worth metro area, I was getting known as the guy who knew a lot about seniors.

But if I wrote a book about seniors and their housing struggles, I could be the guy who wrote the book on it. So that’s what I did. I’ve got a special gift for your audience at the end, by the way. If you’re interested in writing your own book, we’ve created the first of its kind DIY guide. It’s basically the framework that we didn’t have when we wrote our first book, but we have now for all the books that we write. I didn’t realize that a book would be such an incredible magnetic marketing engine for my business. I was selfishly just kind of tired of having the 4-hour Q and A’s in everybody’s living rooms, answering the same questions over and over for 3 years. It was kind of burning me out. So I just wrote the answers to all those questions in the book. I wrote down all the stuff that people should ask, and I just got it printed. It took a couple of hundred hours to write my first one and then I just started giving it to people and it became my ultimate business card. And it really changed the way that I market for deals and then eventually private money forever.

Jay Conner

00:13:30

So, you started focusing, as you just said, on serving and talking with senior citizens that were at the point where they needed to sell their houses.

What are your favorite marketing methods for locating the owners of these houses that may be looking to sell?

Max Keller

00:13:56

Great question. So there’s really 2 categories of marketing methods that we use. They’re the ones that we used before we had a book. And then there’s the ones that are more available to people who are experts, authorities, local celebrities. You, obviously, are in that category. And so what we did initially when we got the book, was basically just the same methods that we were using. Data is more available now than it’s ever been. It’s easier than it’s ever been to find more ways than there’s ever been for people to reach you. What’s really missing in marketing is really understanding who you’re talking to as a marketer and then sending messages that are like reading their minds.

That’s the biggest problem, okay? It’s not the list. Everybody has the same list. Everybody knows how to stack a list. You can go on YouTube, figure it out in 5 minutes. The real challenge is why would they choose you over everybody else? That’s the missing piece. And so that’s what we did. I’ll give you an example, real simple, okay. We’re getting calls from our direct mail, our door-to-door flyers, our normal calling agents and talking about if there are pocket listings. Normal stuff. So people are calling our office, right? We had just gotten the book and sometimes they’re calling with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder because they know that they’re getting all this mail, you know? So they’re like, “Hey, congratulations, you’re going to win the house lottery. You have the opportunity to come over to my house and pay me more than you probably should.”

And so when people call, they’re like, “we need you to come over right now.” And I was afraid that if I didn’t go over there real quick, they would sell it to somebody else. That’s what they teach at all the bootcamps. And that’s probably true if you don’t have a book, but if you do, you don’t have to do that because instead I would just say, “Hey, oh great! Yeah, you want us to come over? Okay. we’ll get to that. Hey, real quick, do you have a copy of our latest book?” And they’re like, “Your book?” like the whole tone changes. I go, “Yeah! We wrote the book on senior housing. I’m the Home To Home guy, the step-by-step senior housing guide.” And I press further.

“So, let me ask you a question. If I send an autographed copy of the book to your house,  you can read Chapter 3 – ‘All The Ways To Sell Your Home with Pros & Cons of Each’ before I come over. Because if you can, then I’ll come over and if you can’t, then I can’t come over. See, I’m the boss of my business. I’m the expert you’re calling and talking to the foundational source for the information that you need. So we’re going to follow my process.” It’s not being rude. It’s just a statement of fact. And so it really increases compliance, which is what you want as a business owner. Because you know the formula to help your clients better than they do. Otherwise, they’d be doing it themselves. Well, what do you think people are going to say when you ask them if they’re going to read an autographed book?

What do people say when they get your autographed book? They can’t wait. So what happens is, I pay a courier about 30 or 40 bucks. I send it over and I go, “Hey, do you still need me to come over right now? Or are you going in to foreclosure?” Then we got like a couple of days. It’s okay, a couple of days. So now I’m on my schedule, which is what I need to run a predictable business. I send the book, they read Chapter 3, but they read the rest of the chapters. Do you know what I mean? They read the story right here with me and my Momo. Do you think people think that guys who take care of their 90-year-old grandmas are scumbags or loan sharks? Heck, no. They’re like, “Man, this is, like, my new grandson, Max.”

So when I come over, they’ve read the whole book. They’ve already spent 4 or 5 hours with me and they see me differently because I have a book, you know? So it just sets the tone really well. It puts the odds in my favor. Then when I come over, I bring them the workbook and they’re just like, “Dang, it’s like Christmas around here.” And then I go through it with them. So instead of just talking about stuff or asking these lame and hard closing questions that nobody likes and it makes you look really slimy, we don’t have to do any of that stuff. Here’s the perfect example, Jay, on page 41. I tagged this page. I go, “Now, Mavis, if you’re looking at some other investors to buy your house, I totally understand that.”

I said to her, “I’d probably do the same thing, but make sure that you ask them these questions. These are the questions you’re going to want to ask to make sure you don’t get roped in with the wrong person. And by the way, you can ask me those questions, too: Do you see the credibility? Do you see the openness?” It’s like lights out. So that’s how we buy houses and it works really well. We attach it to what we’re already doing, but then the other stuff is the stuff that we didn’t even know about, which is speaking to local businesses. So one time I spoke at the probate attorney association, a monthly meeting for my county. Jay, do you think that 30 probate attorneys sitting in a room while you’re standing, that makes you the expert at what you’re delivering? Do you think some of those 30 probate attorneys in the next 2 years are going to know somebody that needs to sell their house?

Jay Conner

00:19:12

Well, it’s the perfect market that is like the revolving door of prospects for your target market.

Max Keller

00:19:19

Yeah. And so I used to think the only way to market for deals was directly to the homeowner with really standard, generic messages that get thrown in the trash. So our messages used to be in the junk mail, but now our books are on the coffee table with all the other autographed books from the local real estate experts, which, as you know, it’s not a huge stack. So, it’s about pivoting when you’ve established yourself as an authority, as an expert, as a local celebrity in your field, whatever it is. It helps make the transition going from an annoying pest, as Dan Kennedy says, to a welcome guest.  We were the pesky salespersons who were only pitching and not listening, but now we’re the educator or the non-fiduciary housing advisor. That’s just a big paradigm shift. And when you’re in front of 30 business owners, there’s an incredible amount of leverage because they know 30 prospects. So in 1 hour you can really speak to 900 people. It’s just super powerful. And I haven’t found any other method of marketing that can replicate those kinds of results.

Jay Conner

00:20:32

Well, you can’t beat the credibility of having a book. You can’t beat the credibility of knowing what you’re talking about and being an expert. So, Max, we got a lot of people here listening to the podcast and I’m sure they’re scratching their heads going, “Well, that’s a great idea, Max, but how in the world do I get me a book?”

Max Keller

00:20:52

How can I get a book? Yeah, great question. I would love to come on here and say, “Jay, I’m just such a hot shot ninja marketer that I planned all this out.” Nothing could be further from the truth. If my market wasn’t so competitive, I would have never spent 200 hours writing a book. I would have just kept scooping up deals like most people were doing in that time in these tertiary, secondary markets, but I didn’t have a choice and it worked out really good. Here’s what happened. I’m getting deals with my book. I’m in masterminds, and we’re actually in a lot of the same masterminds. So I’m in this mastermind and my friends in there, you know, investors copy what works, they’re not trying to reinvent the wheel. And they’re like, “Hey, I kinda like this.”

“I live in Florida. You’re not using your book in Florida. It turns out we got seniors there, too. You think I could use your book?” And I was like, “I don’t know.” Maybe I just didn’t understand. And then my friend in Chicago is like, “Hey, can I use your book? Hey, they got seniors in Chicago, too.” So what we did was we created a system. I brought in some of the who’s who in publishing and we created a licensing program. It turns out the secret behind this book is that 99% of it is about stuff that our ideal prospect cares about. 1% is about us. Most marketing messages are the opposite. All they do is talk about themselves and very little about the person. That’s why they don’t call you. It’s like, “I’m sending out all this stuff. Why are people not calling me?”

Because it doesn’t look like you even understand what they’re going through. So that was sort of the accidental secret sauce from this. So we created a system where we change about 5% of the book, because the ways to sell a house in North Carolina is pretty similar to Dallas and is pretty similar to California, especially with the types of assisted living facilities, all of that’s about the same. So now we just swap them out on the cover. We give them a custom cover and they just pay us a one-time licensing fee to set up their book. In less than 30 days, they have a book and a workbook that they can hand out to prospects. And so they only spend about an hour or two of their time filling out all the information we need to personalize it. We write in their story.

So it just lowers the barriers that make it easier. And the folks that are usually a fit for our program are folks that are active real estate investors. They understand the value of a deal. They have some credibility, but they just haven’t figured out a way to signal it to the people they’re trying to reach. The phone isn’t ringing like it used to. Those are the people that come to us. And we’ve had about 130 students that licensed one of our 4-books systems across the nation. They see that this works and they don’t want to reinvent the wheel. So yeah, that created another, whole new business that I never expected. That’s where I got the award from, with Robert Kiyosaki. Jay, a funny story and I didn’t tell everybody this right.

It’s kind of embarrassing, but in 2005 I actually tried to get into real estate. I was 25. I just got married. The problem was, I wasn’t reading and I definitely wasn’t writing books. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. So I researched CRMs all day, which is worthless. And I created an LLC, which is meaningless. And I didn’t know anything about marketing or lead generation. I stood in line to get Robert’s book for 2 hours. And then I just ended up not doing anything. That’s what happens. I just didn’t understand what to do next. I didn’t have a mentor. I didn’t even know what that was. So it’s crazy to think and I never would have imagined in a million years, 15 years later, I’m getting this award, we’re sharing a stage together and we’re exchanging books. I never would have imagined it.

It was a really cool deal. So it can happen. Books are super powerful and we believe that we’ve made it easier than ever for folks to plug in. And like I said, it’s for folks who want to do senior housing. And then what happened was that, well, once you have a deal, what do you need after that? The money. So we created a licensing program. This is one of my student’s books, Leonard, I’m really proud of him. He’s in Seattle. And because it turns out, guess what? Senior homeowners have questions. And when you give them the book, they look at you really differently. It works the same way with private money lenders. Who knew? So this is Leonard’s book. And then we just swap out covers. Here’s Tim Davis’. So you see how they’re different? But the insides are the same. But here’s the thing, the person you’ve given it to doesn’t care.

They just want to solve their problem. They’re just trying to figure out how to not get into a deal with a lousy borrower. They’re just trying to figure out if this deal really has a discount or not, they just want to have their questions answered. So instead of going to a blog or getting a bunch of emails, which have a low perceived value, we give them something that has a higher perceived value and a higher level of expected authority and expertise. And we just educate and help people. We tell them this isn’t for everybody. Being a private money lender on real estate is not for everybody. This is who it’s for. This is who is not for. This is my book and if you want to go through it together, I’d love your feedback. You know, stuff like that. So it’s been really cool and he’s happy because he didn’t have to rewrite this himself.

And then what we’re good at is helping people apply it to their marketing because just getting a box of books where you wrote one chapter with everybody else, nobody cares about when you fell down a well and you overcome your struggles, they just care about themselves. “What’s in it for me?”, that’s what all the homeowners are thinking. That’s what all the private money lenders are thinking. They won’t tell you that, but that’s what they’re really thinking. So just give them that, but give it to them in a way that establishes your authority and your credibility and it’s scalable and that’s pretty much what we do. And then we created a book system for Gene Guarino. We just did his latest book, and his students licensed it. And then we haven’t even announced this publicly, but we just wrote a book for Eddie Speed and the Richard Thornton, and so there notes students are going to license that out. That’s brand new. We haven’t even announced it, but I guess I spoiled it a little bit. So it’s been really cool to help people because everybody there wants to lead with more value. They want to educate well, I mean, who would ever say no to that? So it’s been cool.

Jay Conner

00:27:14

What you’ve done there, Max, is you’ve created a way that no matter what niche someone has in real estate, they can further invest on how to raise their credibility and actually convert a higher percentage of prospects into actually doing business. Well, I know we’ve got people that want to connect with you. So what’s the best way for people to connect with you, Max?

Max Keller

00:27:37

Yeah, it’s real simple. We made a special link as long as it’s up, so don’t delay, but we’re going to leave it up at least for the first 25 people who download this. So we created a new book called, “The Real Estate Investors Bookwriting Checklist.” It’s basically all the steps that we went through when we wrote Gene’s book and Eddie’s book and Richard’s book. But we didn’t have that when we started and we haven’t seen it in any other books. So it’s a real simple guide that you can use, whether you’re thinking about writing a book or an e-book or you just want to have social media messages that convert better. It’s real simple. Just go to DealsChasingYou.com/Conner. You can download a copy of the book while the link is still up. And then you can go on the website and check out some of the training videos that we have. It talks about the different types of book systems and how it would benefit you because that’s what it’s all about. It’s about getting more deals. It’s about getting more dollars. And when those things get dialed in, the marketing becomes a lot easier. Life just gets better.

Jay Conner

00:28:50

Max, thank you so much for offering that amazing gift to our listeners here. Any final comments and advice?

Max Keller

00:29:01

Just lead with value. Look, I know you can go deep sea fishing and I know there’s some great fishing where you’re at. You can go deep sea fishing and spend 4 hours trying to wrestle a big fish on the boat. That works. People do it. It’s just really exhausting. That’s what it’s like to market in a crowded market, trying to compete against Wall Street with price. That’s what it’s like trying to market without a book. But what we do is totally different. We share what we’re doing. And then we attract the people that resonate with our message. And so they’re calling and qualifying themselves to work with us. And in one of the most competitive markets in the nation, in one of the most competitive times, people are regularly calling us asking if they qualify to work with us. That’s a big difference.

Jay Conner

00:29:49

That’s awesome. Thank you so much, Max. There, you have it, folks.

[bucky-of-the-opera]

Roll With the Changes (2/?)

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader

Summary:  He lost his friends, his reputation, and his first love. Will Steve be able to pick up the broken pieces of his life, or will he need someone else to help him?

Warnings: angst, language

Word Count: 2,135

A/N: It took longer than expected to upload, but without further ado, here’s part two! 

Masterlist // Part 1

That damned planner. You almost decided to cut your losses and let Steve keep the thing to avoid further embarrassment. But it was brand new and decorated with the pack of stickers that Robin had bought you. So, after first period ended, you ended up waiting for Steve in front of his locker. 

He came strolling down the hallway with your polka dot and sticker covered planner in hand, earning more than a few amused stares and giggles from the other students. Steve smirked at you as he approached, extending his arm. 

“I believe this adorable thing belongs to you.”

“My hero! Whatever would I do without you?” you said sarcastically.

“Well, for one, you would have forgotten to do that reflection paper for your English class that’s due tomorrow,” he answered.

Your eyes widened. “You read my planner?” you said, tugging it out of his hand. 

He shrugged in response. “It’s not like it’s a diary.”

“But it’s my personal property! You can’t just open it!”

“How else would I have known it belonged to you?”

You scoffed. “Because you found it in my driveway.”

“Sure, but that still doesn’t mean that it’s yours.” Steve leaned his shoulder against the lockers and folded his arms. “What if another person dropped their planner in your driveway? And then I just gave it to you because I assumed it was yours, but never actually opened it to check?”

You stared at him, dumbfounded, while he looked back at you with an amused grin plastered on his face.

“You’re incredibly frustrating. You know that, right?”

He chuckled. “So I’ve been told.” Steve glanced over your shoulder, his smile fading a bit but still present. “Nancy‘s at her locker, I gotta go. I’ll see you around, Y/N.” He placed his hand on your shoulder. “Don’t forget to use that backpack of yours; I might not be there to heroically return your stuff again.” He winked at you before heading over towards Nancy.

Steve was a man of his word. After that first week of classes, he basically disappeared. Sure, you saw each other in the hallways from time to time; you would smile at him, and he would give you a polite nod. But he never stayed at his locker long enough to have another short, meaningless conversation. Instead, he almost exclusively stuck by Nancy. It wasn’t too unusual since they were dating, but even when Nancy was talking to Jonathan Byers, Steve would suddenly appear by her side. It was like he was completely dependent on her.

