GORE FX STORE REOPENING

GORE FX STORE REOPENING

Danny Wale owner-operator of one Boronia’s more individual stores- Gore Fx always wanted his business to grow. So after patiently waiting for something suitable to come onto the market his tiny little shop in the AEC arcade in Boronia Square (see HERE) kept his handmade crafted goods on display for those in the know and surprising many an unwary passer-by.

After the break in

But recently the shop was broken into and valuable sculptures were stolen one night in mid-July.
This soul crushing incident (the goods were not insured) would have disheartened most people as the works stolen involved hundreds of hours of preparation. But Danny was already looking at expanding into larger, more secure premises across the way in the same arcade. Danny’s vision was to share his passion, teaching others his skills and tricks learned from his years perfecting his craft. A new larger premises with facilities was something he was on the lookout for even before he opened up in the original tiny shop front back in January 2016.

Owner and creator Danny Wale

With the break in behind him and the new shop, all decked out with new and creepy stock,

The new Gore Fx had its unveiling on Saturday 16th September and proved to be a frightening success. Where the old shop was only roughly 4 metres by 6 metres the new shop is brightly lit with lots of space to show of Danny’s creations and freestanding sculptures, not to mention the coffin complete with a corpse.

Shop Entrance

Behind the counter is where Danny can now create in the shop and no longer has to do everything at home. This is also where he will be holding tutorials and workshops for interested parties. Danny hopes to start these workshops after he gets married later this year- on Halloween appropriately – to his fiancé Skye and after a short honeymoon hopefully, have things up and running in November. I popped in to check out the new digs and have a chat and was impressed with the stock and the many people who came to do the same. There was also a completion to see who could have the craziest photo taken with some of the stores freestanding props.

It’s great to see unique shops like Gore Fx in Boronia, something out of the box and maybe it will inspire others to move into the area and give

Boronia a much needed regeneration. If you are interested in Gore Fx’s classes and what they entail go to www.facebook.com/gorefx and message Danny for details.

Check the facebook page for opening hours.

A peek inside

Lollies at the counter

Items for sale

THE RAMONES Comic book and cartoon heroes.

THE RAMONES Comic book and cartoon heroes.
This is a lazy post, just some cool Ramones videos that are comic and cartoon themed.
Gabba Gabba Hey!

Animation by Stelos485 Music: Ramones
Animation by stelos485 Music By The Ramones
Animation by stelos485 Music By The Ramones

FLASH FICTION 3

Flash Fiction has a few disciplines, the three I know of are 100 words - popular with The Spanishish Museum of Words which has a $US 20,000 prize every couple of years. the there is the more traditional 1000 word staple popular in anthologies, but my favourite is 150 words or less that I learned with many other talented folks on the Redbubble art site before it stopped being a community and became a place to buy pirated artwork. It was something I enjoyed and found that these short little stories with a start middle and end were great for transitioning into comic scripts, which is what I tend to do more of these days. These stories below (and in the next couple of posts) are from those redbubble years and can be found in compilations HERE from blurb via Anne van Alkermade's murphywrite imprint. So here we go. Short sharp stories or as Mister Khan called them once: Short stories with a punchline.
PART ONE IS HERE
PART TWO IS HERE


LIFE IN A GAS MASK

It was hard to live your life with a gas mask on. Distorting the words you wanted to really say and clouding the sights you wanted to see. Nadine knew this. For the last 30 years it had destroyed her marriage and alienated her children. Alcohol seeped through the mask and diluted the bondage and made the mask a little easier to ignore. Medication didn’t work when she took it and everybody told it did when she didn’t. Then one day Nadine took the mask off and it was all so clear . In her car with the windows up and the hose connected to the tail pipe.
As the cockroaches, mice , spiders and rats ignored the purring motor in the garage till the fuel run out.
Clarity was brief and so was the answer.

ALWAYS CHOOSE TREAT

Jason walked up the footpath with his usual swagger, his mates lagging
a few steps behind. He leaped up the stairs in one bound.
"I'll show you how it's done" he boasted as he smacked loudly on door.
"Go away" came a muffled voice behind the door. Jason kept banging until he heard footsteps pounding towards the door.
It swung open revealing a skinny, tired looking old man "What?"
"Trick or Treat?" asked Jason
The man stood- staring at Jason for a good twenty seconds.
Then said: "Trick"
"Tight arse" Jason mumbled and in one fast motion thrust out his hand which palmed an egg and slammed it into the man's forehead.
 "There" shouted Jason and turned to run.
The man shot Jason in the back five times before he made it down the stairs.

