New Site

Our new web site goes live September 1st. As soon as it does, I will link to it from www.villain101.com

MOVING DAY!

This blog has moved to its new home at www.villain101.com Please make a note of it.

Branding

We shot our first meeting with Envision Creative Group the other day. They have been enlisted to give our Villain a brand identity. I explained our goals and they seemed confident that they could help us achieve the notoriety we are looking for. I'm still adjusting to working in front of the camera and using terms like "branding" without sneering.

Bookshelf Doors

The Woodfold company offers bookshelf doors that can be installed to add a secret passage to any home, office or lair. This kind of thing used to require custom carpentry. Well done gentlemen!

Happy Free Comic Book Day!

For those of you who may not know - May 5th is a special day. No - I'm not talking about Cinco de Mayo. I'm talking about Free Comic Book Day. Visit your local comics retailer and he will shower you with gifts. For reals!

Would you like to take a survey?

Tomorrow afternoon (Sunday, May 5th) the CGP crew will have a booth outside the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar from noon until 4 or 5 pm. They will be pestering the Spiderman 3 crowds with a survey designed for us by Austin Market Research. Darren "Hunter" Abate will be filming so if you want a chance to be on camera or to be called upon to sit in on one of our focus groups drop by and say hello. Our lovely spokesmodels will be raffling off a $50 Visa Gift Card and a copy of the Marvel Encyclopedia donated by our good friends at Rogues' Gallery Comics in Round Rock so you might even win something.

Marketing

We spent this afternoon shooting at Austin Market Research. They were very accommodating and during the interview were patient with my sometimes bizarre questions. We discussed how they do what they do and how they could help us develop our concept. Thier process revolves around the use of focus groups. We will probably be putting together two groups, one loaded with "Adorers" (folks who are likely to be enthusiastic about what we are promoting) and the other with a combination of "Accepters" and "Rejectors" (folks either indifferent to or prejudiced against our product). I have a lot of prep work to do to - I'll try to post again later.

Naming - Round One

Our panel of experts consisted of Dr. Park Cooper, Bill Williams, Paul Benjamin, Dan Grendell and Chris "Uncle Staple" Nicholas. All are writers except for Dan, who is a reviewer. They were joined by my brother Bryan. A great bunch of guys. Creative, supportive and as knowledgeable as I could have hoped for. We started out by spending an hour or so getting to know each other. I explained the project, our goals and who I am so they would have a better chance of creating a persona that would suit me. With introductions out of the way we dove into the massive list of names contributed to us by friends, associates, panelists and visitors to this site. Most of the names were incredibly goofy and we spent a lot of time riffing on them and cracking each other up. Names like "Furious Crank" and "The Leaping Leper" were great fun but were never seriously considered. We ended up with a short list of a couple dozen from which it was relatively easy to choose the 6 that we felt had the most potential. It was a memorable evening and I am very pleased with the work we got done. As soon as I am able I will post the 6 villains we created.

What's in a Name?

Tonight's the night. Our "Comic Book Council" will gather to narrow our master list of several hundred names down to six possible identities. Wish me luck. I'll let you know how it went tomorrow.

Injustice for All!

On what amounts to the first day of principal photography I pull jury duty. I dragged myself into court way too early this morning to listen to Qualifications and Exemptions that might get me out of there in time to get things ready for this evening. Get this - one of the Qualifications for being a juror is having a "sound mind and good moral character". I seriously considered telling them I was a Villain but I didn't need to. As it turns out they didn't need me. A near miss for everyone involved.

Out and About

Last Wednesday we shot some "man on the street" stuff at Mother Egan's Irish Pub and the Texas Chili Parlor. The Texas Chili Parlor was featured in Grindhouse. One of the managers was telling us stories about Tarantino and Kurt Russel. A good time was had by all. I recommend the Black Bean and Sausage.

Fog Shield

An outfit called ShatterGARD is offering something called the FogSHIELD that would be a perfect addition to the Lair's defensive arsenal. When you trigger this little gizmo it will fill the room with dense fog in a matter of moments. Dangerous? Not really. Disorienting? You bet!