Robin said that he was always late to Mrs. Click’s class. But you saw him pick Nancy up every morning before you left your house, and you knew that she was the type of student who always went to her classes on time. Was he hanging around her until her class started and he was forced to leave?

Whatever was happening with Steve, it really wasn’t any of your concern. He’s his own person who’s perfectly capable of making decisions for himself. And as of lately, it seemed like he had no interest in being around you. So why couldn’t you just get him out of your head?

Eventually, the week of Halloween arrived. You picked up Robin like you normally did and drove to school. As you started walking towards the front doors of the building, the screech of tires and a revved engine grabbed your attention. You turned around to see a young redheaded girl skate away from a Camaro. On the driver’s side of the car stood a guy sporting a mullet and decked out in denim.

“Who’s that?” you asked Robin.

“No idea,” she answered without giving him so much as a second glance. She opened the door and called out to you. “Are you coming?”

You stared at the stranger as he flicked a cigarette out of his hand and strutted towards the school. As he came closer, his eyes met yours. He slowly dragged his tongue across his lower lip, making your cheeks flush. You averted your eyes and turned back to Robin.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

The two of you entered the school, stopping at Robin’s locker so she could grab her history textbook. When you reached her classroom, you both went your separate ways; she stayed behind in Mrs. Click’s room, while you headed towards your own locker.

You put a few of your books away just as someone suddenly appeared on your left. Their shoulder was leaning against the other lockers. When you turned your head, you saw that it was the stranger from outside.

He grinned at you. “Looks like we’re neighbors.”

“Yeah, looks like it.” You shut your locker and slung your backpack on.

He looked you up and down, before his eyes finally landed on your face. “Do you think you could help me with my combination? I can never get them right.” He held a small piece of paper out to you. 

You glanced down at it and then back up at him. You hadn’t noticed outside since he wasn’t this close before, but he had crazy-long eyelashes and almost hypnotic bright blue eyes. As you took the paper from his hand, he moved out of the way so you could enter the combination. You pulled the small door open and gave the paper back to him.

“There you go.”

“Thanks…”

“Y/N,” you said.

He gave you another toothy grin. “Thank you, Y/N.”

“No problem, um,”

“You can call me Billy,” he replied, looking directly into your eyes.

You gripped the handles of your backpack and cleared your throat. “I should get to class. I’ll, um, see you around I guess.”

“I’m sure you will, neighbor.”

You turned and started walking away, making it several feet until Steve appeared and lightly grabbed your arm to stop you.

“Who’s that guy?” he asked.

You pulled your arm out of his grasp. “Hello to you too.”

Steve ignored your remark, waiting for your answer.

You rolled your eyes. “His name is Billy.”

“You two looked pretty chummy over there,” he stated.

A flash of anger ran through you. “What’s it to you?” 

Steve shook his head. “Just be careful around him. He seems like trouble.”

Your blood was boiling now. “Do you actually think you can ignore me for weeks and then all of a sudden reappear just to tell me who I can and can’t talk to?”

“I’m not telling you that you can’t talk to him; I’m just telling you to keep your guard up around him.”

You scoffed. “Screw you, Harrington.”

Steve’s eyes widened; he opened his mouth to respond just as a hand landed on your shoulder.

“Is this guy bothering you, Y/N?” Billy asked from beside you. He stared at Steve, obviously amused by the situation, while Steve glared back at Billy with disdain.

“No, it’s fine,” you said. “Steve has a sophomore class that he has to get to anyway.” As soon as the words left your mouth, you wished you could take them back; the hurt look on Steve’s face made you feel like absolute shit. “Wait, Steve, I didn’t mean tha—”

“You’re right,” he said before you could finish your sentence. “I’m a senior who’s stuck in a sophomore class because I couldn’t pass a test if my life depended on it. Might as well tell the new kid, I’m sure he would’ve found out eventually.” His voice grew louder as he continued, attracting the attention of the other students in the hallway. “Why don’t you fill him in on the rest,  since you know so much about me?”

You stayed quiet as you stared at him, unsure of what to say.

“Go on, Y/N. Tell him how I used to run this damn school. Tell him how everyone used to call me King Steve. And what about the story of how the great King fell? Or do you not know that one? I don’t think anyone knows what actually happened. Do you want me to tell you?”

Your eyes were watering, tears threatening to spill over. You looked to Billy for help, but the sadistic asshole seemed to be enjoying this.

Steve suddenly became aware of the crowd that had gathered. He looked between the two of you and scoffed. “Whatever, screw this.” He pushed past you both and marched down hall, disappearing in the sea of people.

Billy burst into laughter. “That guy used to run this school? Seriously?”

You ignored him and practically ran to the bathroom, shutting yourself in a stall and finally let the tears fall freely down your face. About halfway through first period, you finally emerged from the stall. You splashed some cold water onto your face and took a few deep breaths before deciding to finally head to class.

You quietly snuck into the back of the room, and kept your head down for the next few classes. It worked for the most part, until Robin found you when you left your last class before lunch.

“Y/N! I heard what happened, are you okay?”

You shrugged and starting walking mindlessly down the hall.

Robin followed you closely. “Steve never even came to class today,” she told you.

“Thanks. That makes me feel much better.”

“Sorry,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Hey, I have an idea; let’s go get milkshakes.”

“Right now?” you asked.

“Yes, right now! Screw the cafeteria food. You need some good shit.” 

“...Okay.”

“Great! I’ll drive,” Robin said as the two of you walked towards the exit.

“I wouldn’t let you drive my car even if you had your driver’s license.”

“Oh well, it was worth a shot.”

Fifteen minutes later you were both sitting in a booth, sipping on milkshakes. The sugar rush was already making you feel better.

“So, let me get this straight.” Robin said, swirling her straw in her glass. “This new guy is here for all of two minutes, and you’ve already got him and Steve Harrington fighting over you in the hallway?”

You stared down at your drink. “They weren’t fighting over me; it was more like they were fighting through me. And then I basically called Steve an idiot in front of Billy, and it all spiraled from there.” You sighed. “I should go apologize.”

“For what? Steve yelled at you in front of all those people because you said something that everyone already knew. He owes you an apology.”

You rested your head in your hand. “If he had just continued to ignore me, then this wouldn’t have even happened.”

Robin tilted her glass back as she finished the rest of her milkshake. “Is that what you want? For him to keep ignoring you?”

“Well, no. But I don’t want this either.”

“What do you want?”

You ran your fingers through your hair. “I don’t know, Robin. To forget about this day I guess.”

A grin appeared on her face. “I think I know how to make that happen.”

You tilted your head. “How?”

Robin dug through her bag and pulled out an orange flyer, slamming it down on the table.

“Come and get sheet faced,” you read from the paper.

“Tina’s throwing a Halloween party tomorrow night. We should go! You can forget all about your troubles.”

“I don’t know; it’s a weeknight.”

“Are you serious?” Robin asked.  “I will drag you to this party if I have to.”

You groaned. “But I don’t even have a costume, and it’ll take me forever to decide who to go as.”

Robin stared at you. “Y/N. What movie did we sneak into at least a dozen times last year?”

“Return of the Jedi,” you answered. 

“Right,” she said. “And I’ve already got my Leia costume; it’s the outfit she wears on Endor, the one with the green poncho. Why don’t you go as Han? You’ve basically got the whole outfit already: black vest, boots, and a white, long sleeve shirt. It’s perfect!”

You hummed. “I guess I could put something together by tomorrow night. 

“Great!” Robin tossed a few dollar bills onto the table and stood. “Now, let’s head back. I’ve got a math test next period.”

***

The next day was a little better. You got through all of your classes, and no one even brought up the incident with Steve; they were all too busy talking about Tina’s Halloween party. It seemed like everyone was going to be there, including Steve and Nancy.

After your last class ended, Robin went home with you, bringing everything she needed for her costume later that night. The two of you watched whatever Halloween movies were playing on the TV for a few hours, and then you both changed into your costumes and left for the party. 

Part 3

[emeraldnebula]

Thoughts on the comic book industry, Part 5

In my last rant about the state of the comic book industry, I talked about how completely out of touch the Big 2 publishers are with reality, both creatively and politically. And naturally, it's going to beg the question: "Why not support other publishers?"

It's not an invalid question on its face. But it is a very difficult question to answer, because of the way the industry has changed over the last 26 years. Again, the Big 2 are acting like it's still 1992-1993, when the industry was at its peak thanks to the '90s comic book boom. And at that time, the industry had expanded to such a point that smaller publishers were growing in prominence and new publishers were showing up in droves. But over the last two decades, the industry has massively atrophied, with many smaller publishers dying out, distribution channels shrinking to a monopoly benefitting DC and Marvel, entry into the industry perversely becoming harder at a time when digital media should be leveling the playing field, and the remaining other publishers making their living on wares that have a limited shelf life.

Simply put, it's not so easy to ignore DC and Marvel when the current comics market doesn't allow for any true competition to emerge.

Let's go back to the early '90s and see what was going on at the time. DC and Marvel were obviously still the market leaders. But you also had Image, founded by several of Marvel's biggest and most popular artists, launching their own creator-owned properties and making a huge splash based on star power alone. You had Valiant, founded by former Marvel editor Jim Shooter, which relaunched several vintage comic book properties in addition to their own, more modern superhero/vigilante books. You had Dark Horse Comics, which made its name with both high-profile creator-owned material (Hellboy, Sin City, The Mask), classic mnaga books, and high-end licensed comics (The Shadow, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Alien, Predator). You had Topps Comics, which did licensed books like Zorro (and its spinoff Lady Rawhide) and Bram Stoker's Dracula. You had Defiant, another Jim Shooter company. You had Malibu, a superhero-themed outfit that eventually became a Marvel brand. You had special imprints from the major publishers, like DC's Vertigo, Helix, and Paradox Press and Rob Liefeld's Maximum Press. You had Fantagraphics doing everything from classics like Usagi Yojimbo to off-the-cuff indie material. You had Penthouse, of all people, launching their own comics line that included fully-painted adaptations of Bible stories. And tons and tons of indie publishers were available, with long-standing cult books like Zen: Intergalactic Ninja getting new attention (and movie deals, too).

There was a lot to choose from at the time, and much of that was due to their being a big range of distributors. I recall one of my all-time favorite catalogs, Advance Comics, whose parent company used to be my local comic shops' distributor of choice until 1996 or so. Every issue of that catalog was like a comic book adventure in its own right, because there was so much to see, so much that I was unaware of previously. The comic book industry at that time was so much bigger than I could have imagined, and to see it all brought together in one monthly catalog with news articles was always a treat. And because there were still a lot of distributors to work with at the time, the barrier for entry to the comics industry was wide open for anyone who had the talent...and admittedly, for some who probably shouldn't have been let in. One of Wizard Magazine's Top 20 best-selling comics of 1994 was Double Impact, an indie comic ripoff of Andy Sidaris' tits-and-guns flicks. So yeah, there was definitely some drek that slipped thru the cracks. But that aside, the state of the industry was that of a wide playing field where anybody and everybody could be part of it.

But to the surprise of absolutely nobody, the greed of the Big 2 was what brought it all crashing down. Marvel was at a high at the time not just because they were a breeding ground for the hottest artists in the industry, but because they had the #1 comic book franchise in the world: the X-Men books were always Top 10 sellers. So they not only bought their own toy company (Toy Biz), but they also bought their own distributor – Heroes' World – and went exclusive thru them. Not to be outdone, DC went exclusive thru Diamond not long afterward. This obviously impacted the other distributors, who now had to deal with losing a ton of business as a consequence. Gradually, the other larger publishers joined up with Diamond as well, killing off all the other distributors completely. And when Marvel suffered financial problems near the end of the '90s, they too joined up with Diamond.

Thus we ended up with the distribution monopoly we have now, and it was a sad thing to see play out. Not only was it a shame to see things like Advance Comics slowly lose more and more content before finally being snuffed out, but it also led to (a) comic book fans and shops having to deal with a single distributor they had problems with and (b) a greatly increased barrier for entry into the industry. If you don't get into Diamond's Previews catalog, you're screwed. And in an age where digital media dominates, for the comic book industry to be so closed off not only limits your choices for what's available, but it also cuts off any real chance for there to be legitimate challengers to DC and Marvel.

Again, let's look at what's changed between 1992-1993 and 2018. Image, which initially looked to be a real competitor to the Big 2, has splintered and shrunken. Jim Lee sold out his portion of the company to DC (and is currently helping to run DC into the muck), several of its artists have returned to DC and Marvel, Todd McFarlane doesn't draw anymore, and the properties it was hyping so hard died out with the '90s. (Seriously, does anyone even remember Spawn anymore, much less care about it?) Most of Image's output now is small creator-owned projects, with The Walking Dead being known far more for its TV incarnation than for the comic it originally was. Dark Horse lost many of its licensed properites to Disney-Marvel as a result of Disney acquiring Lucasfilm and the 20th Century Fox library, and many of its big creator-owned properties have ended. It's a shadow of what it once was. Valiant got bought out by Acclaim Entertainment and suffered financial issues that shuttered it for years, and has only been making a comeback in recent times. Malibu got shut down after Marvel bought it out. DC shut down all of their imprints besides Vertigo, which went from being one of their crown jewels to being a non-entity. Topps, Warren, Defiant, NOW Comics, Maximum Press, Awesome Entertainment, and countless other publishers have bitten the dust over the years. CrossGen, the Florida-based publisher that tried to take on DC and Marvel in the early 2000s, died a swift death a few years later and got bought out by Disney (and their artists picked up by Marvel). Really, the only publishers of note that have shown any real endurance are three fairly recent ones: Zenoscope, Dynamite and IDW. Beyond that, it's gotten much, much harder for new companies to get any traction or really develop into powerhouses in the current market.

It should also be mentioned that companies like Zenoscope, IDW, and Dynamite are getting by in large part by emulating what made Dark Horse such a force in the '90s. Creator-owned material. Licensed comics. And in Zenoscope's case, reinventions of public domain fairy tales. All of this is well and good in and of itself, but it's not really the stuff of major players in today's market. Don't get me wrong: properties like Star Trek, He-Man (currently split between DC and Dark Horse), Transformers, GI Joe, My Little Pony, Flash Gordon, The Shadow, The Lone Ranger, Zorro, and The Green Hornet are deservedly iconic and long-lived, and I'm all in favor of them being comic book staples. But those properties frequently go into periods of hibernation from version to version, and no one version lasts indefinitely. It's all well and good that IDW's made its fame with My Little Pony, but what happens when it's time for that property to go back to sleep? What happens to Dynamite when their versions of The Shadow and The Green Hornet run their course? You can't build your brand purely on licensed material. It's partly why Dark Horse got hit so hard by Disney buying out Lucasfilm and the Fox library. And in today's smaller, more monopolistic comics landscape, the '90s Dark Horse model isn't enough to make you a powerhouse on par with the Big 2.

(And if current rumors of IDW possibly shuttering its comic book operations and going full Hollywood end up coming true, it'll be yet another publisher going down...and again, more attrition for the comic book industry.)

Now, it can be argued that part of the reason Image and so many other companies fell off when the comic book boom ended is that they'd banked themselves too much on popular trends of the era. Big Titty Bad Girls, Big Gun Pouch-Wearing Vigilantes, trading on flashy art over quality writing, attempting DC/Marvel-style event-gimmicks with characters nobody knew or cared about...all of that's true. I can't and won't make excuses for that. But in an age where digital and social media dominate, there's no excuse for comics to be so closed off, so hard to find, or so hard to break into. The equal parts country-club-and-echo-chamber setup of the current comics industry certainly benefits the major publishers and their major players of choice, but it also curtails any real chance of new blood making a splash and reinventing the game. It's not uncommon for indie or small-press creators to make their living hustling on social media and on the convention circuit. And sometimes it pays off; husband-and-wife team Adam Withers and Comfort Love (The Uniques, Rainbow in the Dark) have been very successful at that, even racking up Harvey Award nominations. But again, it's the artificially high barrier to entry imposed by the Diamond monopoly that's the issue. Not everyone can get in, and unless you can get into Diamond's Previews, you're going to have a hell of a time getting your comics out there. And since the industry is still staunchly brick-and-mortar, that's another added hurdle.

