300 mph

I've been lazy about posting art, but here's the first 2 panels of 300 mph.


I had some luck in Chicago (Read about it here) and I am hoping to capitalize on it with 300 mph.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three

These days with union wages, insurance costs and litigation risks it seems like few movies are shot on location. Now days we tend to rave about the realism when a movie is shot on greenscreen and the CGI backdrop of New York City looks 'just like the Real Thing."

It wasn't always like that.

Back in the '70s, a movie like Serpico or The French Connection would be shot in the streets of NYC, in all the grit and peeling paint of the real thing.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three was shot in (and under) the streets of New York.

(The Pelham 123 refers to a subway train that left the Pelham station at 1:23. Cars are assigned the name of the station they left that morning)

Four heavily armed men has hijacked the Pelham 123 train. They have 18 hostages and will start killing them if they don't have one million dollars in an hour.

Yeah, I know one million isn't a lot nowadays (I think that's my credit card limit) this was '74, so go with it.

The transit authorities are puzzled. Why would anyone hijack a subway train? And how do they plan to get away? As pointed out several times, they're on a train, in a tunnel, underground. But one of the cool aspects of this movie is seeing the criminals plot play out and how the various criminal personalities interact.

If this sounds like a Quentin Tarantino film, it was an influence on him. The gang goes by color names (Mr. Grey, Mr. Brown, etc.) and while it's never explored, they don't know each other, both of which are similar to Reservoir Dogs.

The Transit Authority Police Chief is played by Walter Matthau, who does a great job as a harried bureaucrat who's really over his head.

If you're looking for something beyond CGI sets, kung-fu wire tricks and hair gel heros, something with a real plot, real story and yes, real locations, I suggest you seek out "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three." I give it 2 thumbs up!

p.s. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is rated R. As far as I can tell its for profanity; the was no nudity or gore. Nobody got their ear cut off.

p.s.s. As I was stealing er, gathering graphics for this review, I read they are remaking this movie. I'd see this before watching the new version. I hate remakes!

1:47 a.m.

Late night shot of my studio.

Nawlins!

I just found out we're going to New Orleans!

Michelle is going for a meeting of the Illuminating Engineering Society and of course I'm going along.

The down side is this is the same weekend as Wizard World Texas which means I'm going to one less convention this year.

Still I've talked to the people I know and it seems none of the publishers I want to talk to are going to be there. Besides, I owe Michelle since she didn't go to Chicago with me.

I've only been through New Orleans a few times & I've never stayed there.

I'm looking forward to going to New Orleans. One of my favorite books, A Confederacy of Dunces, takes place there and I'm hoping to check out some of the locations from the book.

There is even a statue of the main character and I think it's not to far from our hotel.

We're staying in the French Quarter and from what I've seen online there is a lot to see nearby, we'll see.

I wish I didn't have to miss a comic convention to go, but I'm hoping to make the big NYC con next year so that should make up for missing this one.