Movie: Hot Fuzz

Spoiler Alert - If you haven't seen the movie yet do not read this post. Go see it as soon as possible and come on back. It didn't really hit me until the second time I saw the movie that Simon Skinner is actually the most pedestrian and therefore "realistic" Villain I can think of. He has everything I'm looking for - a lair, henchmen, even a floozy on his arm but he is only the manager of the local market. Dalton plays Skinner with relish, making him so fiendish that the reality of his circumstances becomes even more ludicrous. Here is a man who by all rights should be taking a run at ruling the world ordering his minions to mop up baby vomit. How wonderfully awful.

Good vs Evil Foosball

I want one. There are only 20 of them and they cost over $28,000 but I want one anyway. These things aren't just Foosball tables - they are Foosball tables that pit heroes such as Santa Claus, Sir Thomas More, Bobby Moore, Jekyll and Christopher Robin against villains such as Vlad the Impaler, Lucifer, Caligula, Hyde, Hitler, Jack the Ripper and Rosa Klebb. One of these belongs in the henchman's rec room. Make it happen.

New Blood: Bill Williams

Our experts panel is coming together fast. Welcome to Bill Williams, a prolific comic book writer, inker and colorist who has worked on titles such as Justice League Unlimited and Teen Titans. Check out his web comic Side Chicks and Lone Star Press, which carries a lot of his older work.

So furry - So evil...

A belated Happy Easter to all and sundry from the creepiest easter bunny ever.

New Blood: Paul Benjamin

Paul Benjamin has agreed to join our panel of industry experts. Paul is a Writer, Editor whose Tokyopop manga Pantheon High is on shelves in a store near you. Paul has developed comics-to-film projects for Hollywood, edited graphic novels for Humanoids Publishing and writes comics for Marvel including Marvel Adventures Hulk. His webcomic Sci-Fu can be seen at http://www.sci-fu.com. Welcome aboard!

Movie: 300

I had mixed feelings about the movie but not about it's villains. Xerxes was everything I could have hoped for. How can you go wrong with a perverse giant decked out with more metal than a Dio concert who claims to be a god? He had "imperious" nailed. The icing on the cake was the human staircase that he used to climb down from his thronemobile. The other bad guy, Theron, was not as spectacular as Xerxes but he got to hiss what may be the worst pickup line of all time - "This will not be over quickly. You will not enjoy this".

Status Report

Things are going very well and picking up steam quickly. Park is very close to having the team of experts that will help choose my name and Amberlin is in negotiations with a local market research firm. I'm eager to take this next step which will tell me a lot more about what my alter ego is going to be like. The list of potential names is growing but I would like it to be two or three times as long. If you are interested in the project but have yet to submit a name please do so as soon as possible. My thanks to everyone for their support so far. It's going to be a hell of a year.

Comics Should Be Good

Comic industry blog Comics Should Be Good thinks our idea is cool and posted our press release. Check it out here.

New Blood: Buddy Scalera

Buddy Scalera has just joined the team of experts who will advise us on the comic book genre and help me create me villainous alter ego. Buddy is a veteran writer who has worked on titles such as Deadpool, Decoy, Marvel Knights, Necrotic, Weapon X, X-Men and 7 days to Fame. He maintains a web site that you can check out here. Welcome aboard!

Caught Out

Our launch party event was covered by Caught Out, a web mag about the social scene in the Austin Film community. Check out the article here.

Name Submissions

The following are the names that have been submitted so far. I will update this list periodically as new names are added. We will be gathering names for about a week so if you would like to submit something please do it as soon as you can. My thanks to everyone who has taken the time to send something in. In my villainous persona I will be known as: Aeos the Undying, Akazoom!, Archenemy, Captain Contagious, The Creep, Crusher King, Darksplatter, The Destroyer, Destroyoman, Destruct-o-man, Dirge, The Disruptor, Distaff, Dr. Diablo, Dr. Kick-you-in-the-nads, Dr. Talon, Doctor Zygote, Edwardo Bastardo, Furious Crank, Gadgetzan, General Bleak, Hardcase, Imperiator, Janusite, Killer King, Killinator, King Kill, Lethargicus, Lord Darkkon, The Master, Master Destruction, Master Gray, Master Malicious, Masterstroke, Megalomaster, Nightfall, Overmind, The Pentarch, Penultimate, Professor Disdain, Professor Flay, Professor Pandemonium, Puppethead, The Ruler, Sardonic, Senor Maledicto, Smashman, Somnambulator, Switchback, Super Smash, Terminus, W.E.B (Wayward Evil Being), Whitewash, Yarg Nezitic the Transformer or Zeebadak!

