Sam Costello http://www.samcostello.net Writer | Editor | Web Strategist Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:58:00 +0000 en hourly 1 The Week’s Twitter Updates for 2010-03-08 http://www.samcostello.net/2010/03/08/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-03-08/ http://www.samcostello.net/2010/03/08/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-03-08/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:58:00 +0000 admin http://www.samcostello.net/2010/03/08/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-03-08/
  • Assuming I didn’t mess anything up, I’ve placed my first semi-Split Lip-related t-shirt order. #
  • Conan, what is good? When you finish a novel, wonder what to read next, and a big box from Amazon is waiting at the mailbox. #
  • House of the Devil = Aesthetically dead on; dramatically a good deal too slow. A few nice bits at the end, though. #
  • Now _that’s_ a Friday. Thirteen pages of script and a new Split Lip story is done. Next: Korean food. #
  • There’s a good chance I’m in the middle of writing the most disturbing Split Lip scene ever. Kind of awesome, kind of queasy. #
  • @joschwa Whoa! That is _awesome_! Congrats, man. Hope it’s yours in no time at all. in reply to joschwa #
  • Three pages of Split Lip script on a queasy stomach seems like enough for today. #
  • More accounts of treating tapeworms in the 1800s than anyone dared hope possible: http://bit.ly/dvyJnO #

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    ]]>     http://www.samcostello.net/2010/03/08/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-03-08/feed/     The Week’s Twitter Updates for 2010-03-01 http://www.samcostello.net/2010/03/01/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-03-01/ http://www.samcostello.net/2010/03/01/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-03-01/#comments Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:58:00 +0000 admin http://www.samcostello.net/2010/03/01/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-03-01/
  • @elizabethgenco excellent. I was just listening to Jody Stetcher’s version of The Wind and Rain. Great stuff. in reply to elizabethgenco #
  • @elizabethgenco Oh boy do I agree with you! (Big surprise, eh?) What are you enjoying today? #folkmusicnerd in reply to elizabethgenco #
  • More Pieces of Meat at Split Lip today. Front page bug still happening, but the story marches on: bit.ly/9AXTX5 #
  • Just ordered the second printing of Split Lip vol. 1 to prepare for the 2010 con season. My vol. 2 order will be coming soon. Exciting! #
  • @artelliott I can only imagine. Was it sexy or violent? Or both?! in reply to artelliott #
  • Recent research reading for Split Lip: http://bit.ly/9akWNf #
  • Cracked a Split Lip story I’d been poking at for ~ a year but couldn’t make work. Now it does; time to write about tapeworms & colonial USA #
  • Tahini in the keyboard. A peril of eating lunch at your desk or a disturbing euphemism? U-Decide! #
  • Today’s vocab word: obloquy (defintion: http://bit.ly/128DPI); resulting from this article: http://bit.ly/d0YIZR #

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    ]]>     http://www.samcostello.net/2010/03/01/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-03-01/feed/     Pluto, Vol. 7, by Naoki Urasawa http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/26/pluto-vol-7-by-naoki-urasawa/ http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/26/pluto-vol-7-by-naoki-urasawa/#comments Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:26:10 +0000 admin http://www.samcostello.net/?p=1270 pluto vol. 7

    After last volume’s seeming-conclusion, I wasn’t sure this installment could retain the momentum that made the series so good. Wrong. Here, Urasawa delves deeper into the mysteries of the past and introduces an interesting flashback technique. Can’t wait for the conclusion – the mysteries’ unraveling promises to be more compelling than the fight.

    Buy Pluto, vol. 7 at Amazon

    Books: 11/52

    52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.
    ]]>     http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/26/pluto-vol-7-by-naoki-urasawa/feed/     How To Make Webcomics, by Scott Kurtz, Kris Straub, Dave Kellett, and Brad Guigar http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/24/how-to-make-webcomics-by-scott-kurtz-kris-straub-dave-kellett-and-brad-guigar/ http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/24/how-to-make-webcomics-by-scott-kurtz-kris-straub-dave-kellett-and-brad-guigar/#comments Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:25:52 +0000 admin http://www.samcostello.net/?p=1266 how to make webcomics

    I wasn’t sure this book would be that useful. I’ve been doing Split Lip for years and this book’s aimed more at newspaper-style humor strips than short horror comics. Well, I was wrong. My copy is now full of turned-down corners as reminders for great ideas I need to come back to.