And it's not just small-press or indie creators who face these problems. Established industry talent who've been shed by DC and Marvel often have trouble getting their books published, often turning to crowdfunding instead. Sometimes it pays off handsomely (Tom Grummett's upcoming Section Zero, Steven Butler's John Aman: Amazing Man), sometimes it hits the skids (Kieron Dwyer's proposed West Portal). Unless you're the current flavor of the moment, it's far from a given that long-standing comics creators can see their projects to fruition. Again, that's down to the atrophy of the comics industry and the impact of the distribution monopoly. Because it's shrunken so much, become so biased in favor of the major publishers, and abandoned any notion of being accessible to a wider audience, even industry talent with years – hell, decades – of work to their name have a difficult time getting a green-light for their projects, and have to rely on the crapshoot that is crowdfunding. And even at that, while you might get some really good individual works, it's still not going to be nearly enough to challenge the Diamond monopoly, much less present an alternative to the dominance of the Big 2.

So much of the state of the industry makes little sense when viewed in context of today's digital age. There shouldn't be such a huge barrier to entry for new creators. It shouldn't be so hard for established talent to get their projects green-lit. It shouldn't be so damn hard, especially in the age of digital media, for indie and small-press works to find wide distribution. And it definitely shouldn't be impossible for a new comics company to rise up and take the industry into the future, since DC and Marvel won't. But that's where we're at. Even the distribution model is over two decades out of date, and as a monopoly it's unfairly stacked against anything but entrenched industry players. No real opportunity for growth, no real opportunity for change, just the prolonging of an ever-shrinking echo chamber stuck decades in the past.

[phoenix-k-scriven-fiction]

Mermaids, Macking, and a Little Thing Called Murder

At the age of twenty-three, Ana has all the freedom of youth, and a goal to match: she wants to chronicle the facts and fictions of unsolved crimes that happen to be surrounded by rumors of something beyond the natural. Whether kidnappings mired in faerie tales or property destruction explained away as ghosts, there’s always both a mundane story and a magical one behind every mystery, and splicing the two together spoke to the local culture in a way that made Ana downright giddy.

Unfortunately for Ana, the research trip to Grandmarch Bay unveils something entirely unexpected: an actual mermaid. Even as her research into a death from over twenty years ago starts to turn up startling elements that just don’t fit, she finds herself circling closer and closer to the girl with the gorgeous laugh.

Ana’s still unraveling the story for her book, but those eyes and that voice and that pretty, pretty face may prove to be more of a distraction than she can afford.

Welcome to the first chapter of my original story and the first publicly-available installment of my “Fae Horizons” universe. Chapters will be released to tumblr a week after Patreon for those who can’t afford to pledge. For early access, become a patron now!

Chapter One

Ana lifted a hand to her head to keep her hat in place, squinting against the wind that tore down the coast. It didn’t take more than a moment’s thought to decide that the temperature was low enough to warrant her bomber jacket. She ducked back inside, pulled on the brown leather, and left. A glance at the skies as she stepped out of the Bed and Breakfast showed her only pale clouds and a handful of seagulls.

At least it wasn’t raining.

Sturdy heels thudded quietly against the cobblestone of the side road, just as grey and mottled as the sky. The scuffed brown toes of her boots peeked out from under swishing blue skirts with every step, and she felt a tiny bit of tension bleed out from her shoulders as she made it to the flatter asphalt of the main road. Cobblestone was nice, of course, but it was so much easier to trip on than a flat surface.

Ana aimed for the bakery, a small part of her perking up like a child when she heard the bell over the door tinkle as she stepped through. The small building was warm, and the smells that drifted over from the display case were comforting. There wasn’t anyone in sight, so she tucked her hands behind her back and strode up and down past the glass for a few minutes, taking the time to make her decision for breakfast.

“Oh!”

Ana looked up and saw a woman stepping out of the backroom and into the store proper. Early thirties, maybe, probably Latina, and clearly one of the bakers, if the flour she was wiping off of her hands and forearms was any sign. Ana smiled and gave the woman a small wave. “Hi.”

“Sorry, I didn’t hear you come in,” the woman said. “I’m Janice. What can I get for you?”

“Can I get a chocolate croissant and two squares of the banana bread?”

“Coming right up!”

Ana waited at the cash register, credit card in hand. She passed it over when Janice came.

“Sorry, but I’m going to need ID if you want to use a card,” Janice said, giving her an apologetic smile. “I know everyone here by name, so I don’t need an ID most of the time, but for strangers like yourself…”

“Not a problem,” Ana said, digging out her license. “By the way, I don’t suppose you could tell me where I could go about getting information on the town’s recent history and urban legends, could you?”

“The library might be a good place to start. Or, well, the librarian, I guess,” Janice said. “I’d also give the pub a shot, in the evening. Some of the retired fishermen have a whole host of stories, you know?”

“I figured, yeah,” Ana said, smiling in what she hoped was a flattering manner. “So… can I have my card back?”

“Sure, Miss Ga…” Janice’s smile fell as she tried to read the name. “Um. Ga—”

“Ljiljana Gavrilović,” Ana cut her off, holding back a sigh. Every time. Wasn’t Janice’s fault, though, so she didn’t really deserve the bitching. “Don’t bother trying to say it; American ears can’t pick up some of the sounds properly. Call me Ana.”

“Can’t say I’ve seen a name like that in a while,” Janice said, handing the license over and moving to swipe the credit card through. “Russian?”

“Serbian,” Ana said, pulling the smile back up. “Still Slavic, but further south.”

“Serbia…” Janice made a face like she was trying to remember something. “Like the whole Kosovo thing?”

“…yeah,” Ana said, her voice almost as flat as her expression. “Like the whole Kosovo thing. Where’s the library?”

“Down the street and take a left into Hudson Court,” Janice said, passing over the card and bag of baked goods. “Are you o—”

“Thanks,” Ana said, turning and heading for the door as she slipped the card back into her purse. It swung open with a tinkle of bells that Ana did her best to ignore as she stepped back out onto the street and headed in the direction of the library.

Of course the one thing the woman knew about Serbia was the freaking Kosovo conflict. Of course it was. Why had she expected anything else?

She slowed down after a few buildings and took a deep breath, closing her eyes. The woman hadn’t known how much of a pet peeve this was. She hadn’t deserved the rudeness. And—

Ana looked down at her hands and, with conscious effort, unclenched the one that didn’t have a paper bag of goodies hanging from it. Her nails, short as they were, had dug into her skin and left deep indentations. There wasn’t any blood or ripped skin, though, so it didn’t seem like she’d damaged herself, at least.

She took another deep breath and turned, heading for the library.

o.o.o.o.o

“The Higgins drowning?”

“Yeah,” Ana said, leaning forward and trying on a smile. “I’m a journalist, but recently I’ve been trying to do a book on deaths that had supernatural stories attached to them. Gathering basic facts on the case is first, then local legends for context, and then the actual story.”

“Hm…” the woman tapped her pen against her lips. “I can help you find the newspapers, though they’ll be on microfiche. We’ve only got the last twelve years digitized, and this was… twenty-three years ago? It’ll be hardcopy, and I can’t let you take it out of the building since you don’t have a card with us.”

“I can work with that,” Ana said.

“You might be able to get some information from the police, if you drop by,” she continued. “There’s only about two dozen people there, and they don’t get much activity in a town this small. They’ll probably have time for you.”

“Only?” Ana asked.

“We’re not quite that small,” the librarian said with a wry smile. She shifted just enough for Ana to see the nametag on her chest. Laura. Huh. “But yes, I think I can make this work. You may want to stop by the pub on the waterfront. The retirees like to talk about this sort of thing, so you’ll be able to get the local legends out of them, for your background research.”

“I figured,” Ana said with a nod. “Are there any other possibilities, or can I start with the papers immediately?”

“I think that’s a good base for now,” Laura said, getting up. “I’ll show you the newspapers you’ll want, and once you’re done with those, I can point you in the right direction for the rest.”

“Thank you.”

“Adam! Come take over the desk for a minute!”

The microfiches weren’t in the best condition, but they were still more than workable. They gave Ana minimal information, but enough that she’d be able to turn what she’d found into the bulk of the introduction for the chapter on the Higgins drowning. She jotted down the names of the people involved, from the officers to the reporters, and made a note to stop by the newspaper’s main office and see if they had some more information.

As the clock struck noon, she reluctantly finished up what she could and moved back to her computer. Much as she loved working on the book, she did still have a day job, and while she was allowed to choose her own hours, to work from home, and to travel as she wished… she nonetheless did need to actually work. She did still have articles to write for the site.

Right. So. Today’s assignment was… compiling opinions on some new brand of lipstick. It had been out for two days already, and was from a popular enough company that there were probably reviews from makeup vloggers and on the company’s own site already.

Shouldn’t be too hard, she thought, and got to work.

o.o.o.o.o

On a sunny day in late August, 1995, twenty-seven-year-old William Higgins was found dead on the beach by a family out to enjoy the weather.1 Just a few hundred feet beyond the town limits of Grandmarch Bay, the death fell into the town’s jurisdiction, and was investigated by a detective from the local police department.2 The body was severely bruised, in a manner that suggested there had been a struggle with an attacker, and covered in scratches that forensics suggested occurred around the time of death. The scratches occurred in patterns that appeared to be made by either human or animal, rather than being caused by the rocks underwater after the drowning occurred.3

Higgins’ family and friends had related to the police and reporters that he had been drawing away from them recently, and visiting a set of caves north of the town. His truck was found near the caves, but the only prints found in the area matched his shoes. The case was declared a murder, but never solved, and all suspects were released due to a lack of motive and evidence.

o.o.o.o.o

“Hey.”

Ana looked up from her computer, though it took a few moments for the last wisps of ‘chemical compositions liable to cause allergic reactions in those with peanut sensitivities’ to clear from the front of her mind. She blinked at the man in front of her. “Er… hi?”

“I’m Adam,” he said, leaning over the table and holding out one hand.

“Ana,” she said, reaching out to shake the hand. “What’s up?”

“I’m one of the librarians here,” he told her. “It’s a bit slow here right now, so I have some free time and figured I’d check in on how you were handling the microfiches. I was wondering if you needed some help with that project you were telling Laura about?”

“Not at the moment,” Ana said. “I shifted into doing some articles for my day job a few hours ago, so right now I’m working on that. I can come find you once I go back to the research project, if you’re still game to help.”

“Ah. Any idea when that’ll be?” Adam asked.

Ana looked down at her computer and tried to gauge the word count. “Hour and a half, maybe?”

“My shift’s over in two hours, so if you still need help and I’m still around then, feel free to call me over,” Adam said, nodding. “You’re not the first person to come through looking for information on that case, but I think you’re the first that’s trying to put together both the mundane facts and the stories.”

“I like fusing the two,” Ana said. “There’s a level of intrigue there, I think. Why twist the facts when presenting them as they are and then showing the stories alongside is just as interesting? It’s… I’d say it’s more of a cultural study than anything. I’m not trying to solve the mysteries, or declare that there were supernatural forces involved. I just want to know what the stories were.”

“Seems interesting.”

“It is, but I really do have to get back to work, so…” Ana gestured at her computer again, and smiled as Adam excused himself.

Ana went back to reading the health report.

o.o.o.o.o

And here I was, Ana thought as she jumped around the video from one of the beauty vloggers and tried to find the quote she’d wanted to pull, doing her best to make sure she had it word-for-word, Almost forgetting how incredibly gay I am.

It really wasn’t a good idea to get distracted by how cute the vloggers were when she was supposed to be working. That was one of the job hazards, though. Obviously.

She dropped her head onto her arms and groaned.

Holy shit, I am so gay.

“Miss?”

Ana raised her head, and met the eyes of a little girl who couldn’t have been more than nine. “Hi?”

“Are you okay?” the little girl asked.

“I’m fine,” Ana said. “I’m just a little tired. My job is taking a while to do.”

“Okay!” The little girl said, waving as she left.

Ana pushed herself up straight and tilted her head to work out the kinks. Her neck crackled, an ugly sound that was loud enough to draw the attention of the girl from earlier, but Ana put a finger to her lips and winked at the girl, who covered her own mouth with her hands and ran off, giggling. Ana hunkered down and focused as best she could, finally finding the quote and finishing off her article. With a few minutes taken to make sure her links and references were in order, she sent it off to the editor.

Leaning back in her chair, Ana stretched and groaned. Her head fell back with a heavy sigh, and she tried to reorient her mindset towards the case she’d been researching. One glance at the microfiches was enough to have her sighing yet again, and she pulled the reader towards herself to hook it up to her computer again, and moved to reo—

Her stomach growled.

Oh. She’d skipped lunch, hadn’t she? Damn. It was almost three o’clock, and the library closed at seven…

Ana sent another look at the microfiches, biting her lip. She had the time… but she didn’t really want to put lunch off any longer, now that she’d remembered to be hungry, and she didn’t want to bother Laura to get it out again later, and she didn’t always want to rely on just the PDFs she’d saved…

Biting her lip, she got to her feet and headed for the front desk. Her things were visible from there, so it wasn’t much of a risk to leave them there for a moment or two.

“Well, hello there!” Adam said as she approached, grinning. “Something come up?”

“I was wondering if you guys had a printer on hand? I need to go to lunch, but I’m not done with the microfiches, and I don’t want to bother you for them again later. I’d like hardcopies to look over later anyway, so getting them printed would be best,” Ana explained.

“I have about fifteen minutes left,” Adam said, “Which should be just enough to help you out with that. Laura! I’m gonna go help the outta-stater!”

Laura, in the middle of checking out a book for a middle-aged man, lifted a hand in acknowledgement, but didn’t look over.

“So,” Adam said as he led the way over to the printers. “Where are you headed after your lunch?”

“Newspaper office, then police station, depending on how long the first takes,” Ana said. “After that, probably tomorrow… I’ll see about visiting people of interest, especially if the officers or reporters aren’t employed anymore, and then I’ll go down to the tavern that’s apparently on the waterfront to see if any of the older fellas have the mermaid stories I came here to find in the first place.”

“Organized,” Adam said. “Do you have those microfiche files saved anywhere?”

“I got them as PDFs on my computer,” Ana confirmed. “Can I print from there?”

“No, sorry. It needs to be from a library computer, so I was hoping for a USB,” Adam admitted. “Well, I guess we can bring the microfiches and the reader over and go from there.”

“You’re the specialist here, so sure,” Ana said.

Printing out the paper copies did indeed take the full fifteen minutes, and Ana packed away her bag with a sense of satisfaction. She’d actually gotten a lot done today.

“So.”

Ana yelped, scrambling not to drop her bag and turning around.

Adam stared at her, wide-eyed. “Uh. I promise I wasn’t trying to scare you?”

Ana put a hand to her chest, willing her heart to slow down. “Holy smokes. Okay. Hi. I kinda thought you left already.”

“Sorry,” Adam said, rubbing the back of his neck. “But I figured that if you’re from out of town, then you probably don’t know any of the good places to eat. If you’re okay with eating with a stranger, I could show you someplace before you head for the police station.”

Ana squinted at him. “Like… a date?”

“Uh, no.”

“Oh, thank god,” she muttered.

“…should I be offended?” Adam asked.

“Dating while on a research trip is just a level of complicated that I really don’t feel like navigating right now,” Ana admitted. “Also… lesbian.”

“Ah.” Adam nodded for a few moments, and then said, “Trans.”

“I didn’t want to assume.”

