The Ultimate Yard Haunts

Bob Burns is a really cool guy. He owns the original armature for King Kong amongst tons of other important sciience fiction, fantasy and horror props. He's been a special effects artist himself and a gorilla suit actor, and when he puts on Halloween at his house he goes all out.

What kind of yard haunt can you put together when your friends include hollywood actors and Oscar winning special effects wizards? Take a look at this link and see for yourself. Bob has been posting videos of his Halloween shows for the past few Halloweens. Unfortunately, the older shows are no longer available to watch (though there are still galleries which you should check out) and these will be taken down in just a few days so make it a priority to go watch them. You won't be disappointed.

Forthcoming Halloween Related Graphic Novel

Please forgive me for a bit of shameless self-promotion here. The only reason I'm doing this is because I truly believe that this is something that will appeal to the majority of people participating in the Countdown to Halloween.

In February 2012, DC Comics will be releasing a trade paperback collection of Xombi, a six issue comic book series that I wrote for them, that was published serially through the Spring and Summer of 2011. The insanely gorgeous artwork was done by the incomparable Frazer Irving, and the series received overwhelming accolades from just about everyone who read and reviewed it, such as this one from Ain't It Cool News.

So what's it about, you ask? Xombi is about a normal scientific researcher who has had his body infused with microscopic nanomachines, following a mortal injury. The nanomachines repaired all of the damage to his body and continue to do so, keeping him perpetually in what they deem peak physical condition using material taken from outside of him and converting it into healthy tissue. He can never die. He can heal any injury, resist any disease. He will never age or lose his hair or eyesight. He never even needs to eat if he doesn't want to. It sounds like a really cool way to live, but it has its downsides. One of them is that because of the circumstances that led to his injury, he's also become something of a weirdness magnet. This comic book is full of people, places and monsters the likes of which you've never seen before. This piece I wrote for DC Comics  will give you a better sense of what I mean, as will this interview from i09 which also features the first five pages of the comic for you to check out.

Amazon.com has Xombi available for pre-order for under ten bucks.

If that's not enough, then try this...

Click on any image to make it larger.

Thank you for your time and indulgence. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Halloween Photo Contest

Fujifilm and Rite Aid Announce the Picture Perfect Halloween Photo Contest and Daily Giveaway

Enter to Win Fang-tastic Prizes Including a Grand Prize Trip to Hersheypark in the Dark Valued at $3,919*

Valhalla, N.Y., FUJIFILM North America Corporation and Rite Aid Corporation today announced that entries are currently being accepted for the 7^th annual Picture Perfect Halloween Photo Contest.  From now through November 8, 2011, entrants can submit Halloween-themed photos and vote for their favorites in seven categories: Best Pumpkin, Cutest Baby Costume, Best Kids Costumes, Best Teens and Adults Costumes, Best Pets, Spooktacular Decorations and Best Make-up.

To enter, consumers can go to www.HalloweenPhotoContest.com to register and to upload photos from any personal computer; you do not need to be a Fujifilm or Rite Aid customer to enter. Enter as many as 70 pictures per household among the seven categories.

Consumers can also enter the Daily Giveaway to win thousands of prizes: picture frames and personalized photo t-shirts, puzzles, mugs, stickers, mouse pads, free photo prints, Freaky Monsters buttons and wet n wild Make-up items including, Tattoos, Bewitching Eyes false lashes, Ghoulish Glam liquid eyeliner, Mystifying Night Sparkling Lip Gloss, Kiss of Death Black Lipstick, Ghostly Nails Wild Shine Nail Color, Pretty Wicked Glitter Palettes.

HalloweenPhotoContest.com is also a destination for fang-tastic ideas to create a spooktacular Halloween. It is a one-stop shop for decorating ideas and party planning guides, printable jack-o-lantern stencils, makeup tips from wet n wild Make-up, crafts and recipes by Kraft Food and Hershey’s Candy, fiendishly clever party game suggestions, expert photo tips, digital scrapbooking kits, and more.

