No Media Kings

Shannon on the west coast, indie arcade, bathtub sirens

2010-07-08T15:33:04Z

Hey everyone,

Shannon Gerard, the amazing artist for my SWORD OF MY MOUTH graphic novel, is touring the west coast through August. As well as promoting the book she is also researching her family history, which includes travelling puppeteers. Starting in California and heading up to Vancouver, she's hoping to do little talks on the unique drawing process she used in SWORD, sell some original art from the book and some of her ribald and topical crafts, and she's open to doing workshops to share her bookmaking and silkscreening skills. If you'd like her to come to your town and you can put her up, or show her around, or help organize an event, drop me a line and I'll put you in touch. Check out her site at:
http://shannongerard.org
...any west coast puppet-related leads appreciated too!

Me? Post-production on the new lo-fi sci-fi movie is coming along, though we could use more SFX help. I'm organizing an indie arcade at Toronto's biggest art night, Nuit Blanche, through a videogame culture collective called the Hand Eye Society:
http://handeyesociety.com/project/the-arcadian-renaissance/
...that's kind of a big deal.

But the majority of my time this summer I'm taking care of my 2.75yr old Sidney while Susan finishes off her thesis. We live right on a major street downtown and when Sid was in the bath yesterday we heard a siren.
Sidney: It's from a fire truck.
Me: Yep, or a police car. Do you know what a police car is?
Sidney: Yeah.
Me: You do? What does it look like?
Sidney [blinks, thinks a second]: A dolphin.

The darnedest things, I tell you--

Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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sample the Sword

2010-05-24T15:26:16Z

Hey everyone!

So I've finally got the last of the SWORD OF MY MOUTH pre-orders in the mail, so if you were one of the lovely people who supported us early you should be getting it soonish.

If you're on the fence about buying it, you might want to check out the nice review blurbs from Bust, Boing Boing and the Onion A.V. Club:
http://nomediakings.org/store/

...or read the first 22 pages to see if it's your kinda thing:
http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=comic&id=59284

...or hear about how we launched the book in Toronto and Detroit, where it's set:
http://nomediakings.org/press/sword_of_my_mouths_word_of_mouth.html

...or read about our various amusing promotional gambits:
http://nomediakings.org/press/promoting_the_hell_out_of_it.html

To order a signed and personalized copy online check out:
http://nomediakings.org/store/
...for in-person buying, I recommend Toronto's The Beguiling and Detroit's Leopold's Books.

Also: summer!

Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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want a review copy of our graphic novel?

2010-04-08T10:09:18Z

Hey everyone,

As the Sword of My Mouth launch approaches, Shannon and I are starting to promote the new graphic novel in earnest -- the book site's got six new sample pages:
http://nomediakings.org/sword/
This weekend she'll be in New York for MoCCA and I'll be at the local SF con, Ad Astra, so if you see us ask for a free copy of the first 22 pages of the graphic novel if you don't have it already. If you're in Toronto, we hope you'll come by the launch Thursday May 6th, 7pm, Tequila Bookworm (512 Queen Street West, upstairs), free.

If you have a blog or review stuff for another outlet I'd be happy to get you a digital advance copy of the complete graphic novel. I've found mailing out physical review copies of books to be less and less effective since I started publishing books a decade ago. And frankly, I'd much rather the book be talked about on someone's interesting blog than in a boring literary magazine.

If you'd like to read the book a month before it's released but don't do reviews, you can still get the pre-order price on the book over here:
http://nomediakings.org/sub/
...it's going up a couple bucks on May 1st. The digital edition's only $6 and includes commentary and a variety of formats for mobile devices.

Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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San Fran & Boston visits, updates, huge penguin sighting

2010-03-06T17:22:57Z

Hey everyone!

So I'm getting stuff sorted out before I head to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco -- I'm giving a talk there mostly about community organizing I've been doing:
http://nomediakings.org/uncategorized/gdc_indie_summit_san_francisco.html
...I'm also planning to check out the Anarchist Book Fair on Sat. Let me know if you'll be in SF and want to grab a drink or something!

It'll be a bit of a vacation after getting the new graphic novel to the printer. Shannon drew some hilarious bio pics for us:
http://nomediakings.org/publishing/doublebarreled_comic_release.html

Ghosts With Shit Jobs, our new lo-fi sci-fi movie, is now in post and I made this text game as a weird kind of tie-in/promotion:
http://nomediakings.org/games/roofed_a_preemptive_spinoff_game.html

And talking about text games -- later this month, at PAX East in Boston, the biggest gathering of interactive fiction authors (and presumably grues) ever will ensue:
http://nomediakings.org/uncategorized/boston_pax_east_if_gathering.html
...Drop a line if you'll be in Boston too!