    Buy How To Make Webcomics at Amazon

    Books: 10/52

    52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.
    ]]>     http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/24/how-to-make-webcomics-by-scott-kurtz-kris-straub-dave-kellett-and-brad-guigar/feed/     The Week’s Twitter Updates for 2010-02-22 http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/22/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-02-22/ http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/22/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-02-22/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:58:00 +0000 admin http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/22/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-02-22/
  • @TeamGinfrida And to you! in reply to TeamGinfrida #
  • Straw Gods, a new Split Lip story, has been sent to @tjkirsch for him to start on the art. With that done, my weekend can begin! #
  • Whoa. Get a sense of the depth of the Mariana Trench: http://bit.ly/9RIyIb Those who finds depths scary may freak out. Awesome stuff. #
  • @hugecranium Right? That’s the cost of the print edition. Kinda misses the point of digital distribution. in reply to hugecranium #
  • I’m not the only one who thinks the NYT wanting to charge $30/month for its iPad app is totally crazy, right? http://bit.ly/93eQ6c #
  • Just watched creepy Finnish horror movie Sauna. Reminded me of Ravenous and j-horror. Atmospheric, uncanny, worth seeing. #
  • Didn’t plan it for tonight, but revision to new Split Lip script is done. One last read through and @tjkirsch will have it by the weekend #
  • @bhardt I know! Loved the bible quote tattoo. Next lakers/celts is tomorrow, bit starts at 10:30. in reply to bhardt #
  • @stacieparillo Yup. They also had tempeh and veggie sausage. Good stuff, though I kind of want to fall asleep now. in reply to stacieparillo #
  • @stacieparillo Had a very good meal there recently, too. Tonight, United BBQ: sandwich, 2 kinds potatoes, coleslaw, soda, cornbread for $15 in reply to stacieparillo #
  • Also, pretty excellent profile of Kobe Bryant, if you like that kind of thing: http://bit.ly/bD8zeM #
  • Vegetarians of Providence, I say unto you: try United BBQ. Mmmmm. #
  • 2nd draft of the latest Split Lip story is underway Re-arranged scenes, revamped dialog, layered in new theme. Really coming together. #
  • @colinmeloy I was hoping it was this X-Pac - http://bit.ly/bzSaaX - running for office. The reality’s worse. in reply to colinmeloy #
  • Testing Skimmer, a desktop Twitter/FB app, for a client. #

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    ]]>     http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/22/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-02-22/feed/     The Unwritten, vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/21/the-unwritten-vol-1-tommy-taylor-and-the-bogus-identity/ http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/21/the-unwritten-vol-1-tommy-taylor-and-the-bogus-identity/#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 09:41:00 +0000 admin http://www.samcostello.net/?p=1259 the-unwritten-1

    By Mike Carey and Peter Gross

    “Stories are the only things worth dying for,” says a character in this meditation on the power of fiction. The main character, a Harry Potter stand-in, may not be a real boy, but a fictional-creation-made-real by his disappeared father. A large mystery world is established – and bears following into the next volume.

    Buy The Unwritten, vol. 1 at Amazon

    Books: 9/52

    52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.
    ]]>     http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/21/the-unwritten-vol-1-tommy-taylor-and-the-bogus-identity/feed/     The Other, by Thomas Tryon http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/19/the-other-by-thomas-tryon/ http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/19/the-other-by-thomas-tryon/#comments Fri, 19 Feb 2010 23:40:51 +0000 admin http://www.samcostello.net/?p=1255 the-other

    A subdued horror novel about identical twins – one good, one evil. The book’s terrific atmosphere asks if the twins’ moral divide is so clear. Then it rewrites what you think is happening in a way that must have been shocking then and, though it’s been done a bit since, is very effective.