“I’ve been on T for long enough that I don’t think most people realize it,” he said. “So…”

“I hang out in a lot of queer circles back in New York, and after a while there’s just a feel for who happens to be which shade of the rainbow,” Ana said.

“So what you’re saying is that you’ve got gaydar?” Adam said with a grin.

“And I saw the trans flag pin on your shoulder strap,” Ana admitted, nodding at Adam’s bag and laughing when she saw his mouth open and close in surprise. “So… lunch?”

“How do you feel about clam chowder?”

o.o.o.o.o

“So... small town, trans kid. It’s safe here?” Ana asked as they walked down the street, hands hanging off the strap to her messenger bag.

“Well,” Adam hedged, drawing the word out. “I grew up here, so there wasn’t really much of a choice in both being myself and being in the closet. Either I didn’t transition, or I got out of the closet. Or left, but I do like it here, so...”

“I think I can get that,” Ana said, nodding. “So everyone’s okay with it?”

“I think they just got used to it, honestly,” Adam admitted. “I left town for a few years when I was getting my degree, and I looked different enough when I got back that I just... I don’t know. College was good to me. Going away for that long means that I went through the in-between stages of transitioning in a safer environment.”

“But home is home?” Ana guessed.

“Yeah.”

Ana bit her lip, mulling over what the best question to ask now would be. “So... what did you study?’

“Informational sciences,” Adam said. “You?”

“Double major in journalism and anthropology,” Ana said. “I like writing and I like studying culture, so... yeah. Minors?”

“Hebrew, believe it or not,” Adam said, and then grinned when Ana raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“As someone who knows another language due to growing up with it,” Ana said. “I’m always weirdly impressed by people who learn one later in life.”

“I mean, I did know some growing up. Learned some from my parents and at the synagogue. This was just refining and expanding it and whatnot,” Adam said. “You?”

“Serbian.”

“No, no,” Adam laughed. “I mean, like, your minors.”

“Oh! Uh, didn’t have any room in my schedule since I was double-majoring, honestly,” Ana admitted. “I did do volleyball, though? Club, instead of division, but it was definitely enough to keep me in shape.”

“You could probably bench me, huh?”

Ana snorted. “Hardly. I could probably bench a kid, but not most adults.”

“Most?”

“Some people are smaller or skinnier than others, and I’ve got shoulder muscles for days,” Ana said, stopping to turn to Adam and flex, holding the pose for just long enough that the joke of her jacket blocking the actual view managed to soak in. She chuckled and dropped her arms, setting back off down the sidewalk. “You?”

“Track,” Adam confirmed, and then slowed down and veered to the side, holding open the door of a restaurant off to the side. “After you, milady.”

Ana blinked at him. “Really.”

“Can’t have a little fun playing with the idea of old-fashioned chivalry?’ Adam asked.

“We’re not exactly at a Ren Faire,” Ana said, but gave a shallow curtsy anyway, skirt swishing as she lifted it. She walked past him and through the open door. “Now show me this clam chowder you claimed is the best in town.”

“Damn straight I will,” Adam said with a grin, following her in.

[tokupedia]

How to invest in Tokusatsu Part 2: The List

Toei Co. LTD

Ticker #: TYO 9605

Dividend (Late 2017): 0.45 USD per share

Dividend Yield (Late 2017): 0.05%

Price: $105-106 USD (Late 2017)

Licenses: Super Sentai, Kamen Rider, Metal Heroes, various heroes created by Shotaro Ishinomori, Sailor Moon, Pretty Cure.

Toei is massive in terms of what cards it has on the table. Name a popular anime in the past 10-20 years and there is roughly a 7 out of 10 chance it came from this studio’s animation department.  Even Gen X American childhood favorites like Muppet Babies came from this studio’s animation department. Aside from that, they are the film and TV production company of Super Sentai, the original source material for Saban’s Power Rangers series, as well as Super Sentai’s older sister series Kamen Rider. Both are beloved staples of Japanese pop culture that make Toei some serious bank. If not for people like Shotaro Ishinomori, this company would not be known as the crown jewel of Japanese superhero media.

The downside is Toei isn’t cheap for some, 105 bucks is a lot to ask for. But it is justified as it is one of the most successful international animation studios outside of Disney and has made cult live action hits like Battle Royale.

The company as a whole has: Real estate, animation and live action film and television production, movie theaters, home video distribution (V-Cinemas and Hyper Battle Videos being an example), internet streaming content distribution, film studios for developing movies for clients, a high tech film R&D department, a Feudal Japan theme park (which many period piece shows or scenes use for filming). They also hold art exhibitions, stage shows and have a global marketing firm so people like Mr. Saban can get Toei licensed properties for international television.

Toho Co. LTD.

Ticker #: TYO 9602

Dividend (Late 2017): 0.11 USD per share

Dividend Yield (Late 2017): 0.73%

Price: 33 USD (Late 2017)

Product: Godzilla, Mothra and various popular Kaiju characters. The now defunct Chouseishin series.

The House of Godzilla is a proud company that dates back to the early 20th century and one of the most respected Japanese film studios in Hollywood thanks to being one of the studios that supported the projects of film legend Akira Kurosawa.

As far as what it does, Toho has its own chain of movie theaters, an animation studio division that makes popular hits like My Hero Academia, a TV production company, Real estate, a movie studio, a theatrical play production studio and film production and special effects studios. They also hold the film distribution rights to many popular anime such as the globally beloved Pokemon series which gives them a slight edge on the competition. In recent years, Toho is adapting to the times in a good way by reviving Godzilla on the big screen and expanding into the market of online streaming/sales distribution. This has resulted in great financial growth in the past 2 years that could go on if Godzilla’s box office takes for both the Japanese and US film series continue and further expansion into the internet through digital distribution and partnerships with licensing to companies like Netflix. Proof that the King of Monsters can still pack a mighty roar!

Bandai Namco Group

Ticker #: TYO 7832 

Dividend (Late 2017): 0.11 USD per share

Dividend Yield (Late 2017): 0.62%

Price (Late 2017): 34-35 USD per share Lowest price in 2017 was 27 USD

Owns: Digimon and various video game franchises, has partial ownership of Ishimori Productions though absorbing a large money sharehold of that company in 2007 (Ishimori Pro is still family operated though through Akira Onodera). 

Toy Licenses: Seemingly Almost EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN. Star Trek, Marvel, DC, Ultraman, WWE, Dragon Ball Z, Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, Metal Heroes, Sailor Moon, Gundam etc.

Easily the largest behemoth in Japan’s toy industry and now owner of the company that made Pac-Man among other things, Bandai is only spared from being compared to a maniacal corporate super villain in terms of power by having its global competitors live in harmony with it. 

It produces in toy manufacturing of various types including model kits, DX toys, card games, premium collectibles, stuffed animals, Sofubi, electronic toys and video games. It also owns a few theme parks, manufactures arcade game cabinets, makes movies, TV and music, owns a trucking company, has a bakery to sell seasonal food stuffs online to customers, gashapon vending machines, clothing...They also own the famed animation studio Sunrise and have their own media distribution network. Yeah, Bandai is scary big! 

However, that large amount of corporate product diversity and business means potentially that Bandai is stable and safe in most situations. If one falters, another could spring Bandai’s finances back on its feet. Bandai has recently expanded its global operations by opening a Premium website in the USA to sell adult collectible toys directly to customers online. So there is definitely growth potential!

Tohokushinsha Film Corporation

Ticker #: TYO 2329

Dividend (Late 2017): 0.14 USD per share

Dividend Yield (Late 2017): 2.52%

Price (Late 2017): 6.79 USD

Product: The Garo Series

Tohokushinsha Film Corporation or TFC for short is the distributor of the Garo Series. While Garo creator Keita Amemiya has his own studio, Crowd Inc., to produce the show, it is a private company with no stock investments. So the best way to invest in Garo is to support TFC. While Garo is the thing they are most proud of, TFC’s core business is being a film dubbing house for Hollywood movies, taking the dialogue and translating it so the moviegoers in Japan can understand what the heck people like Harrison Ford are saying in their own language. Its other core business is film archiving and storage.

Owning TFC includes these sectors: TV/film production, special effects studios, Marketing firms, TV commercial ad companies, Cable TV (red flag!), Supermarkets, a furniture store chain, a beauty salon chain, a brewery, anime production, moichandising sales and home video sales. They also have a licensing firm in Los Angeles, CA called Cente Service (which presumably is how Kraken Releasing got the rights to those shiny Blu-Rays of Garo Season 1!). 

TFC is cheap compared to the others. But cheaper stocks below $10 always have higher risk in some capacity depending on company performance, so be careful!

Shochiku LTD.

Ticker #:TYO 9601

Dividend: 0.26 USD per share  (Does not make payments quarterly)

Dividend Yield: 0.35%

Price: 150 USD

What you are Toku investing in: Ultraman films

Shochiku is the toughest of the film studios in Japan, as it has been around since 1895!  Don’t believe me? This one Kabuki theater company turned film studio has survived the following: the end of the Meiji Era, World War II, US occupation, several earthquakes, changing technology, and stared down a near bankruptcy without even flinching. You know you have something special when a 122 year old company is still profitable and still growing. While they now focus on movies and media, Shochiku did not abandon their heritage as the Kabuki theater company that built it is still in operation, now expanded to doing other stage plays. Their core film business is Samurai movies, dramas and action/crime dramas

Shochiku owns movie theaters, a music record company, a film studio, an anime production unit, several stage theater companies including a costume department, real estate, restaurants, home video distribution, TV broadcasting etc. They also hold the rights to film distribution of the Ultraman movies.

Stock is a bit pricier, but it has had decent growth the past 3 years. 

Takara Tomy Co.

Ticker #: TYO 7867

Dividend: 0.12 USD per share

Dividend Yield: 0.72%

Price: 16 USD per share

Owns: The Tomica Hero series, Transformers (co-partnership with Hasbro), Tomica toy cars

Takara Tomy is a famed toy brand thanks to the popularity of its products like Transformers and Beyblade. Recently, the company threw their hats back into the TV tokusatsu ring by making the magical girl series Idol x Warriors Miracle Tunes to compete with Bandai/Toei’s Pretty Cure Series.

While beloved, the grim shadow of Japan’s declining birth rate is making investors wary of Takara Tomy as their target demographic is younger kids. This leaves them in a very vulnerable position if Japan’s birth rate screeches to a complete halt, as no new babies means no future toddlers or preschoolers to ask parents to buy their products like PlaRail. Another blow to them recently is the loss of their long running Pokemon toy license to a rival company which will start selling their own toys in 2018. 

Some meanspirited money men are even speculating Hasbro will just buy out Takara’s ownership of Transformers and ditch the remains if they sink. However, not all is gloom and doom as things seem to be doing better this year. Time will tell if this toy company, one half of which is one of the oldest toy manufacturers in Japan, will endure. In the meantime, give it some love so maybe we can get the Tomica Hero series back! (holding a large amount of stocks gives you voting power over who leads the company after all!)

Takara Tomy’s main business is of course toy manufacturing. It also deals in the making of baby products, children’s books, video games, gashapon toys, candies and various other youth marketed goods and apparel. 

Sony

NYSE Ticker: SNE

Price: $44.81 per share (11/4/17)

Dividend: 9 cents USD

Yield: 0.40%

Owns: Funimation, therefore indirectly owns the distribution rights to the Garo anime.

Now, I know what you are thinking. Sony? Well, yeah. Given a very recent event, this counts. See just a week ago, Sony officially bought Funimation. And Funimation had a deal with MAPPA to buy the streaming rights to the Garo animes. Plus, Funimation was in the middle of simulcasting Infini-T Force when it happened! In addition, the company is a major partner with Bandai and Ishimori Pro in making Kamen Rider video games for its Playstation family of game consoles like the hotly anticipated Climax Fighters game.

The company is often overlooked for bigger tech stocks like Apple, but they are so much more than a video game company. In addition to consumer electronics, the Sony corporation has a movie studio (which is debated in merit due to the quality of some of their productions) a TV studio in LA that produces shows and beloved TV game show staples Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, an animation studio and that is just the visual media part. 

They have semiconductor manufacturing plants, record labels and music distribution, Networking, medical firms, insurance, banking, telecommunications, advertising....In short, Sony is one of the most diverse businesses in the entire world and a worthy addition to a portfolio.

And now one NOT to invest in...

Fields Corp.

Ticker #:TYO 2767

Dividend: ???

Yield: 2.62%

Owns: Part of Tsuburaya Productions, the company that makes Ultraman. Also has a stake in HEROS, the manga magazine that distributes the Infini-T force, ULTRAMAN and Kamen Rider Kuuga manga.

As of this year...this stock is not worth your time. Fields is in trouble right now as the reports of its financials indicate a hard time. The company has lost a big chunk of its yearly income. It is in the negative in terms of debt in some areas and it is reporting major losses. Its primary business is Pachinko machines.

Figures, a company that invests on gambling would go down this year!

So there you have it, places you can support tokusatsu in the world of finance!

I know this was probably boring, but I promise the next post will be fun! 

Note: This data is from November of 2017 and may not reflect future financial data. 

[rangercommand]

NEWS - Boom Studios Announces Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers Crossover Event

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Meet For First Time in New Event Series From BOOM! Studios

Road to SDCC 2019: Morphin Power Takes On Turtle Power In Historic New Comic Book Event

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 15, 2019) – BOOM! Studios, under license by Hasbro, Inc. and in partnership with IDW and Nickelodeon, today announced an all-new five-issue limited series event –  MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES! Written by Ryan Parrott (Power Rangers: Necessary Evil) and illustrated by Simone di Meo (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Venom Annual), the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers fight – and maybe team up with – the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the first time in comic book history beginning December 2019.

The Power Rangers arrive in New York City to find Tommy Oliver – AKA The Mighty Morphin Green Ranger – but soon discover he’s joined forces with the villainous Shredder and the Foot Clan! As the Rangers are sent reeling by this betrayal, they’re confronted by another (fr)enemy – the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Can these heroes find a way to work together to defeat the bad guys and save the world from total destruction?!

MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 (OF 5) features a main cover by Dan Mora (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Once & Future), with Turtle Ranger Helmet variant covers by Goñi Montes (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and more!

Click to download high resolution cover by Dan Mora!

New York Times bestselling author Ryan Parrott was one of the key architects of the landmark Power Rangers: Shattered Grid comic book event and currently writes both Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers at BOOM! Studios, along with creator-owned projects Volition and Oberon for Aftershock Comics.

“Honestly, I’m pretty certain keeping this project a secret has taken years off my life. These two iconic franchises were my TV parents, each teaching me valuable life lessons thirty minutes at a time. The Power Rangers and the Ninja Turtles are too insanely awesome not to bring together. I mean, they’re both color-coded teenage martial artists who fight monsters! It just makes too much sense!” said writer Ryan Parrott. “A huge thank you to Hasbro and Nickelodeon for letting me play with so many of their wonderful toys, as it is truly an honor to be a part of such an exciting crossover. I’m the luckiest kid in the world, and I cannot wait for you all to see what we’ve been putting together.”

Simone di Meo is a comic book artist from Italy. He has recently worked as the artist on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for BOOM! Studios and Venom Annual #1,Immortal Hulk: The Best Defense, and Old Man Logan Annual for Marvel Entertainment.

“It’s an honor to be able to work on this amazing project. I’m very happy to be a part of this, one of the crossovers I’ve been waiting for since I was a kid,” said artist Simone di Meo. “Drawing these two teams together is a dream come true!”

Currently, Power Rangers is celebrating 26 continuous years on the air, making it one of the longest running kids’ live-action series in television history with nearly 900 episodes aired to date. Created by Haim Saban and launched in 1993 with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the franchise celebrates its milestone anniversary year with the 26th season, Power Rangers Beast Morphers currently airing on Saturdays at 8 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon in the U.S.

“No one could possibly love the Power Rangers or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles more than the creative team at the helm of this epic event! Which means they’ve got every dream team up scenario you can think of jam-packed into the pages of every issue.” said Dafna Pleban, Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Monsters will grow. Shells will get kicked. And that thing you’re really hoping we’ll do? Yeah, that’s in here, too.”