Today we went for the first bike ride of the year with Sidney co-piloting up front: her sunglasses kept falling off, and then we hit a big big bump, but then we saw a huge penguin! So that was pretty good.

Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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remember?

2009-05-08T16:11:57Z

Hey guys!

Remember when comics were cheap? Me and Shannon are launching the first part of the new post-Rapture story Sword of My Mouth this weekend at the amazing Toronto Comic Arts Festival. We are experimenting with sweet deals involving exceedingly reasonable prices, digital formats, silkscreen prints, bonus commentary and more:
http://nomediakings.org/publishing/remember_when_comics_were_cheap.html

Remember Zork? I was commissioned to write a text game set at the Game Developers Conference. It is almost nothing like Zork:
http://nomediakings.org/games/interactive_nonfiction.html

Also new on the site: stef lenk's DIY Self-Publishing Comics Primer:
http://nomediakings.org/doityourself/a_selfpublishing_comics_primer.html

Not on the site: my little girl Sidney got her face dirty today, with real dirt. Spring has sprung!

Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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preorder comic? San Francisco?

2009-02-25T19:33:08Z

Hey everyone--

Hopefully, you'll check out the apocalicious cover art to Sword of My Mouth #1, and be like: "Babies AND fire AND Detroit??! I'm totally preordering this!"
http://nomediakings.org/press/sword_of_my_mouth_1_out_soon.html
...and then you call your local comic store, they turn to page 266 of this month's Previews (MAR09 4308) and put in an order despite the economy and blah blah blah. (It's already off to a good start as a Staff Pick at Previews, but a little push would be great.)

If you're not sure 'cause you haven't read Therefore Repent! yet, you're in luck -- the entire graphic novel is available as a free download at the link above.

Also, I am going to San Francisco for the (amazing!) Game Developers Conference at the end of March, having been commissioned to write a text adventure game of my experiences at the GDC (or as I like to think of it, interactive non-fiction). If this seems crazy, and it is, so was the response to Everybody Dies:
http://nomediakings.org/press/gaming_critics_lose_their_minds.html
...but anyway, let me know if you want to hang while I'm in SF. If people still "hang."

The lo-fi sci-fi movie is starting to simmer. We're looking for cinematographers, wardrobe people, sfx people and a music supervisor. Email me for details!

Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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new graphic novel samples and gamey goodness

2008-12-01T11:27:01Z

Hey everyone,

Finishing up the graphic novel script this week, starting to think about the new lo-fi sci-fi movie we'll be shooting in '09... going to get more people involved earlier in the process than we did with Infest Wisely, so reply to this if you'd like to hear more!

Here's the latest from the No Media Kings blog...

Xmas Comes Early (Games)

And you don’t even have to unwrap the latest games produced by my Artsy Games Incubator project. Just download them! There’s a point-and-click adventure set on Toronto’s Queen St. West, a pixelly Lovecraftian game with audio drama, a sharply designed underwater gold quest, an architectural preservation simulation game, & one by me and Susan where you play a plastic bag out to asphyxiate seagulls. Check out the screenshots here.

The response to the project has been terrific, with people who want to make games in future Rounds, people who are looking to start groups in their cities, and industry coverage of our Artcade event, so we’re expanding a bit. To apply to participate check this out!

The New Post-Rapture Graphic Novel (Books)

I’m 2/3rds (AKA 66.6%) of the way through writing the graphic novel follow-up to Therefore Repent!, so I thought I’d post some of the amazing sample pages by the new artist, Shannon Gerard.

I don’t want to give away too many details, but it’s set in Detroit, involves one of the Four Horsemen, and the first 22 pages should be debuting at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival in May 2009.

Everybody Dies Takes Bronze at IFComp (Games)

My new text adventure videogame, Everybody Dies, was just voted third out of 35 entries at the annual Interactive Fiction Competition!

It starts with a metalhead, Graham, realizing that throwing that shopping cart over the bridge was not the great idea he thought it was. Even if it did get him out of washroom duty at Cost Cutters.

Play it online or read on for the wicked cover art, my thank-you speech, and more download options.

Thanks for reading... trying something new with the html massmail, feedback appreciated!

Jim

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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new graphic novel samples and gamey goodness

2008-12-01T11:07:30Z

Hey everyone,

Here's the latest from the blog...

Xmas Comes Early (Games)

The New Post-Rapture Graphic Novel (Books)

I’m 2/3rds (AKA 66.6%) of the way through writing the graphic novel follow-up to Therefore Repent!, so I thought I’d post some of the amazing sample pages by the new artist, Shannon Gerard.