    Buy the Other at Amazon

    Books:8/52

    52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.
    ]]>     http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/19/the-other-by-thomas-tryon/feed/     The Week’s Twitter Updates for 2010-02-15 http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/15/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-02-15/ http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/15/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-02-15/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 05:58:00 +0000 admin http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/15/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-02-15/
  • Dear ComicPress, you and I are really starting to get along. I’m glad. Your pal, Sam. #
  • 3 new pages of the “The Pieces of Meat”up at Split Lip today by me and Dirk Shearer. bit.ly/9AXTX5 #
  • Just discovered Brick City, a @SundanceChannel show about Newark, NJ, and Mayor Cory Booker. Amazing stuff. You guys seen this? #
  • Whew. Been working on comics for the last 3+ hours. I think that’s enough for a Friday night. Now: some iced tea! #
  • @debaoki I just discovered Beard Papa for the 1st time when in LA last week. It was awesome! in reply to debaoki #
  • You’re not assembling furniture until you do something wrong and have to remove lots of pieces and redo it. Done now, though. #
  • Needs revising, but I just finished a new Split Lip script. Sort of Fisher King via the Dust Bowl. When ready, it’ll be drawn by @tjkirsch! #
  • OK, still trickier than the average theme, but Comicpress is starting to make more sense. But wow does it have a lot of components. #
  • Haul me up the hillside, hold me high and let me go. #
  • @lazzyfair No, but haven’t looked much. I’d check those who did iPhone (comiXology, Panelfly, etc). Good article on it: http://bit.ly/clR9tQ in reply to lazzyfair #
  • @lazzyfair Totally. Getting that first number and barcode to put on your book feels pretty great. in reply to lazzyfair #
  • @lazzyfair It seems confusing at first, but once you buy one ISBN and set it up, it’s pretty clear/easy. in reply to lazzyfair #
  • @lazzyfair Then you create a book listing and assign it to an ISBN thru the website. Bowker.com is the ISBN org. They do barcodes, too in reply to lazzyfair #
  • @lazzyfair Basically, yeah. You buy a single, or 10 pack of ISBNs (maybe other groups, can’t remember). continued … in reply to lazzyfair #
  • @lazzyfair Not tremendously deep experience, but I bought a handful of ISBNs recently. Happy to share any of my experiences that are useful #
  • Wow, Comicpress is tricky. And I say that as a dude who can hack his way through WordPress themes with some facility. #
  • Oh boy do I love the ClickToFlash plug-in for Safari. No more Flash unless I want to see it. Goodbye browser crashes. http://bit.ly/etGck #
  • @jimhill Amazing, right? A friend recently interviewed w/ well-known news org.; was asked how she’d convince staff they need a website (!) in reply to jimhill #

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    ]]>     http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/15/the-weeks-twitter-updates-for-2010-02-15/feed/     Tokyo Vice, by Jake Adelstein http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/15/tokyo-vice-by-jake-adelstein/ http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/15/tokyo-vice-by-jake-adelstein/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:19:01 +0000 admin http://www.samcostello.net/?p=1248 tokyo vice

    This book tells an interesting story: an American becomes a truly rare thing – a reporter for the Yomiuri Shinbun, Japan’s leading newspaper. The book reveals Japan’s frustratingly chummy media and criminal justice cultures, but its progress bogs down until Adelstein’s passion – fighting human trafficking – appears in the last hundred or so pages.

    Buy Tokyo Vice at Amazon

    Books:7/52

    52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.
    ]]>     http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/15/tokyo-vice-by-jake-adelstein/feed/     Garfield Minus Garfield, by Jim Davis http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/13/garfield-minus-garfield-by-jim-davis/ http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/13/garfield-minus-garfield-by-jim-davis/#comments Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:15:53 +0000 admin http://www.samcostello.net/?p=1244 garfield minus garfield

    The concept feels gimmicky (the title tells it: remove the titular character from Garfield strips), but it plays out inspired. Removing the main character reveals the darkly funny and truly tortured life of Jon, Garfield’s owner. A fascinating study in what happens when a seemingly crucial element is removed from a work.

    Buy Garfield Without Garfield at Amazon

    Books:6/52

    52/52: An ongoing project to read one book a week and document those books with reviews of 52 words each.
    ]]>     http://www.samcostello.net/2010/02/13/garfield-minus-garfield-by-jim-davis/feed/