 PULL MY FINGER

“Pull my finger”
“No”
“Go on , it’s a surprise”
“Dad, I’m thirteen. It isn’t even funny anymore”
“Go on, humour your old man”
“No!”
“Come on for your dear old dad’s sake. It’s been bakin’ for a while”
The son knew he would never get to fully enjoy the television show he was watching unless he complied with this age old ritual. The son took his father’s finger and in a moment of cheekiness decided to push instead of pull.
The last thing the son remembers of his father was the look of shock and pain seconds before he exploded.

REPLICATOR comic book review

COMIC REVIEW
Replicator #1 

Self-published via Kickstarter 2016
Writer: Robert Arnold
Artist: Armin Ozdic
Colourist: Ross A Campbell
Letterer: Jaimie Me
Editors: Nick Glenister, Alison Arnold



I’ve always loved me a near future dystopian/plague/climate calamity yarn, so when I read the opening pages of REPLICATOR, I knew I was in for a treat.
The comic tells the story of a deliberately released virus called the Red Death in modern day Britain that forces the country to be isolated generating food shortages and martial law. Eventually forcing the healthy (and rich and useful) to shelter in a walled city called Sanctuary guarded by the latest and the deadliest of men and technology.

Life goes on outside of Sanctuary but the ones left behind are reminded that those inside are far more precious and any indiscretion committed against those from Sanctuary if they leave the city (illegally) are swiftly executed.
This is where we meet our protagonist Ryker. Whose sense of justice seems to fall short of what is required by the security forces. Blank faced, armour wearing humans without much compassion.

Actually, we first meet a totally different and more aggressive Ryker just prior to this. In a two page shoot-em-up involving powerful hand guns, grenades and what looks like a super villain, that happens 18 months in the future. Obviously, Ryker has had some life changing episodes since then that we are going to eventually find out.
There are a few scenes in this first issue that hint at conspiracy and super powers.

Lovely colour work by Ross A Campbell

These are entertaining and well-paced, it all finishes all too quickly on a cliff hanger ending and the reader is left not sure where everything is going.

Thus the problem at hand.

This comic being a successful Kickstarter project only committed to this issue are we going to see what happens next within my lifetime? I hope so because this has the makings of a great series.

Rob Arnold has created a great story and draws the reader in. Artist Armin Ozdic style reminds me of both Javier Berreno and Fernando Melek from Simon Spurrier’s Crossed tale Wish You Were Here. Clean and neat and when asked to draw a splash, really delivers.

I enjoyed REPLICATOR and look forward to more, I just wish it wasn’t something far off on the horizon than something I could pick up next month at the LCS.

A haunting Splash Page by Armin Ozdic

For more info:

The original Kickstarter link

Replicator website

Replicator Facebook

FLASH FICTION PART 2

Flash Fiction has a few disciplines, the three I know of are 100 words - popular with The Spanishish Museum of Words which has a $US 20,000 prize every couple of years. the there is the more traditional 1000 word staple popular in anthologies, but my favourite is 150 words or less that I learned with many other talented folks on the Redbubble art site before it stopped being a community and became a place to buy pirated artwork. It was something I enjoyed and found that these short little stories with a start middle and end were great for transitioning into comic scripts, which is what I tend to do more of these days. These stories below (and in the next couple of posts) are from those redbubble years and can be found in compilations HERE from blurb via Anne van Alkermade's murphywrite imprint. So here we go. Short sharp stories or as Mister Khan called them once: Short stories with a punchline.
PART ONE IS HERE
PART THREE IS HERE

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR

I wished in a dream and dreamed in all hope and I hoped and I prayed that things wouldn’t stay the same and that one day we would meet travellers from other worlds and beyond. Now that is all subject to conjecture as a lie strapped down on an examination table in a very large spaceship somewhere near Jupiter whilst a two and a half metre , four limbed, grey skinned Alien is ready to slam a very large cylindrical probe up my butt.

 FAITH BOUND

It removed all the uneaten meals from the table and scraped the plate’s contents into containers to be used again. The food had long perished; it had been replaced with coloured blocks. The dishes were placed in the Hydro Wash. The robot performed this dutifully three times a day for the mummified crew of the Missionary vessel FAITHBOUND.
It also dressed them every morning and prepared them for the sleeping quarters every night according to the 24-hour shipboard clock. The bodies were well cared for and well preserved, the life support had been shut done eons ago. Forever waiting and serving whilst searching for Heaven amongst the wide reaches of space. Its role in reuniting its crew's bodies with their souls that had left so long ago. Then it could find what the crew used to always talk of but it thought spelt wrong. So it corrected it. Piece of mind.