Putting the "Die" back in Diet

One of the things I have been dreading about this project is knowing that I was going to have to lose some weight and get in shape. Villains are only fat if they are played as grotesque - a direction I have no interest in going. Years of sedentary life as a writer topped off with a a stroke that knocked me on my ass for months have packed on the pounds. I am the heaviest I have ever been. This simply will not do. I'm planning on working with a personal trainer but I have to get my diet under control. Fortunately, I have done this before and know what I'm doing. The only new wrinkle is the diabetes. What fun! Looks like I'll be eating out a lot less often. It's easier to control my intake if I cook for myself. When I'm a Villain I'll have to arrange for a private chef. Any volunteers?

New Blood: Park and Barb

We have added Park Cooper and Barbara Lien Cooper to the team. They are tenured comic book industry professionals who will be instrumental in helping me create my alter ego. Park and Barb are the co-writers of the Dabel Brothers' and Marvel Comics' creator-owned graphic novel Half Dead and co-writers of the column The Park and Barb Show. Barb is a founding member of women's webzine Sequential Tart, adapts manga for Tokyopop, writes the critically acclaimed web comic Gun Street Girl and served a one-year stint as Managing Editrix on the multiple-Eisner-award-winning print magazine Comic Book Artist. Park edits Gun Street Girl, he is an editor at Silent Devil and Septagon Studios and is the co-owner and manager of the creative studio Wicker Man Studios. Welcome aboard - I'm looking forward to working with you both.

Names Needed

A clarification of an earlier post - we are gathering a list of possible names for my villainous alter ego. At this point we don't need anything more than names. Send us as many as you like but remember that anything you send becomes the property of Citizen Gray Productions LLC. Thanks for your help. I'll have a list of submissions up soon.

Movie: Meet the Robinsons

Disney's new kidflick brings us a kind of 2 in 1 bad guy. On the surface "bowler hat man" appears to be a case study in how *not* to be a villain. Later you discover where the real brains lie and are treated to one of the most excellently bizarre alternate reality "rottenworlds" ever filmed. I loved the old school exaggerated sneaking, moustache twirling and hand wringing.

Friends in High Places

There is apparently a Darth Vader gargoyle worked into the national cathedral in Washington. This is subversion of the very best kind. Read more about it here

A Good Omen

I went out for Chinese the day after the Launch Party and found this scrap of encouragement in my cookie. A good omen if ever there was one.

Name Needed

One of my first challenges in establishing a villainous persona is coming up with a name, emblem and possibly a theme. I'm open to any and all submissions. Obviously, in order to do a good job you have to know something about who I am and what kind of a villain I would be so here goes: I'm a reasonably intelligent gadget freak who used to design games for a living and who knows a little about the occult. As a Villain I would be capable of being openly hostile to pretty much every aspect of the American Dream - Marriage, the Nuclear Family, a 9 to 5 Career, Church, School - all of it. If you have any questions feel free to post a Comment. If you would like to submit an idea email it to citizengray@gmail.com but be aware that any submissions become the property of Citizen Gray Productions LLC.

Help Wanted

At the moment we are in need of all of the following. I will update this list from time to time as our needs change. Comic Book Writers Comic Book Artists Robotics Expert Home Security Specialist Realtors Costume Designer Prop Maker Marketing Consultant Public Relations Consultant Voice Coach Management Consultant Drill Instructor Mary Kay Representative Amway Representative Ninja Master Web Designer

What's all this then?