Print copies of MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1  will be available on December 4, 2019 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.

Softcover collections of MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS, SABAN’S GO GO POWER RANGERS, and other Power Rangers releases from BOOM! Studios, including original graphic novels such as the upcoming Saban’s Power Rangers: The Psycho Path, are available everywhere books are sold.

IDW’s extensive library of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles graphic novels – new stories tied into the Rise of the TMNT cartoon, remastered Eastman & Laird classics, IDW’s critically-acclaimed ongoing saga (now approaching its landmark 100th issue and available as the TMNT: The IDW Collection), and more – are available now at comic book shops and booksellers everywhere.

For continuing news on MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

For more on Saban’s Power Rangers, please visit www.powerrangers.com and follow Power Rangers on http://rangernation.com/, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter andInstagram.

About Hasbro  Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to Creating the World’s Best Play Experiences. From toys and games to television, movies, digital gaming and consumer products, Hasbro offers a variety of ways for audiences to experience its iconic brands, including NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, BABY ALIVE and MAGIC: THE GATHERING, as well as premier partner brands. Through its entertainment labels, Allspark Pictures and Allspark Animation, the Company is building its brands globally through great storytelling and content on all screens. Hasbro is committed to making the world a better place for children and their families through corporate social responsibility and philanthropy. Hasbro ranked No. 13 on the 2019 100 Best Corporate Citizens list by CR Magazine, and has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® by Ethisphere Institute for the past eight years. Learn more at www.hasbro.com, and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro) and Instagram (@Hasbro).

ABOUT IDW IDW Publishing stands proudly at the forefront of printed visual entertainment, cultivating a formidable library of world-renowned licensed brands and creator-owned original IP. Its diverse array of comic books, graphic novels, and art books deliver reading enjoyment to fans of all ages. Its award-winning imprints The Library of American Comics, Yoe! Books, and Artist Editions preserve the valuable cultural history of the sequential art medium, while titles under the critically acclaimed Top Shelf and Black Crown banners celebrate fiercely independent voices. IDW Publishing is a division of IDW Media Holdings, Inc. (OTCQX: IDWM), a fully integrated media company with robust offerings in publishing, tabletop gaming, multimedia entertainment, and art exhibition via the San Diego Comic Art Gallery.

ABOUT NICKELODEON Nickelodeon, now in its 40th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location based experiences, publishing and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB).

About BOOM! Studios BOOM! Studios was founded by Ross Richie in 2005 with the singular focus of creating world-class comic book and graphic novel storytelling for all audiences. Through the development of four distinct imprints—BOOM! Studios, BOOM! Box, KaBOOM!, and Archaia—BOOM! has produced award-winning original work, including Lumberjanes, The Woods, Giant Days, Klaus, and Mouse Guard, while also breaking new ground with established licenses such as WWE, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Cartoon Network, and The Jim Henson Company properties. BOOM! will also bring their original series to life through unique first-look relationships with 20th Century Fox for film and with 20th Television for the small screen. Please visit www.boom-studios.com for more information.

Web: www.boom-studios.com Twitter: @boomstudios Facebook: @BOOMStudiosComics Instagram: @boom_studios Tumblr: boomstudios.tumblr.com

NEWS – Boom Studios Announces Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Power Rangers Crossover Event was originally published on Ranger Command Power Hour

[hi2shinji]

FRAMED STOCK CERTIFICATE

High Times Executive Chairman on Regulation A+ Offering - Midas Letter RAW - 2019/04/26 に公開　6:53

Transcript:

James West: I’m joined now by Adam Levin. He’s the Executive Chairman of High Times Magazine, the best-known brand in cannabis in the world. Adam, welcome.

Adam Levin: Thank you so much for having me.

James West: You bet. I have been a reader of High Times on and off over the entire 44-year history. I’m 55, I started reading it when I was actually nine years old.

Adam Levin: Amazing. I love it.

James West: I learned how to grow cannabis from Ed Rosenthal, who was once one of the most prolific writers of High Times.

Adam Levin: Not only one of the most; I mean, he’s still prolific as it gets. He’s probably one of the biggest names.

James West: Yeah, he is. Actually, I went and met him at his house and we shot an interview there that’s going –

Adam Levin: Did he share some of his stuff with you?

James West: He didn’t, because I was with all this film crew and everything. It wasn’t really copacetic, yeah. Okay, so you just led a group that has taken over High Times from previous management.

Adam Levin: I did that two years ago today. Since then, we’ve made seven acquisitions in the space. We’ve bought Culture, we’ve bought Dope Magazine and media properties, in addition, Green Rush Daily. We just announced a definitive agreement to buy Spannabis, the largest cannabis trade conference in Europe.

James West: Really?

Adam Levin: And announced recently that we signed definitives to buy The Big Show. Beyond that, we’ve, it’s been a busy two years, but we’ve done, I don’t know how familiar you are with a Reg-A IPO, it’s like a mini-IPO.

James West: Reg-A Plus?

Adam Levin: Reg-A Plus.

James West: Oh, I know Reg-A plus very well. An offshoot from the Jobs Act that gave companies the ability to raise up to $50 million without filing a prospectus.

Adam Levin: So, do you know how large the — until us, do you know how many people — the largest Reg-A to date as far as the number of subscribers was?

James West: I have no idea.

Adam Levin: 5,500 with Elio Motors, which was a huge success at the time.

James West: Yeah, actually I had them on the show, like, two years ago — almost two years ago. A year ago.

Adam Levin: We’re about 20-plus thousand today, shareholders.

James West: Really? Wow.

Adam Levin: So we’ll list in, you know, the near future.

James West: Wow, fantastic.

Adam Levin: And, you know, we’re well on our raise to have a large number of retail shareholders, as you know how important it is in cannabis to have that retail shareholder support.

James West: Yeah, you bet.

Adam Levin: And, you know, TGOD was bragging 7,500 retail shareholders when they went public, and we’re well over 20,000.

James West: Wow, that’s fantastic.

Adam Levin: So it’s been an exciting time, and you know, I really think it shows the gravitas of the brand.

James West: Yeah, you bet. Okay, so now, just because we’re investor-focused, an investor wants to know what is the economics? How does the revenue model work for the company in a publishing space in cannabis?

Adam Levin: So we have a few different revenue models today. Licensing is the natural fit; you know, we’re the most well-known brand in cannabis, so you know, I can imagine today we haven’t touched the plant today; we’ve decided not to go there as a company. Looking at a US listing. But if we were to trade in Canada, we’d be a dispensary today.

But you look at smoke shops, you see High Times products all through smoke shops distributed worldwide; merchandise, obviously. Beyond that, we’re a concert and event promoter, so we have the Cannabis Cup stretching back 30 years to its roots in Amsterdam, and today we’ll do, you know, more than 20 of those throughout the world. Anywhere Amsterdam to Puerto Rico, to Alaska last year.

James West: Sure. Who is the winningest provider of genetics in the Cannabis Cup history?

Adam Levin: You’re going to get me in trouble, here. [laughter] No, there’s been a lot. We’ve had a lot of successful strains –

James West: Oh, okay. I was trying to get you to say DNA Genetics, just because I know those guys a little bit.

Adam Levin: And I’m partial to them, too. Dan and Aaron are great guys, and you know, big supporters. I mean, I think one of my first connections with Dan at the Cup last year, he goes, listen, High Times is what brought us on the map. And they’re doing some exciting things right now as well.

James West: Yes, they are. So events, revenues –

Adam Levin: Events, licensing, events…obviously our publishing business, and we have the largest audience of cannaconsumers on web and social today.

James West: Sure.

Adam Levin: So we’ll do our series of rollups that we’ve bought — you know, Culture and Dope Media. You know, we’ve got more than 22 million eyeballs on our, from a cannaconsumer, which, you look three, four years ago, no one cared about that stoner. Today –

James West: [laughter] I’ve actually been arrested for possession of a High Times magazine in the State of Georgia when I was, I think, 21 years old.

Adam Levin: Just of the magazine?

James West: Well, I had the magazine, and I had a book on mushrooms, and those both caught me the book. Anyways, but that was, you used to have to hide High Times magazine even from my parents. Yeah, exactly.

Adam Levin: Of course.

James West: So yeah, no, I mean, it’s so amazing. I mean, we live in a really fantastic time for a cannabis consumer, to have High Times Magazine now becoming a publicly traded company…I mean, it just warms the cockles of my heart.

Adam Levin: But we’re, you know, much more than a media company today. We’re much more than just a magazine that we’re known for, and we’re buying B2B trade shows, and really expanding worldwide. We recently just brought in a new CEO, Craig Fox, who, you know, is known for overseeing Dick Clark productions and running the Elvis Presley Library, and you know, we’ve brought the guns.

James West: Yeah. So is this kind of like analogous to, like, say, Vice Media, to, like, Fox Business?

Adam Levin: I think it’s much different than that, because those are all media companies. We’re a brand.

James West: Right, okay.

Adam Levin: Okay? Yes, we’ll have a media division, yes, we have. But you look at, like, Fish & Stream the magazine — they have 400 retail stores. So my background is buying media companies. I’ve bought some, you know, Girls Gone Wild, Penthouse Media Group, I probably could go on…Bebo from AOL…and it’s repositioning assets and finding the right purpose and the best overall value for them.

James West: Yeah.

Adam Levin: I mean to me, you look at High Times and the brand, and we haven’t even touched the plant, as I said, but you look at branded products, you look at what we’re already doing, but you look, you know, stores I think is a natural transition. And you know, there’s a lot of exciting things.

James West: Yeah. Okay, so in a Reg-A Plus offering, that gives the average Joe the ability to participate in a financing just, like, alongside institutions.

Adam Levin: Absolutely. It gives the allocation to everyone.

James West: So how long is this financing open for?

Adam Levin: So it’s been open for a little over six months, today; we’ve kept it open, you know, waiting for the NASDAQ markets. I think today with the Green Lane IPO, being the first, you know, cannabis ancillary IPO to be in the US-traded markets, we’re looking at that, and I think, you know, that’s really a big win for the industry and a big win for us. And you know, we’ve had a lot of interest, a lot of people looking and recognizing the value of the brand, far beyond just a media and events company.

James West: No kidding. All right, Adam, well, we’re going to leave it there for now. How soon till the company becomes public? (ハイタイムスは米国ナスダック市場に何時、上場を許されるのでしょうか?)

Adam Levin: We’ll see. I think, you know, we’re looking this quarter. (そうですね、今年の第2四半期終わりごろ、6月末頃だと思います。)

James West: Cool. All right, well, we’re going to have you back as often as we can because I love High Times. Thanks so much for joining me.

Adam Levin: Thanks so much for having me. Appreciate it.

[furiousharmonykryptonite-blog1]

About how much would the insurance cost on a 2010 Mercedes Benz C300?

"About how much would the insurance cost on a 2010 Mercedes Benz C300?

Also, if you don't know, dont answer. (Kate)

BEST ANSWER:  Try this site where you can compare quotes: : http://averageinsurancecosts.xyz/index.html?src=tumblr 

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i want to get one a 1999 manual model or a 2000 manual model how much will it cost per year and monthly

Do you need car insurance if you're bonded?

If I have a SR22 bond do I need car insurance as well? I've heard about them letters the BMV sends out and I don't wanna lose my license if they ask if my car is insured.

Will admiral beat an online quote if I phone them?

Ok, So i've been quoted around 1000 for my insurance through the admiral site, I was wondering if they would beat that quote if I phoned them and spoke to them over the phone. Or are online deals always better?""

Car Insurance and Registered Owners?

I have recently bough a car and I am the registered owner and keeper of the car on the documents. As this is my first car and I am under 26, my insurance quote was very high, so as the car will be driven by me and my boyfriend he is the primary driver and i am the second driver on the insurance policy. Does the primary driver also have to be the registered owner for an insurance company to pay out?!""

Cheapest car insurance for 18 year old ?

H there, once again i ask for thy help!!!>.. < ... so here i just bought a 2002 VAUXHALL CORSA 1.2 SXI BLACK, 1000 pounds, 90k Miles, im on a provisional license, hoping to pass by january. I will do aorund 6k a year miles. car will be used to get to uni, work and commute for shoping. thanks""

""Whats cheaper, paying for gas or car insurance?""

Im getting my lisence soon, and my mom said i can have her car. Its a 2001 chevy malibu, she said if i pay for gas she'll pay for car insurance. Well with gas prices rising what would actually be easier for me to pay?""

Can you have more than one car insurance policy?

Okay, imagine the situation. Mum's got a car (A), but it's too expensive to run. Son has just bought a car (B) but doesn't want to drive it much until next year. Mum's already got an insurance policy on Car A, she wishes to take out an insurance policy for Car B with another company, but still keep her insurance policy on Car A with her old insurer. So Car A - Insurance Policy A - Mum driver. Car B - Insurance Policy B - Mum driver, Son named. Many thanks.""

After tax and national insurance deductions how much would i come out with a month if i was on 14500 annual?

After tax and national insurance deductions how much would i come out with a month if i was on 14500 annual?

What is the average home business liabilitly insurance monthly premium?

This would be an internet based business run out of my home, with $2000 in sales a month.""

Cheapest Car insurance in New Jersey?

Looking for cheap car insurance companies in New Jersey.

About how much would the insurance cost on a 2010 Mercedes Benz C300?

Also, if you don't know, dont answer. (Kate)

High risk auto insurance?

Guys, Please what is the Best Option Online for High risk auto insurance, i am looking for One Just In Case Thanks""

How long does it take for a traffic ticket to affect insurance rates?

How long does it take for a traffic ticket to affect insurance rates?

Who has the cheapest auto insurance?

I must have full coverage. I have gotten a few quotes but I need suggestions. Thanks in advance!

""Im 16 and need to get cheap insurance, any suggestions?""

Im 16 yrs old, female, very independent and just bought a car; a 2002 chrysler pt cruiser. Im needing to get car insurance and be being 16 I know it'll be expensive so im needing to know where the cheapest place to get insurance for liability coverage in the state of Kentucky.""

What are the risks of getting cheaper auto insurance using friends/work address?

Getting a car insured in Hoboken is very expensive ($750 for 6 months). Some of my friends use their friends address (Say Edison address) and get much cheaper quotes. What are the risks in doing this? My friend also had a claim with no problems (but it was a minor claim). Please advise?

What is the cheapest insurance for a teen?

what insurance company will be more affordable for a teen

Cheap car insurance for a 17 year old male.? [:?

I have already asked this question on here but i got answers that were completely on the wrong side of what I'm looking for. I got told to go to different comparison sites to find cheap deals. Which is not what I want. The answers I was looking for was more along the lines of, lowering insurance by adding parents as named driver and so on. I did this with the car im looking to buy (Seat Ibiza 1.2 Group 2 insurance.) With my dad as a named driver on TPFT insurance, and i got quoted 1400 a year. Yet people with cars higher than that can get comprehensive insurance for less than 1000 a year. So what I'm asking is, How the hell do they do it.?""

How much would insurance cost for an 18 year-old college student on a used 2000 honda CBR 600?

How much would insurance cost for an 18 year-old college student on a used 2000 honda CBR 600?

""On average, how much do employers pay for health insurance in the USA?""

So I need a statisitic, on average, how much employers provide healthcare insurance to employees? I've got that from Jan 1st 2014 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will impose a $2000 fine on employers with over 50 employees who do not offer health insurance. But statistics for how much employers actually provide health insurance are all over the place... Typically, employers pay about 85% of the insurance premium for their employees In 2008, over 95% of employers with at least 50 employees offered health insurance. the percentage of large firms offering these benefits fell from 66% in 1988 to 34% in 2002 These quotes are from wikipedia, but I've been looking at other sites too. I just don't know what to believe, or how to understand what they actually mean. What percentage of employers actually provide adequate health insurance to it's full time employees?""

Should I change insurance companies? How to change insurance?