I don’t want to give away too many details, but it’s set in Detroit, involves one of the Four Horsemen, and the first 22 pages should be debuting at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival in May 2009.

Everybody Dies Takes Bronze at IFComp (Games)

My new text adventure videogame, Everybody Dies, was just voted third out of 35 entries at the annual Interactive Fiction Competition!

It starts with a metalhead, Graham, realizing that throwing that shopping cart over the bridge was not the great idea he thought it was. Even if it did get him out of washroom duty at Cost Cutters.

Play it online or read on for the wicked cover art, my thank-you speech, and more download options.

Thanks for reading... trying something new with the html massmail, feedback appreciated!

Jim

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Monkey Attack vs. The Massmail

2008-10-21T09:25:20Z

Hey everyone,

Taking a break from playing Monkey Attack with Sidney (who just turned 1!) to dash off an update. If you hear primal screechy sounds while reading, I'm sorry.

Time Management for Anarchists is now a comic drawn by Marc Ngui:
http://nomediakings.org/time_management_for_anarchists/free_anarchomic_released.html
...will tell you how to get a free advance copy.

We are running an Artcade at a zine fair this Sunday:
http://nomediakings.org/artsygames/events/artcade.html
...play some awesome Toronto indie videogames and get involved in making them!

That new game I made, Everybody Dies, is an entry in this year's Interactive Fiction Competition:
http://ifcomp.org/comp08/download.html
...if you're so inclined, you can download, play and judge it and over 30 other text games.

I spun off a "10 Ways to Get Your Writing Out There" talk into a DIY article:
http://nomediakings.org/writing/10_ways_to_get_your_writing_out_there.html
...and the illos were live-sketched by Ramon Perez.

And if I haven't been blogging about my personal life enough for you:
http://nomediakings.org/writing/on_escaping_the_youth_demographic.html
...this is only the second of two Sidney-related posts in her first year.

How do I manage to be so restrained? Only the monkey knows...

Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Infest Wisely DVD available, Brooklyn, games

2008-07-09T16:27:25Z

Hey everyone,

I've added the Infest Wisely DVD to the No Media Kings store:
http://nomediakings.org/store#IW
...they're $10 and include a commentary track from all the directors with DIY filmmaking tips and tricks. We also are sending out review copies for blogs and festivals and whatnot.

If you've already seen our lo-fi sci-fi movie you might be interested in a bunch of extras we've posted:
http://infestwisely.com/extras.html
...Rose Bianchini made a really funny short answering the question "what happened to the ATM machine?"

You can download and play the wicked videogames we made in the last Artsy Games Incubator:
http://nomediakings.org/games/free_artsy_games_released.html
...my baby girl Sidney stars in my game, Baby Runs This Mofo.

Also, a super-famous game designer actually talked about one of my videos:
http://nomediakings.org/vidz/will_wright_references_my_trip_to_liberty_city.html

************** FOUR GREAT REASONS TO EMAIL ME! ******************

I finished a text adventure interactive fiction piece called Everybody Dies. Would you like to be a beta tester?

Also: we're going to be in Brooklyn for August! Maybe you live there and want to hang out?

I am also trying to find out more about Detroit. Do you know stuff, or live there, or know people who live there?

I'm interviewing folks for a comic version of Time Management For Anarchists. Do you know (or are you) a creative malcontent who might have useful advice for their less-organized comrades?

************** (NOT THAT YOU NEED A BIG REASON.) ******************

My life is awesome right now. Hope yours is too! Let me know what you're up to if you get a moment! Thanks for reading.

Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Infest Wisely DVD launch, Chicago Repent event, & Pulitzer proximity

2008-05-07T12:49:47Z

Hey everyone--

The Infest Wisely DVDs arrived today! We're launching it with a special screening at The Royal (608 College St., Toronto, $10) on Thurs. May 15th, 9pm.

Check out the event details and the sharp cover art:
http://nomediakings.org/vidz/infest_wisely_now_on_dvd.html
It's got a commentary track featuring all the directors with DIY moviemaking tips and tricks.

And apparently my comic is the pleasure reading of this year's Pulitzer winner?
http://nomediakings.org/books/what_pulitzer_prize_winners_are_reading.html
...& I was also nominated for a Joe Shuster award!

Bolstered with this nice feedback I am going to Chicago to launch the (Chicago-based) Therefore Repent.
http://nomediakings.org/uncategorized/chicago_launch_for_therefore_repent.html
You can come tell me how I got your city all wrong in person at Quimby's on Thurs. May 22, 7pm. (1854 W. North Ave., free.)

OCAD hired me to implement some of their cell phone tech in public spaces:
http://nomediakings.org/writing/strange_grange.html
We invented a participatory newspaper box and a No-Touch Bicycle.

Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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