THE BULLY, THE NERD and THE NERD’S MUM.
The nerdy boy thrust his groin at the bully. “What in hell are you doing nerd? I’m still gonna pound you”, the bully threatened. “My mum wrote me a note telling me how bullies like you can be defeated eventually, by kids smarter than them. Kids just like me ” The nerd replied almost triumphantly. “Show it to me idiot” The bully held out his hand, the nerd continued to thrust rather suggestively at him why rummaging in his pockets. His actions were starting to make the bully feel uneasy. The nerd handed the note to the bully, which he quickly read. The Bully walked up to the nerd and bopped him on the head and walked away laughing. “You idiot it should say, “The pen is mightier than the sword” not “The penis” – Tell your mum to learn how to type”

FLASH FICTION

Flash Fiction has a few disciplines, the three I know of are 100 words - popular with  The Spanishish Museum of Words which has a $US 20,000 prize every couple of years. the there is the more traditional 1000 word staple popular in anthologies, but my favourite is 150 words or less that I learned with many other talented folks on the Redbubble art site before it stopped being a community and became a place to buy pirated artwork. It was something I enjoyed and found that these short little stories with a start middle and end were great for transitioning into comic scripts, which is what I tend to do more of these days.
These stories below (and in the next couple of posts) are from those redbubble years and can be found in compilations HERE from blurb via Anne van Alkermade's murphywrite imprint.
So here we go. Short sharp stories or as Mister Khan called them once: Short stories with a punchline.



REMEBERANCE DAY

He’d been at the door for hours now. Just standing in the doorway with his “Army” hat he’d made so that it looked just like his dad’s. His mother was still lying on the bed sobbing uncontrollably clutching the official letter that arrived that afternoon. In a scene of subtle synchronicity, the boy saluted the sun as it set in the mid-winter sky just as his mother dropped the letter onto the floor. As of tonight the world as they knew it would take a whole new course, meanwhile, the cat went from room to room trying to get either’s attention so it could be fed.



AND THE WAY TO GO OUT.

 As he lay in the foxhole clutching it hard against his chest Corporal Todd felt a blinding chill pierce his very being when the cry went up.
“Banzai!”
He looked to his left at his comrade. It was like he was sleeping.
 He didn’t look to the right. He already made that mistake and only saw a body, no head. Both men he knew intimately through conversations he had but never considered either a good friend. It would be a lonely death. The charging Japanese were getting closer now, his last wish now as he lay shivering in fear was that the grenade he was holding would go off before he felt the oncoming bayonets.


ALL SOULS DAY

 Terry held his head in his hands as he sat on the steps leading up to the party. Tears fell from his face onto his shoeless feet and instantly disappeared. It had been two years now and nobody seemed to remember him anymore.
“I'll show them, they’ll miss me when I’m gone” he’d vainly cried. The accident had proved that. His funeral was massive and all the girls cried. Some even kept photos, for a while.
But now it was a different story. Beside his still grieving parents he never heard his name mentioned amongst his old crowd. He was stuck, he hadn’t been offered Heaven, he hadn’t been offered Hell. It was just him and his heavy head. Terry stood up and put his head under his arm and walked back through the yard to Cemetery He was wrong - popularity was fleeting. Death was eternal and lonely

TALES FROM THE LOOP

TALES FROM THE LOOP. Illustrations and text by SIMON STALENHAG

 This a gorgeous book.

A nostalgic look back at an alternative history, about growing up in the boom times of a 1980s Sweden, where, after World War 2, new technology is discovered that leads to a massive Hadron Collider being built under an area in the county's southeast, resulting in incredible machines and structures dominating the pastoral landscape. All this is seen through the eyes of a pre-teen.
 Accompanying the striking artwork is a narrative that sometimes only feathers on the picture represented to tell of deeds done, places explored along with creepy urban legends about Dinosaurs, teleporting and runaway robots that were told by an uncle of a friend of a friend while playing in the discarded hulks of the new technology.
 It ends with a melancholy note of what happens when the boom times fade and the money, men, and memories move onto some other area.

Simon Stalenhag has become an internet sensation with his artwork and when this book began a KICKSTARTER to publish an English language version it raised 300 times its initial goal.

BUY THIS BOOK.

Check out Simon Stalenhag artwork here and other books of note.

Some of the images from the book.