If I don't pay insurance, company will cancel insurance, right? I don't link an insurance company to my bank, so I think stop paying, insurance will be cancel. Should I change insurance companies? Someone told me insurance company will increase fee every year, changing company may save money. In my case, I paid $650 for home insurance last year. However, I have to pay $800 this year.""

Does anyone know how the Access Insurance works in AZ?

I hear its state wide insurance coverage for those who cant afford or have insurance....

Cheap insurance?

my 20yo son has 6 points and no ncb its his 1st car can anyone tell me a insurance company who not charge him a fortune please...........

I'm moving to florida from new jersey.?

Anything I should know before I move? Like is rent cheaper or auto insurance or like anything that would surprise me?

How much is full coverage for auto insurance cost monthly usually ? ?

I was thinking about financing a 2000 nissan maxima but im not sure if its a good idea because of monthly car payments and car insurance plus if it breaks down idk what I would do. I just need to know how much is full coverage for auto insurance usually cost per month or is there something cheaper I can get other than full coverage.

Affordable Insurance for Teens?

Looking to get my first car soon and I got to pay for my own insurance and I need some help for an affordable insurance. Please and Thank You

What is the best health insurance company to go through for maternity insurance.?

What is the best maternity health insurance company to go to in Tennessee. Me and my hubby want to start having a family and need to get some insurance.

Cheap car insurance for young drivers?

Ok im 20 years old ands i expect to get my full licence soon. i think a Ford KA is my best option for price when thinking about purchase price, Insurance bands, TAX bands and repair costs. The problem is all the insurance company's i have looked at will charge me around 2500. Can anyone recommend any good insurance company's for young drivers. I have tried some price comparison websites none seem to come up with anything new.""

My auto insurance cancelling my auto insurance...Help?

My husband caused a hit and run accident last year. After a half year later, my insurance send me a letter that they will cancel my auto insurance. I don't know what to do... Please help.""

What auto insurance company or small company is cheap for drivers under 25 in arizona?

I am going to get a car soon and i want to look for an insurance company that is cheap and won't really burn a hole in my wallet. Maybe someone cheaper than 120-150 per month? Please give me name and estimate price for which car.

Im 19yrs old and i wanna know how much will my car insurance will be..???

Im 19yrs old and i wanna know how much will my car insurance will be..???

Should I notify my car insurance company if I paid for the fix myself?

I had a minor car accident in a Costco parking lot last weekend. I was backing out my parking lot; the other guy was also backing out. Unfortunately, we didn't see each other... Anyway, this seems to be a 50-50 accident. The damage to the cars are moderate and we agreed on just fixing ourselves. So no personal information was exchanged. I got an estimate today. The cost for fixing my car is not cheap but still lower than the minimal requirement for accident reporting in California. It is also lower than my insurance deductible. So I plan neither to report to DMV nor to file a claim. But one friend of mine suggested that in this case, I should still notify (but not to file a claim to) my insurance company. His argument is that the other party can still come back and sue me (if he is a freak). While we didn't exchange information, the other party may have remembered my license plate number so theoretically he could find out all other information about me. But I am not sure if notifying the insurance company will affect my premiums. What do you think?""

How can i reduce my car insurance?

how can i reduce my car insurance, i have had my license for 11 years, the only fault on my licence is an SP30 giving me 3 points (3yrs ago)... im a 30 yr old male UK born, i have 5yr no claims bonus, (would of been longer but i fell ill) and because im now unemployed because of disability my insurance has gone up over 1000,,,, i done a price comparison quote on a car i'm looking on buying and this is my findings ----- 1.6 Fiat multipla 2001 (factory standard) 30 yr old male with my post code 5yrs no claims, no home owner, with kids under 16, with 3points UNEMPLOYED DUE TO DISABILITY 1897.47 30 yr old male with my post code 5yrs no claims, no home owner, with kids under 16, with 3points EMPLOYED - FACTORY WORKER 872.92 why am i being given such shocking quotes,,,, is there any way of gettin better quotes???? websites used ---- (auto trader insurance comparison site) (compare the market) (go compare) (confused) please help,,, MANY THANKS :-)""

Do you need insurance for motorcycle if under 21?

i just passed my course and the coach I had told us that you are not required to have insurance if your 21 or over and wear a helmet so I asked her what about people under 21, she said it didnt say anything in the papers so she doesnt know.. i was wondering if any of you know if it is legal not to have insurance. im 18, live in florida, and wear a helmet, thanks!""

""Can anyone recommend a good, trusted car insurance company in Southern California (Los Angeles)?

Can anyone recommend good/trusted car insurance companies in Southern California (Los Angeles)? I just moved to Los Angeles from the East coast so I am not familiar with the local car insurance companies. I have had Geico for the past 6 months but I'm not sure if I want to stay with Geico. The customer service people are kind of rude.

What is the cheapest car insurance company for Northern Ireland. I want to insure a ford focus ST-3.?

I have 1 years driving experience and 1 years NCB.

About how much would the insurance cost on a 2010 Mercedes Benz C300?

Also, if you don't know, dont answer. (Kate)

What coverage to get for car insurance for my son with ' L'?

what coverage to get for my car insurance , my son jest got his L. so what insurance coverage do i need to add to my car if i want him to drive it whit me , because I'm afraid if a crash happen. I live in british consulate vancouver ( ICBC ) this is the web site of the company (http://icbc.com/) so please help me .""

Safe to buy Insurance over the phone ?

I need car insurance , is it safe to give my credit card information over the phone ? What would they ask for ? Just the card number ? Will they want the expiration date and 3 digit code on the back ? Do they need my SSN number ? I know they will need an address , phone number and drivers license number. The people that answer (I have called 6 places for a quote) seem like the type you do not feel safe giving all this information too.""

Will 1 speeding ticket effect my insurance rates in Maryland?

Erie Insurance policy, 83 in a 65, 2 points, no other tickets. Will this effect my insurance cost in Maryland?""

Car Insurance & Title Question?

Okay, my question is, I am quantified for a loan on a new car. I'm going to get a new car, & since i'm the primary person on the loan, and my mom as the co-signer, Can i still get the Tags & Title primary in my mom's name, and me as secondary (so nothing happens to the car if my mom defaults on any of bills of any sort) so that way i can be on my mom's car insurance for a lower rate? Or does the tag & titles got to have me as primary b/c of the loan?? & if so can my mom still be 2nd-ary, and still be on her car insurance for a low rate?? Also, in any and all of these seniors, will it still build both mine & my mom's credit up??? Thanks, Ashley""

How much would it cost if i put full coverage on a 2007 Nissan Altima?

I want to buy a 2007 Nissan Altima 2.5s and want to put full coverage on it. I want to know how much or approx how much would it be? and whats the best insurance out there that wont cost too much each month. geico? the general? farmers? progressive? Please respond back!

Forced place insurance?

Does forced place insurance cover slip and falls, should someone file a claim that they fell on your property?""

Can you give me a list of car insurance comparison sites please?

Can you give me a list of car insurance comparison sites please?

""Before Obamacare, my health insurance premiums were stable...?""

...this year they went up 17%. How can this be, if Obamacare was supposed to make everything more affordable?""

I hit someones car who doesn't have car insurance?

so at school in the parking lot i hit a parked car and left it there. a hit and run i guess. i told someone who told the girl. so she told me she would go halfs with me on the damages. the damages is $1,000. i asked her again if she would go halfs with me and she said she couldnt. i dont have $1000 and i found out she doesnt even have car insurance (through someone else). i live in MA and its illegal if you dont have car insurance. your license will be suspended. so im trying to get her to admit that she doesnt have car insurance. so then what do i do? any advice?""

How can i finance a car and pay insurance? help?

hi, im an 18 year old student, i work part-time and make around 400-500 a month after tax. im looking to buy a car (doesnt have to be brand new) for less than 4k and insurance is ...show more""

What is the average cost for a phacoemulsification without insurance?

What is the average cost for a phacoemulsification without health insurance?

Need car insurance help!?

Weird/awful situation. Co-signed on car loan with a longtime friend when he broke off and started his own business. His business tanked, as did his personal life. Lost his job, his business, everything. He's now about a year behind in payments, and the bank is coming after me. Since it's destroying my credit (and life), I'm paying off the loan. The bad news continues. Apparently he loaned the car to his brother, that has disappered and isn't returning it, and the car is nowhere to be found. So now I own nothing. Worse, I'm terrified that whoever has the car could wreck it, and I'm liable. So now I have to get insurance, for a car I don't have possession of, and report it stolen. Who in the world would ever insure me???? Help! What do I do???????""

Car insurance for young drivers UK?

im 17 atm and passed my test last week ive been looking at car insurance for a cars but the insurance is really expensive for a 17 year old what are cheap car insurances for young drivers in the uk?

Car insurance?

how much would insurance for a 16 year old female cost for a 2000 Plymouth Neon Highline

Why do teen girls get cheaper car insurance than men?

I see teen girls driving like. Morons all the time. I've also witnessed many women drivers texting their phone, not once have I seen a male driver texting their phone. It's not ******* fair that I almost get totaled because this teen girl at are school accelerates when I go into her lane forcing me to swerve back into mine to avoid being hit? Just yesterday I was driving my MG down the road and this teenage girl in her big Ford pick up texting while taking up both lanes by driving in the middle to drive down a road making me have to take my car off the road to avoid a collision. So how is it fair that I me, a seasoned male driver of the age of 18 have to pay far more in insurance than teenage drivers who have no since of awareness?""

Van with low insurance? HELP?

My car broke down, and i need a van pronto. I am a professional dog walker and need wheels all the time as cover a large radius. This is a perfect time to take the step into have a van. I only want something small. which i can split the back into two sections so can carry two dogs at a time. similar size as a renult kangoo, transit connect, vahxall combo - that sort of size van. It needs to be a low insurance group - as i have 4 years driving but no commerical No claims only car no claims - which ive been told doesnt count on a commercial policy. also needs to be diesel and a very small engine like 1.3 or something as i do so many miles and fuel costs atm. I have around 3000 to spend on a van. Any direction as to a suitable van, that fit my requirments would be fab! Ive been looking all night and cant find anything :( Thank you!!!!""

What are some affordable health insurance plans?

Besides medicare, what are some cheap, affordable insurance plans in the hudson valley, ny?""

How much (approx) would insurance be for a 1.1 saxo?

The exact car is '2000 CITROEN SAXO 1.1I DESIRE BLACK VTR REPLICA' a few modifications (cd player with bluetooth, black front lights, smoked rear lights, front fogs, full colour coded vtr body kit, DTM mirrors, vtr alloy wheels, lowered on 40mm G-max springs) i'm not even 17 yet but i was wondering what would the cheapest possible *(legal) insurance be on this car thanks :) !!""

How much does the insurance company raise your rates if you use your car for work?

I'm talking about reading meters where I had to use it everyday, often driving from house to house or business to business all day. And I still have a lien on my car. I currently pay about $60 a month.""

How much would health insurance cost?

For a single person? I'm 18 and am in great health. I really only ever go to the dermatologist once a year. Thanks!

Best car insurance for a teen?

Im 16 and will be getting my license soon but have to pay for my own insurance. I would like to know which insurance agency would be cheapest?

Is there a reason to notify my auto insurance company of a student driver?

It will raise the crap outta my rates and since every licensed driver is insured and the insurance follows the car, not the driver, is there a reason? My young learner is 15 and has a learners permit. Right now the lessons have just been in the country, so no worries yet, but shes getting better and will be ready to get out among the other idiots on the road soon. Thanks""

State Farm insurance?

I have my own insurance and it was. 230 a month now I am getting a new car and I need collusion I am getting a Honda civic sedan 2012 white can anyone tell me an estimate on how much my insurance will go up Ps the car is financed . I have State Farm, I am 20 years old I reside in ny and I have had no accident""

What's the best and cheapest Insurance Company for Motorcycles?

I want to buy a 2007 Honda CBR1000RR. I live in Georgia. I was quoting online and the prices are insane!!! I could buy a Range Rover with those monthly payments!!!

Auto Insurance average for me?

I've had my temps for about 8mos now, and I'm going Togo to driving school for my license. I'm 17 years old. How much do you think average coverage should be?""

About how much would the insurance cost on a 2010 Mercedes Benz C300?

Also, if you don't know, dont answer. (Kate)

""Out of curiosity, does anyone know why car insurance is CHEAPER when you add your partner on?""

I did my insurance quote for my Ford Focus (UK) and I was happy with the price at 15 per month fully comp, but if I were to add my partner to the claim it was 11 per month. I don't understand their logic? Why is it cheaper? It's the same car and if i'm allowing someone else to drive it isn't there more risk?""

How much is car insurance for a 16 year old girl ?

Im about to get my license and i was wondering how much insurance would be. For a 16 year old girl 2011 camry or corolla. Anyone wanna guesstimate ?

Where can I compare legal malpractice insurance like car insurance quotes?

I am a new lawyer and need to get receive coverage. Any attorneys out there know how much I'll pay? Who has good rates?

I'm trying to get rental insurance?

I'm getting rental insurance well trying to but I had a doubt my Heath insurance is in my mothers name and not mine so she pays it so say I get rental insurance under my name would it mess up or even kick me off her insurance plan if I did get the insurance in my name

How much money difference between full coverage and liability?

I'm 24. I have full coverage on my car now, and I pay $106 a month. I am getting rid of my car, and getting a new one that I will not have a loan on. So I plan on getting liability insurance. Around what price difference can I expect after switching from full coverage to liability? Thanks.""

""Any opinions on AUTO INSURANCE in Providence, RI? cheap prices?

cheap prices

Can car insurance co. replace my damage car if they are at fault?

Can car insurance co. replace my damage car if they are at fault?

Best Medical Insurance for autistic toddler in california ?

My child is 3 years old and she is a diagnosed as high functioning with autism, Im fed up with dentical and medical insurance, Im looking into a new paid insurance for her. What insurance in california is best for a toddler with autism? Anyone know the benefits of the two...Price is not really an issue..""

What is the fastest and best looking insurance group 4 or 5 car i can get?

looking for a newer car to buy that is not just quick but looks good.

Cost of motercycle insurance?

when I search for this all I get is spam about how much you could save on your insurance. if it's not that then it: motorcycle gear, shows, accessories, video, ect. So I was just wondering is insurance cheaper for motorcycle than cars? Thinking about the differences; the cost of replacing the bike is less, the damage it could do it less, the injury to others is less, the injury to yourself is greater, it seems like it should be cheaper. espically considering that your health insurance will cover most of your injury costs this kind of insurance seems lower risk. But I wanna know from other bikers, is it cheaper?""

About how much would insurance be on a used 2005 Ford Mustang per year?

I'm a male. I live in Reno, NV It has 83,272 Miles 6 Cylinder Gasoline Engine Automatic Transmission 2 wheel drive - rear The car cost $10,880""

Homeowners Insurance: What is replacement value for my home?

I'm getting new homeowners policy. What is per square foot to re-build my home in Southern California? Middle-class neighborhood, nothing fancy. Built in 1968.""

Car insurance question?

right now I'm driving a 2008 saturn aura xe, I'm 17 and my insurance is around 200$ a month. I'm looking into buying a new car. i recent ran into money on the stock market. I'm looking into buying a 2008 c-300 mercedes they go for around 15,000-17,000. will my insurance go up a lot? thanks""

What does health insurance cover?

i recently turned 18 and am in need of Knee surgury. if i got health insurance right now, would it cover the surgury? or would it be like trying to get a totaled car insured? if insurance doesn't cover it, what should i do? i live in NJ.""

""Not at fault in car accident, but insurance says I am?""