Villain 101 is a documentary that will chronicle my year long effort to learn what it is to live the life of a villain like those in pulp fiction, spy movies and comic books. Frequent collaborator Darren Abate is shooting and editing. The resourceful and charming Amberlin Cross is producing. The documentary will include interviews but will focus on exploring whether or not it is possible to live the villainous lifestyle in the real world. I will not be breaking any laws but I want to see what it is like to have a base, henchmen and a notorious persona. Anyone who would like to help should contact me (citizengray@gmail.com) or Amberlin (cgp.amber@gmail.com).

Our first video

Darren just put together a fun little clip of something that happened during my down time at the Launch Party. Check it out by clicking the link in the nav bar on your right.

The Unused Speech

Here is the speech as I had intended to give it. I ended up saying most of the same things but I meandered more than I would have liked. Oh well. Live and learn. Thanks for coming. I hope you are all having a good time. Let’s get down to business – as some of you may already suspect, this is more than just a birthday party. I have asked you here to bear witness to something that I hope will change my life forever. It has been a difficult time for me. Instead of the breakout year I had hoped for I had a stroke that almost killed me . I have nearly recovered but have struggled with my personal and professional life while dealing with occupational therapy, medication and near constant exhaustion. I’m lucky to have gotten away clean but despite my best intentions last year will always be “the year of the stroke”. I have decided to make damned sure that this coming year is known for something of my choosing. One of the things that led to my stroke was a heavy duty addiction to stress. For years my brother has joked that if I snap I won’t climb a tower and start picking off targets. He swears that I will pull on a cape and become a larger than life Villain like those in the comics we used to read. Why wait? I have beaten my stress addiction but I always took perverse pleasure in the idea of striding around in some kind of outlandish getup wringing my hands and laughing maniacally. When I started to think about the prospect more seriously I realized that it isn’t just the costume, it is the entire lifestyle I covet. After consulting with my family, friends and my production company I have decided to spend the coming year learning how to live the life of a Villain. By this time next year I will know what it is like to dress, act and live as a Villain does. I want it all. Gadgets, secret lair, henchmen - the works. I’ll stop at nothing to live the dream. No matter how things turn out, we will film my adventure so if nothing else we get a documentary out of it. This my friends will be the year of the Villain.

Coming Out Party

I finally took the plunge. It is one thing to consider doing something - actually doing it is another thing altogether. Since we decided to move forward with the documentary the logical stepping off point was my birthday. We put together a Villain theme party at Austin Studios at which it was decided that I would publicly announce my intentions. The event went off without a hitch. We had a DJ, poker table and Venture Brothers playing in the screening room. Attendence was good and not only did everyone come dressed "dark and dangerous" about a third were in full costume. My kind of people. I came down with a case of nerves but eventually got a handle on it. As a young man I did some theater but I'm not really an actor so the prospect of the whole on-camera thing was daunting. When the time came, it didn't help that contacts had slipped, making it very difficult for me to read the speech I had prepared. I have been told that I did all right but it is clear that I'm going to have to do some work on my public speaking skills. The reaction to my announcement that I plan to become a Villain was everything I could have hoped for. I got a round of applause and spent the next hour or so fielding questions from folks eager to be a part of the project. I signed up several potential henchmen, a spy, a marketing major, a brand manager and a police officer willing to act as an advisor. One of my guests actually got down on one knee and swore his loyalty. How perfect is that? When you are working without a script (or a net) the unexpected opportunities that present themselves are often better than anything you could have planned. In this case we were fortunate to have had a gentleman playing Cobra Commander in attendence. He stayed in character for more than three hours and had an enyclopedic knowledge of GI Joe lore that was nothing short of awesome. Cobra Commander assumed the role of mentor and gave me my first lessons in villainy. Darren captured something like 40 minutes of priceless improv. It was a minor miracle that we managed to film the thing without laughing our asses off. We have officially begun filming. My thanks to everyone who made the night a success, especially the staff at the Austin Film Society, Amanda, Bryan, Dan, Shauna, Matt, Hale and Joseph Fotinos (who bares a striking resemblence to the scoundrel in the blue uniform I spent most of the night talking to).