What’s in store for contestants?  The grand prize winner of the overall best Halloween photo will win a trip for four to Hersheypark in the Dark at Hersheypark, PA, including three days and two nights’ deluxe accommodations at Hershey Lodge, four two-day admission passes to Hersheypark in the Dark, four “Create Your Own Candy Bar” experiences at Hershey’s Chocolate World, four tickets for the town tour on the Hershey Trolley, $300 in Hersheypark “Chocolate Currency,” a Fujifilm FinePix F300EXR digital camera, a Rite Aid photo book and a HERSHEY’S chocolate gift basket.

First, second and third place prizes will also be awarded to the winning entrants in each of the seven categories:

• First prize: Fundamentals of Digital Photography course from the New York Institute of Photography, Fujifilm FinePix F300EXR Camera, $250 Rite Aid gift certificate, Hershey’s chocolate gift basket and Rite Aid photo book (retail value $1,217)

• Second prize: Fujifilm Instax Mini Camera, $150 Rite Aid gift certificate, HERSHEY’S chocolate gift basket and Rite Aid photo book (retail value $649)

• Third prize: Fujifilm FinePix AV100 Camera, Pinnacle 16x20” frame, $100 Rite Aid gift card, HERSHEY’S chocolate basket and Rite Aid photo book (retail value $354)

Full details regarding contest rules, prizes and giveaways are available atHalloweenPhotoContest.com. To keep up with the Halloween Photo Contest via social media, follow @MyWayPhoto and become a fan on Facebook.

About Fujifilm
FUJIFILM North America Corporation, a marketing subsidiary of FUJIFILM Corporation, consists of five operating divisions and one subsidiary company. The Imaging Division sells consumer and commercial photographic products and services including film, one-time-use cameras, online photo services and fulfillment, digital printing equipment and service. The Electronic Imaging Division markets consumer digital cameras. The Motion Picture Division provides motion picture film, and the Graphic Systems Division supplies products and services to the printing industry. The Optical Devices Division provides binoculars, and optical lenses for closed circuit television, videography, cinematography, broadcast and industrial markets. FUJIFILM Canada Inc. markets a range of Fujifilm products and services. For more information, please visit www.fujifilm.com/northamerica, or go to www.twitter.com/fujifilmus to follow Fujifilm on Twitter. To receive news and information direct from Fujifilm via RSS, subscribe at www.fujifilmusa.com/rss.

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, brings continuous innovation and leading-edge products to a broad spectrum of industries, including electronic imaging, digital printing equipment, medical systems, life sciences, graphic arts, flat panel display materials, and office products, based on a vast portfolio of digital, optical, fine chemical and thin film coating technologies. The company was among the top 20 companies around the world granted U.S. patents in 2009, and in the year ended March 31, 2010, had global revenues of $23.5 billion. Fujifilm is committed to environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visitwww.fujifilmholdings.com.

*Approximate retail value of the Grand Prize is $3,919. Actual value may vary depending upon timing and departure city.

Some more Indie Horror/Halloween Comics!

I thought I'd take a second to highlight a couple more Horror/Halloweeny comics anthologies that I've stumbled upon this season. First up is the second issue of the Strange Kid Comix Magazine...

This second installment is certainly seasonally appropriate and has a bunch of great comics and artwork by folks like David Hartman, Aaron Klopp, Andrew Barr, Brian Fyffe, Christine Larsen, Craig Collins, Glen Brogan, German Orozco, Keith Allen, Sean K. Dove, Neil Camera, Smo, Beans and Bueller and Zach Bellissimo. There are also interviews and some really fun paper project surprises inside!

Next up is a horror anthology from the folks at Wide Awake Press called 666. There are a metric ton of contributors in this volume, but there are a few that I'm particularly familiar with whose work I really dig including Justin Gammon, Brad McGinty, and Josh Latta. Also, Wide Awake is also offering up a really cool Mars Attacks homage trading card...

The best part? The card is free when you pay a small shipping fee ($2 gets you five copies of the card mailed to your door.) These would make great treats for the kids this Halloween as well as a fun piece of monster art to share with friends.