I was involved in an accident in 2011. I was going straight past an intersection and another truck going the opposite direction turned at the intersection, striking me. He admitted he did not see me and was clearly at fault. I filled out the police report and it states, by both parties, that he was at fault. A year later I bought a new car. I tried to get insurance. Everywhere I go my quotes are sky high, like almost $200 a month. I asked them why so much, and they advised I was listed at fault in the accident. I called the DMV, the insurance adjuster, and the police, and they all say I am not at fault. Well, the DMV says they see an accident but it does not show who was at fault. The insurance companies keep saying they are getting this info from the DMV but thats not possible. I was told by one small insurance company that this is a tactic used by companies. They see me as not at fault but try to manipulate me to get more money. What do I do to clear my name? I have the official police report, as well as all my medical bills from the accident. Again, the DMV cannot see any at fault, therefore cannot do or change anything.""

Why is full coverage insurance so expensive for a 22 year old?

My boyfriend is looking for a new insurance agent agent but so far everyone who is has contacted is super expensive. He has a pretty new car with a starter/alarm/sub systems etc. so he needs full coverage. His parents won't let him get under their insurance for the time being so he's having a hard time finding a reasonable rate. My parents are considering letting him get under their insurance..is that a good idea?

Claiming Back car insurance?

Is it possible, i have been paying car insurance on my car for three months, while it has been out of use at the garage i purchased it from, due to the engine blowing! The garage have taken over 3 months to sort it under warranty, and the car is covered under there insurance, i didnt cancel the insurance due to thinking it wouldnt take this long! as i pay 140 a month it tolals up to alot and i was wondering if can claim any of the insurance premium back?? They still have the car useless Evans Halshaw be warned, only had the car 8 weeks..""

California auto insurance?

my daughter bought a used car and was told by the seller that he would keep his insurance on the car for a couple of weeks so she could find her own insurance. Well a couple of days later she was pulled over and when the cop asked for her insurance papers, they were not in the glove box. Now we can not fond the seller to get a copy of his insurance. Does anyone know how we can find out which insurance company insured the car? When you register your car does DMV write down your insurance information? I added her car to our policy the same day she got the ticket. Any help would be appreciated. The ticket amount is $1100.00! Thanks Gary""

""I'm looking for car insurance, is the General a good car insurance? Are they reliable?""

I have 21st century and my premium is high, so I looked into the General and they're only charging me half of what I'm used to, but in case of an accident, do they really back you up. I have heard of some crooked companies, would this be one among them.""

Will I get my licence quicker if I learn in an automatic? Will the insurance be cheaper if I go on my dads?

Before you say it, I know I wont be able to drive manual if I just learn in an automatic""

Disability Insurance?

If I have disability insurance through my job and I also have independent disability insurance, will each insurance pay me the amount I am entitled too if I was to become disabled?""

""Car from 2003, 17 year old female driver. Car insurance average?""

I'm a B+ student, my car belonged to my dad and is now being given to me. It's a ford focus. I'm 17 and a girl from New York. Can someone please ESTIMATE how much car insurance would be for me? I tried websites but I'd have to put in my social security # to get an average and I don't want to do that yet.""

Why does insurance go up ?

I understand if I have been in an accident that my I may pay more insurance because its in my record. My question is .. if I buy a car that has record of having an accident does that make the insurance higher?

How do I get points taken off of my license?

i live in California and i about 2 months ago crashed my car and was cited for a failure to yield ticket, because i am only 16 i got a restricted license and i have to attend traffic school as well as getting a point, i was wonder if i could get that point taken off?""

How will the grandfathered in medical insurance work for Obamacare?

I have had an individual plan since 2004. I just read you can be grandfathered into plans that don't provide coverage options required under the Affordable Care Act. This sure doesn't sound good!! It sounds like if I want protection, I will have to pay twice as much as I am now on the exchange, which I thought was supposed to lower cost. Obama said someone can keep the insurance they have if they'd like, which is half the price as the exchange, so who wouldn't want to pay half as much? If it's not covered under the Affordable Care Act, does that mean I still could be dropped or denied? Why call it the Affordable Care Act when it is only affordable to very low income people? I am middle class, and I read that only 9% of Americans make between $50,000 to $75,000. Do you think this sounds right? This is hard for me to believe.""

About how much would the insurance cost on a 2010 Mercedes Benz C300?

Also, if you don't know, dont answer. (Kate)

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/i-got-speeding-ticket-how-much-my-insurance-go-up-alan-riley/"

[littledonkeyburrito]

MY GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING POTATOES

1. When was the last time you ate something containing chocolate?  I had a couple of oreos earlier today

2. When in a car, where do you like to sit? You get a lot of choices when you’re the driver

3. Have you ever been lost in an unfamiliar setting? I have been lost in many countries. Thank god for Google’s offline maps

4. Are you the type that’s too ashamed to ask for or use directions? Thank god for Google’s offline maps

5. You overhear two people gossiping about you; what do you do? Nothing probably. I mean, what would they even have to say about me? I’m not interesting enough to talk about.

6. When you watch the news, how does it effect your mood? Either neutral or negative. That’s why I stopped watching/reading the news unless it’s an article I’m actually interested in.

7. Do you ever have anxiety attacks? Fortunately no. I had one panic attack when I was like 12 but I didn’t even realise it was a panic attack until many years later.

8. Have you been to the library in your city any time recently? I don’t even know where any libraries are in this city.

9. Would you ever wish to move to another country? Who, me? 

10. Have you ever had anything expensive stolen from you? MY GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING POTATOES. Look, this happened 3 years ago and I am still bitter about it. I don’t even care about the cash they stole from my wallet, I’m just angry they broke into my apartment and stole my potatoes.

11. What is your stance on getting revenge? Power stance for optimal stability

12. When was the last time you sent someone a friend request on Facebook? No idea

13. How do you decide whether to accept or not accept a friend request? Well, if I don’t know them I don’t accept.

14. Can you smell anything right now? No but you’ve reminded me that I have to put the trash out before I do.

15. Have you spoken to a relative on the phone today? Yeah I skyped mum this morning

16. Do you wear your hair up or down most often? I have short hair. But I do put the fringe up when it’s a bit shorter or when I’m going out.

17. What was the first thing you ate today? Leftovers

18. Do you have anything more important you should be doing right now? I gave up on trying to contact my internet company today. It can wait. Although I do also need to email my bank and ask about procedure for closing accounts.

19. Have you ever eaten tofu and if so, did you enjoy it? It’s fine. Certain types are freaking delicious but most is very mediocre.

20. Can you hear anything right now? Music on youtube

21. What was the last type of meat you ate? Beef

22. Have you taken any medication today? No

23. Have you ever been suspended from school? Yes, I was suspended once for fighting.

24. Have you ever inhaled helium? I have almost passed out from inhaling helium and, while it was a little bit fun, I don’t recommend it.

25. Have you bought something that was on sale today? No. Almost booked a first aid course but I’m going to wait.

26. Have you ever watched Parks and Recreation? Yeah

27. Have you watched a movie this week? No, I don’t think I have

28. Have you ever been to a wedding? I’ve been to a few family weddings. The first of my friends is getting married at the end of the year and I’m a groomsman. They couldn’t stand the thought of seeing me in a dress at their wedding so I’ll be on his side.

29. Do you keep magazines by your toilet? In the age of smartphones? No.

30. What did you last take a picture of with your camera? Food haha

31. The last time you got dressed up, where did you go? I have no idea

32. Is chapstick a necessity for you? If I haven’t drunk enough water or I’ve had salty food, yes.

33. What are you listening to? Estaré - DLD

34. Are you happy? sure, I’m content. I’m under the blankets in bed with the heater going, messaging with a friend. I’m going to London tomorrow and back to Australia and all my friends in 2 weeks.

35. What time is it? 8pm. I’m probably going to sleep soon.

36. Is there a high chance of you going out to the movies soon? I will watch movies with my mum when I’m back in aus.

37. Is anyone interested in you right now? I think my ex is getting kinda keen about me coming back to australia

38. Are you good at giving directions? Yeah because my mum hates bad directions so she taught me how to read a map as a kid so I could direct her when she was lost while driving.

39. Have you ever kissed in the rain? I don’t think so. I’m not big on pda so I haven’t kissed outside much.

40. How did you feel when you woke up? Surprisingly awake even thought it wasn’t even 9am. Now I’m tired af though.

41. Have you ever driven without a license? I learned to drive when I was a kid, so yeah. But not on roads, just property.

42. What color shirt are you wearing? It’s white with mickey mouses all over it. I got it at disneyland in hong kong a couple of years ago.

43. What are you most looking forward to tomorrow? Going to London, obviously.

44. Have you ever made out on a couch? Yes

45. What does your last message say? Goodnight patrick

46. As of this minute, what is going through your mind? All the crap I have to organise to move country again

47. When’s the next time you’ll be drinking? I’ll be in England tomorrow night so probably tomorrow night.

48. Captain Morgan or Smirnoff? Captain Morgan. I am not a vodka person.

49. Predict what will happen this weekend. I will be in London and it will be fun.

50. Have you ever been drunk at school or work? I’ve been drunk at the office but not while on duty. It was the christmas party.

51. Have you finished school yet? 6 years ago.

52. What was the last thing you complained about? Probably that it was cold.

53. What is your favorite kind of fruit juice? Fresh orange juice is good shit

54. Have you worn a necklace today? In all honesty I had kind of forgotten that necklaces exist because it’s been so long since I wore one.

55. Have you ever had an x-ray? Only on my teeth

56. Do you know anyone who was born overseas? Me, for a start.

57. Have you been to the movies lately? What movie did you see anyways? Last thing I saw at the cinemas was Coco. Still need to see Star Wars and Jumanji. And Paddington 2 but I’ll ave to wait until that’s on netflix.

58. Have you ever owned a golf-cart before? What color was it anyways? People OWN golf carts???

59. What is the color of the curtains in the room you’re in right now? White.

60. Have you ever done anything dangerous enough to have risked your life? Probably. Heavy drinking? Skiing without a helmet? Not wearing a seatbelt?

61. Do you get embarrassed when your parents talk about when you were a baby? No..?

62. Do you think anyone who is in the room with you right now is really mean? I’m alone. Whether that’s a yes or a no is up to your interpretation.

63. Do you get nervous easily? Yes

64. Do you get horny a lot? God, so much

65. Do you acknowledge your feelings or ignore them? Bottle, suppress, and ignore

66. What are you listening to at the moment? Branded - Nathan Sharp. I don’t really know who he is but he came up on the youtube mix and I kinda dig it.

67. Name all the pets you’ve ever had. Chablis (aka Shabby), Brie, Sparkle, Hob-nob.

68. Do you prefer being on time, or do you not mind being late? I'm always stressed if I’m running late.

69. What is one adventurous thing you’d be willing to do? I’m down for a lot of things.  70. Have you ever made a bucket list? No, I do what I want when I want. I don’t need a list 71. What subject at school did you absolutely hate? Physics, even though I liked both science and maths. 72. How many cell phones have you gone through up till now? In my life I have had 6 73. Italian food or Chinese food? Chinese, always. I think italian food is overrated. It’s not bad, just not as good as people say 74. Ever studied a foreign language? Spanish 75. Don’t you hate it when your family eats all the ice cream at home? I don’t live with my family and I also don’t eat much icecream 76. Favorite flavor of gum? I don’t like gum. 77. Do you tend to be frugal, or are you more comfortable spending money? That depends how much money I have. I am very good at saving money and talking myself out of buying things I want even when I do have the spare money for it. But then I’ll also pay a deposit on a month long trip on impulse. 78. Ever played a team sport, or are you not sporty at all? I didn’t do team sports, I did karate. 79. Do you put posters on your bedroom walls? Not since I was a teenager 80. Do you sleep with one leg sticking out of the covers? When it’s not the middle of winter

81. Has anyone ever told you that you’re a good singer? Yes and it surprised me because it is Known that I cannot sing well. 82. How many email accounts do you have? Two, I don’t use one of them. 83. Are you a big fan of dessert? I suppose so but I don’t eat that much dessert stuff. I more often have cravings for savoury food. 84. Biggest trouble you’ve ever gotten into at school? Probably when I got suspended. 85. Does it bother you when you see a 6th grader with a bunch of gadgets? I don’t give a shit. You do you little buddy 86. Favorite pair of shoes? My maroon converse that I just had to throw out because I finally had to call time of death after they walked over a thousand kilometers in 11 countries and were totally falling apart and had holes in them and a random pink stain on one of the toes which I do not know how it happened. It was in a club in Panama but I don’t know the actual source of the pink. 87. Jalapeños: yay or nay? Yay 88. Did you ever play Minecraft? No 89. Can you sleep soundly with the light on? Yes. Benefits of being a shift worker for years is that you learn to sleep whenever you get a chance. Also being a traveller has helped too because now I can even sleep on planes which is a goddamn miracle. 90. Would you like to go ziplining someday? I went in Boquete in Panama. It was pretty rad.

91. Have a Tumblr account? No 92. Do you have a lot of hair on your arms? Or none at all? Like, a normal amount..? 93. Often misplace things, or are you very organized? All of my things have a place. 94. Get along with your siblings (if you have any) well? Not really. But the older we get the less we fight. 95. Ever crushed on a teacher? If so, what subject did he/she teach? My spanish teacher. I was an adult though so it was less weird. Also one of my karate senseis when I was a young teen. 96. Ever been to the Vatican?  No, but I’m sure I’ll go there whenever I eventually it up Italy.

[photomaniacs]

That Time I Said ‘F*** No’ to a Hotel’s ‘Advertising Opportunity’ http://ift.tt/2ucUsFC

My name is Ryan Horban and I’m a wedding photographer based in Southern California. I shoot 30+ weddings a year, drink IPAs because they are tasty and get me buzzed, have an amazing family that I absolutely love, and won’t be staying at a Sheraton Hotel anytime in the near future unless I’m kidnapped by terrorists and held against my will at a Sheraton property.

So you might be asking yourself right now, “D*mn Ryan, why are you throwing so much shade on Sheraton?” And well, that’s the purpose of this article. So let me start from the beginning of my story.

A couple of weeks back, I’m sitting in my office editing wedding photos and listening to punk rock music when an email jumps into the inbox. Now, nothing makes me feel inner turmoil more than seeing that little red number on my Mail application, so I quickly read it to remove the anxiety building up in my body.

The email is from a woman named Terri who is a director of some sort for Sheraton Hotels. Terri was looking for wedding photos captured at their property they could use for an advertising campaign that would be launching in Exquisite Magazine. Somehow she must have come across a wedding I photographed at the Sheraton and thought, “these are pretty rad photos, I think I will use them!”

So Terri likely got the info of the couple from that blog post, reached out to the bride and asked if Sheraton could use the photos for an advertisement. Unfortunately, the photos my bride got were a little less than 300 dpi, which is a standard number print shops will work with. This is why Terri was contacting me. She wanted me to get her the photos they planned on using for the ad, but at a resolution of 300dpi. She even showed me a mock-up of the ad which you can see below.

Obviously, the first thing any photographer is going to notice when looking at this ad is the lack of a photo credit. Now, this was disturbing for a couple reasons, the first being that it’s 2016 and everyone should know by now you give a photographer credit for their work, especially a large business such as Sheraton!

The other is that I believe the ad would have been run, without a photo credit or notification to me, if Sheraton had access to the images at 300 dpi. It seems I was only being contacted because they needed my help, and I highly doubt they would have reached out if they had the photos at 300 dpi. Here is what Terri stated in her email:

The photos she sent us are not of the dpi we need. Can you help? I have attached the ones we wanted to use but we need at least 300dpi. We will give you photo credit. Please let me know. Thanks terri

My response:

Hey Terri!

I hope you are doing well and life on your side of this email is fantastic! So first of all thanks for reaching out! Your venue was cool and I had a blast working with J***** and C**** last October. That wedding actually got featured in My Hotel Wedding. Also, the ad looks fantastic! I thought it was interesting you used a prism shot of the ceremony. I dig it. I do have a couple quick questions. One is you said you would provide photo credit but on that ad I do not see any credits? Where were those photo credits going to be placed? And YES I can get those images over at 300dpi for printing purposes. No issue there at all.

Terri’s response:

I will ad to the bottom. I didn’t on this as I did not know who did the photography. Thanks. The pictures are beautiful.

Now, this part is interesting because a business really shouldn’t be this far along in the advertising campaign and not know the identity of the photographer behind the content being used (and if Terri didn’t know who the photographer was how did she have my name and contact info?). Yeah, I thought it was weird as well…

Here was my response:

Thanks Terri!

The name works perfect for photo credit “Ryan Horban”. Also, I really do not extend copyrighted images for promotion without compensation even if it is shared copyright. However, the ad looks fantastic and you’ve basically got it completed and ready for print so I would hate to slow that process down in any way. I am of course close with C**** and J**** (the bride+groom) and we both recently had children (boys Reid+ Porter). We could totally use a little stay-cation some time during a weekday. If you could secure us both a promo code for a room at the Sheraton for sometime this year I can get those images at 300DPI sent over today. Normally, my commercial licensing fee is $1500 so it is actually a pretty good deal for Sheraton and it works out well for us. Think it over and let me know.

Terri’s response:

Sorry we will pass on giving you an advertising opportunity.

Maybe it was because I was day drinking, upset about the season finale I DVR’d of Game of Thrones or maybe I was simply having an emotional day. Regardless, I felt like I was totally more than fair to Terri and Sheraton Hotels even in the face of some questionable things at the start. Needless to say, her response pissed me off.

So I figured I had two choices: I could write about my feelings in a journal while shedding tears into a cup of warm cocoa, or I could stand up for myself and every other artist who has tried to be exploited for free labor by a large corporation. So after I cried for hours into my warm cocoa, I closed my journal and I emailed Terri back.

My response:

Terri,

No problem at all. However, you have to understand it’s not a real advertising opportunity for me because the ad promotes Sheraton not the photographer. It’s an advertising opportunity for Sheraton hotels. A bride isn’t going to see that ad and say “I want this wedding photographer”. That’s not how this business works and I think you know that. I can guarantee I wouldn’t book a single bride from that ad. Sheraton on the other hand would book many brides.

I’m actually deeply disappointed that such a large corporation would try to basically take advantage of an artist by not compensating them for their hard work. In fact it’s quite shameful. Is the marketing budget that tight at Sheraton where they can’t compensate artists? Of course not. It’s just that they would rather employ a poor ethical standard and do whatever is necessary to avoid paying an artist for their work. I’m sure you can find someone who will give you their art for free because I mean that is your end goal correct? Sheraton wants beautiful images to promote their wedding venue, book more brides and make more money. I understand that, but you really don’t think it’s fair that the photos that are going to represent your wedding venue and your brand in the best possible light don’t deserve compensation?

I love what I do and give it my absolute everything and I believe that’s the reason why brides book me. I believe this passion is what allows me to create beautiful images, like the photos Sheraton wants to use for their marketing campaign. However, I am a principled man and will stick up for my industry even though we let ourselves get taken advantage of by large businesses every hour of every day. So when a large company such as Sheraton wants to take my art, use it for self-promotion, financial gain and not compensate me, the artist…

The only appropriate response in this situation is: F*CK NO!

Warmly,

Naturally, pushing send on that email felt fantastic and was better than any hotel room or commercial licensing fee I would have received. But the point I am trying to make is this BS happens every single day and it needs to stop. I don’t want to sound like Bernie Sanders here and spend all my time attacking big businesses and corporations, but this practice has been commonplace far too long and it is making it impossible for artists to make a living — especially those trying to start their careers and who might be persuaded by businesses to see these situations as an opportunity rather than what it really is: exploitation.

Thankfully, I have been fortunate enough to provide for my family through art and am established enough to where I can tell Sheraton or any other business trying to take advantage of me or a situation to go f*** themselves. Because I really don’t give a s*** if I ever shoot another wedding at their venue or hotel ever again.

I hate being a person who thinks or acts negatively, so let’s end this on a positive note. We are all worth something. We are all special and have gifts to give. And as artists, we have the right to be treated fairly. Don’t let anyone ever try and take advantage of you or your art. Remember: they need you; you don’t need them. You are special.

I would love to get your feedback on this situation so please feel free to drop a question or comment and I will do my best to respond to them. Oh and here is a photo of me just because.

About the author: Ryan Horban is a wedding photographer based in Southern California. You can find more of his work and writing on his website, blog, and Twitter. This article was also published here.

Go to Source Author: Ryan Horban If you’d like us to remove any content please send us a message here CHECK OUT THE TOP SELLING CAMERAS!

The post That Time I Said ‘F*** No’ to a Hotel’s ‘Advertising Opportunity’ appeared first on CameraFreaks.

July 31, 2017 at 10:00PM

[aion-rsa]

INTERVIEW: Remender Talks New Studio, Comic Work Update

Rick Remender is passionate about creator-owned comics. That passion has translated into a number of critically acclaimed titles, and given him the freedom to tell a variety of stories. Remender’s current creator-owned output published by Image Comics includes science fiction tales like “Black Science” with artist Matteo Scalera and “Low” with artist Greg Tocchini; the coming of age, crime thriller “Deadly Class, where he collaborates with artist Wes Craig; and the recently launched fantasy series “Seven to Eternity,” which features art by Jerome Opeña.

That diverse body of work has also drawn the attention of Hollywood and other companies looking to produce adaptations and licensed merchandise based on his work. So in order to build his brand and help fans and other interested parties find the work he and his collaborators do, Remender recently launched Giant Generator (Giantgenerator.com), a new studio which will serve as an umbrella for all the creator-owned books he and his co-creators produce, as well as the films, television shows and merchandise associated with them.

We spoke with Remender about the origins of Giant Generator, how it will operate, and his vision for the studio. The discussion also included updates on the status and storylines of all his creator owned books as well the development of the television adaptation of “Deadly Class,” which Remender has been working on with the Russo Brothers and Sony.

CBR: Rick, what exactly is Giant Generator? What inspired you to form it, and why do it now?

Rick Remender: Well, I have four different projects that are being adapted and developed as TV shows, and then another that we are working on a film pitch for and, on and on, as more of this kept happening it occurred to me that I needed an umbrella and company name. Someone jokingly referred to the projects as parts of the “Remenderverse.” I chuckled — and then realized I had to get a company name to make sure that didn’t stick. [Laughs]

EXCLUSIVE: Art from “Low” #17

That was really the inspiration for it; just recognizing that I’m in a position where we’re starting to make toys and sculptures, a whole line of comics, maybe movies, and TV shows. It was time for a name for the old production house.

Is Giant Generator comparable to what Robert Kirkman has with Skybound?

Yes, except while we have an exclusive arrangement with Image, and I see no sign of that changing, I am not an Image partner, and Robert is. Sky bound is a little different in that it’s a lot like Top Cow. It’s an official part of Image, whereas Giant Generator is just my home studio and will serve as an umbrella for all my jive and collaborations.

As business builds, and these creator-owned books become more and more viable for film, television, video games, and other media, more money goes on the table, which makes the business practice more difficult. In the past twenty years of working on creator-owned books, I’ve always shared ownership 50-50 with the artists. In the course of doing that as long as I’ve done it, I’ve had a couple situations where it really bit me in the ass, and I considered that it would just be easier for me to hold the copyright to myself and I’d make all the business decisions.

I see plenty of sensible reasons to do that, but ultimately one of the things I wanted to do with this company was to say, “No, with the energy, effort, and love that’s put into these things, we should co-own the properties. If that means the artist wants to do something with low scruples or doesn’t have great business sense, [Laughs] so be it.”

Giant Generator is a business model where I co-own all of the properties with the artists. Usually it’s 50-50, but in some cases it’s split up a little more than that with the colorists and other team members. The artists are part of all the business decisions too, which means for those who want it the Image accounting statements get sent to both them and me, and they are involved in everything, from beginning to end.

Some other studios occasionally feature books where the main creator develops an idea and then passes it off to other creators to run with it. Is that something you see yourself doing at some point with Giant Generator?

EXCLUSIVE: Art from “Seven to Eternity” #5

I was considering that at one point for “Tokyo Ghost.” I had an art team and another writer lined up to take my outline and do the next 10 issues of the book. One factor is navigating the money of it all, but ultimately, what Sean Murphy and I created with “Tokyo Ghost” was a real labor of love. It was something we spent 2-3 years creating and was fairly personal, so it was hard to hand it off even if it might have been better with the new team. We had some very talented people lined up to take it over. Maybe that will change.

It didn’t feel natural to me to hand off my story in that kind of way. I’m not a publishing house at Image in the way Kirkman is with Skybound. I’m not going to be publishing other people’s books. This studio is my books and people that I’m working with. I don’t see myself doing that anytime soon, although I have come pretty close to it. It could just be that I’m a control freak and I can’t hand one of my things to somebody else. [Laughs]

Let’s talk about the books that fall under the Giant Generator umbrella. March’s “Black Science” #29 brings the current arc to a close, and then it looks like the series comes back after only a two-month gap.

Yeah, we had a little slowdown because Matteo injured his arm significantly. He’s gone through an operation and had some ligaments replaced, so he’s back up and running. Not at full speed, but he is sort of an inhuman monster of perfect and fast pages even when he’s injured. At this point, he’s done half of issue #29. #30 wraps the sixth volume.

Speaking to your question about the other books is the way Grant and the cast in “Black Science” can meet the cast of the other books. This is something I’ve got worked into the next arc and am pretty excited about. A way for me to get Led and Debbie form “Tokyo Ghost” or Bethany Black from “Strange Girl” out of retirement for a bit.

We recently slowed things down and dealt with character development, they are now in pretty terrible situations, which I like. Starting around issue #29 though I put my foot back on the gas and the next 12 issues will very much resemble the first six issues in that it’s a huge outline condensed, boiled down, and crammed into a smaller space. It’s going to be very fast and full of action. So for these last 12 issues I wanted to try and reduce the gap between the shipping of arcs. We’re going to do what we can and hopefully ship them all in a bit over a year. That’s our goal, anyway.

March’s “Deadly Class” #27 comes in the fallout of one of the series biggest reveals: Marcus and Maria are still alive. How did it feel to finally reveal those characters’ fates?

EXCLUSIVE: Cover art for “Deadly Class” #28

It felt good. It was a hard decision, though. I had two outlines written, and I had gone back and forth repeatedly on which way to go. Maria was going to come back in either one. Then in one outline I kept Marcus dead and the other one I brought him back. In order to make the decision, I literally had to write both outlines and see what each of them did. [Laughs]

Once I had done that, I negotiated it with Wes and I negotiated with our editor, Sebastian Girner. I also spent a lot of time talking with my screen writing partner on the “Deadly Class” TV show, Miles Feldsott. Miles was very passionate about the return of Marcus. His passion, and the other debates, convinced me to go the road where Marcus comes back, and I think we made the right decision.

It was also nice to see the reaction people had when the book came out. I think it came out at a time when there wasn’t a whole lot of good news, and “Deadly Class” in particular is not the most cheery book. Our loyal readers, who have been passionate about the series, stuck with us, and turned our book into such a hit, needed some good news, especially since we had taken things down into the depths of darkness. Getting that burst of good news seemed to make people pretty happy.

“Low” also returns in March with issue #16, which is the start of a new arc. What do you want people to know about this new story and the book’s return?

We’re at a point in the story where things seemed rather hopeless. Now is the fun of getting to see if there’s a way through to the light, and to find out what it is that they’re exactly contending with since we saw some terrifying new villain types show up in issue #15.

As we were moving into this, Greg Tocchini had an idea that I really fell in love with. He pitched an idea for issue #16 based on some of the things that we have coming up. We developed it together, he broke the outline with Seb, and then he went off and did it. So issue #16 is pure collaboration. It’s a jump into the past where we get to meet some new characters. We’ll also seem some familiar faces, and something that will play a big role moving forward in where were going with the story.

A lot of Greg’s pages are almost fully ink wash painted with Dave McCaig coming in and doing his magic thing. It’s one of the most beautiful issues we’ve had to date. We spend this whole arc in the City of Salus before we return to the surface and see what happens to Stel.

In April, “Seven to Eternity” returns for its second arc with issue #5. I thought the first arc moved at a highly satisfying and brisk pace. What can you tell us about this new arc?

EXCLUSIVE: Art from “Deadly Class” #27

I allowed myself to keep the pace of the first arc slower and grounded in character. Ultimately, I wanted to tell a story that didn’t rocket past everything. It’s been a joy to write this way.

The thing about working with somebody as brilliant as Jerome is that every page he draws takes him three days. That can be somewhat daunting in that you want to make sure that every single page is worth his time in visuals and action. I really had to pull myself away and ignore the fact that Jerome was going to take 10 months to draw these issues. The way I did that was, I wrote it all at once. I started writing “Seven to Eternity” a ways back, and I wrote all of the first 16 issues in one big go, and now the mighty Opena is slowly producing it. We are also bringing in some very talented friends to do origin stories and side adventures to round out the world. News on that soon.

What we see when we come back in issue #5 is the Mosak and Adam Osidis are on the road trying to take the Mud King to the wizard Torga so she can disconnect him from all of the people he has insinuated himself into. The fun of it is, issue #5 in particular is just part of the journey, but the journey allows me to go hog wild crazy in fantasy town. I get to make up new villains, new cities, and just see Jerome cut loose. [Laughs] Jerome and I like to do cinematic, fluid, widescreen action sequences, and I think that “Seven to Eternity” #5 has the best one we’ve ever done as our characters meet a new villain, another child of the Mud King.

What really surprised me about that first arc is, we meet the series’ big, seemingly all-powerful villain — and then he’s suddenly in the custody of your heroes, and the book becomes a prisoner transport story.

I’m glad that turn surprised you and hopefully hooked you. That was the turn I was going to open on, but ultimately I decided we needed to spend a couple of issues with the characters and the backstory. Then it would be surprising when that happened as opposed to just opening up with that. I struggled with where to open the book, but hearing what you just said and talking to some other people at the signing I did last week tells me it was a satisfying and unexpected turn that sets up a new situation.

You’ll be announcing a new book at Emerald City Comic Con that we’ll talk more in depth about in another piece, but any interest in revisiting the worlds of some of your older books to tell new stories?

We still talk about more “Tokyo Ghost.” Like I said, I have the next story outlined, and I know what it is. Sean is super busy over in Batman town. So I need to find someone who can follow Sean. I had someone lined up, but it’s going to be a style shift no matter which way we go. I would still like to get to that and I know the story would be pretty satisfying.

Finally, what can you tell us about the progress of your books that are being adapted for film and television?

EXCLUSIVE: Cover art for “Low” #19

“The Last Days of American Crime” adaptation got pretty far. We had F. Gary Gray directing and Sam Worthington starring in it at one point. So I almost got to see that made before it all crumbled in front of me. [Laughs] I’m told that iteration is dead, but they are working on some new angles for the project.

“Deadly Class” is a little further than that in terms of the pieces that are in place. We recently turned in a new draft to the Russo Brothers. We’ve been wrenching on it with them our incredible show runner Adam Targum for a bit now and they’re notes are crazy, insightful. I’ve been working on this pilot with Miles for quite some time so it’s very easy to become snow blind where you’ve rewritten outlines and scenes so many times that you might not be aware of where they’re working and where they’re not working. The team we have producing are ensuring what we do it working, and I genuinely think that it is. The screenplay is many magnitudes better because of their contributions. We’re one to two drafts away from taking the screenplay to the network. We haven’t announced the network yet where it landed. Then we find out if they’re going to pull the trigger on it.

It’s exciting, but it’s also terrifying, because I’ve dumped so much of my time and love into it that if they’re like, “No thanks” I’m going to want to run off to the woods and hide in a cave for three years. [Laughs] Here’s to hoping. I’d have to eventually come back from my cave and get back to work as we have some incredibly exciting stuff happening with “Low,” “Fear Agent” and “Black Science” as well. Fingers crossed.

The post INTERVIEW: Remender Talks New Studio, Comic Work Update appeared first on CBR.com.

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