Nearly a year since my last update, which is a delinquent amount of time, Artificial Ink Dropsreturns! The Earth spins around the Sun too quickly sometimes. I’ve had a busy year navigating both professional and personal life changes, but fully intend to return to the newsletter as soon as I can come up for air. There is always so much to share, but so little time, though I have ideas on how to streamline this outlet.
But that’s all for the future. Today, I wanted to briefly point my newsletter subscribers towards CBR.com aka Comic Book Resources, which is one of the internet’s premiere platforms for comic book and pop culture related news and reviews. Back in November, I joined the authority team to review and promote my favorite books.
During my time with the Watchtower Database YouTube channel, I shared comic book recommendations on socials in a series called Comic Relief and later as YouTube video rants for Graphic Content. Both were attempts to share some of my favorite comic books and graphic novels, and promote new books that I enjoyed. My work as a comic book critic and review writer for CBR.com continues in that spirit.
My editors allow me total freedom to choose every one of the topics that I cover, so I am always writing about books that I personally love and am excited to read. So far, the only book that I was requested to cover was the original story arc of Daredevil: Born Again to accompany the release of the recent Disney+ series, but I volunteered to review that book since I had a copy on my shelf that I had never cracked open before.
Check out my CBR author profile and be sure to click ‘follow’ so you get a weekly email directly from CBR with my latest book reviews. I’m also always posting and promoting them on Threads and Bluesky, so you can find them shared there as well.
While I’ve got you, I would also like to promote two upcoming panels that I am presenting for Iron City Comic Con 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama: “How To Make A Comic Book” on Saturday, May 31st where I will discuss how to move beyond a story idea in your head to a printed copy in your hands, as well as “Superman: Legacy of the First Superhero” on Sunday, June 1st to highlight how Superman remains just as culturally significant today as when he first appeared in 1938’s Action Comics #1.
Beyond that, I’ll write another post soon with further updates including the YouTube debut of my 4SIGHTshort film, as well as my recent work in the production office on the sci-fi/action feature Kill Him ‘Til He’s Deadand a TV movie that I can’t discuss yet. But that can wait for next time, which I promise will be sooner than Spring 2026.
In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a recent movie review that I wrote for the Dust on the VCR newsletter about one of my favorite films, Dead Man directed by Jim Jarmusch and starring Johnny Depp. The acid western film is dark and dismal, yet also poetic and hilarious. Jim Jarmusch’s library of work has a way of being many things at once, so watch the movie on Max or the Criterion Channel, and check out the review.
We’re back for another installment of Artificial Ink Drops! Just in time to plug a few upcoming events before I catch up on recent releases in a future post.
Big update to share regarding my sci-fi comedy short film 4SIGHT starring Alisha Hawthorne with narration from Susan Eisenberg! Here’s the logline for those unfamiliar with the project: Chloe downloads 4SIGHT, a nefarious fortune telling app that gauges her personal data to manipulate her life.
Sounds fun, right? That’s because it is! At least I tend to think so.
So far, 4SIGHT has been programmed at two events. First up is the Reedy Reels Film Festival in Greenville, South Carolina. 4SIGHT leads the screening block on Saturday, March 23rd at 7:45pm ET. That is this upcoming weekend! Several folks from the cast and crew will be in attendance, including myself, so it should be a real fun time!
Next on Saturday, April 27th at 6pm ET, 4SIGHT plays at the Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida as part of their Futuristic Tales shorts block. I will likely be traveling solo for that screening, but if you’re in the area, it is an excellent event. My previous short film NO MEAN FEET played at Sunscreen in their 2022 festival, though I was unable to attend that one.
Last year, once I received the nearly final cut from Rome Widenhouse— who wore many hats on 4SIGHT as the editor, co-writer, and 1st AD— I chose to recut the first scene, and chop off several seconds to jumpstart the pacing. My brother Joe Kendrick composed original music and mixed the sound levels before we passed it along to Samuel Zeilender for color correction. Sam was also the Director of Photography on 4SIGHT, so I was grateful to have him jump back in on the project and touch up the footage to his liking.
4SIGHT played at the AVLFilm Showcase on June 26th, 2023 at the Grail Moviehouse in Asheville, North Carolina. This was the first time the film played in front of an audience, and I received much feedback that the robotic voice of the Augur was difficult to understand. It spoke in a very “beep boop” robotic tone. David Gwaltney, an actor in the film, and AVLFilm organizer Ryan DuVal both suggested that I check out ElevenLabs’ AI voice generator.
Now, I’m cautious regarding the use of artificial intelligence in my artwork. 4SIGHT was even conceived as a warning against such technology, several years before ChatGPT emerged in the public sphere. However, it felt appropriate to use an AI voice generator for the Augur as it was an AI character. ElevenLabs created several original voices, and I went with one named Thomas, which gave me some relief at least that I didn’t synthesize a voice from an actual working actor. Thomas spoke with a sad somber tone, which I found to underscore its inhumanity. With the new voice track in place, 4SIGHT was finally completed, and ready to hit the film festival circuit.
As you can clearly see, 4SIGHT is off to a great start! And I’m waiting on at least ten more festivals to decide whether to program the film. If you’re nearby, I hope to see you at these events. Be on the lookout for additional updates soon from Artificial Ink Drops! I have much to share about what I’ve been working on over the last year, but that must wait for another time!
Hello! I cannot believe it’s been over a year since the last Artificial Ink Drops post. That was a delinquent amount of time. Not for a lack of things to share, but this newsletter often fell to the bottom of my to-do list in what was (another) strange year. I plan to catch up over the next few weeks as there is much to discuss!
But for now, as both a promise to return to form, and a soft relaunch of the newsletter, allow me to share a guest post that I recently contributed for the Dust on the VCR newsletter curated by Jeremy Burgess. He shares weekly essays about classic cinema on this Substack, and is a screenwriter in his own right. His film Don’t Die won the audience choice for Best Alabama Film at the 2023 Sidewalk Film Fest.
Check out my short essay on how “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), the Best Theatrical Batman, Was Made for Home Video”, embedded here below.
Jeremy and I met earlier this year after bonding over both being writers and graduates from Homewood High School. It was a rite of passage for some students to have the same teacher, Mrs. McGuffey, for AP English in both 9th and 12th grade. We were two of those students, though I think he was a senior while I was a freshman.
Anyway, I followed Dust on the VCR ever since, and was looking for a way to contribute. When I realized that my YouTube channel Watchtower Database wouldn’t have the bandwidth to cover Batman: Mask of the Phantasm for its 30th anniversary (on Christmas Day!), I knew that Dust on the VCR would be my outlet, and in keeping with the themes of the newsletter, I decided to explore how a Batman film that was meant for home video was reworked at the last minute for theaters.
Several members of the Batman: Mask of the Phantasm crew shared their insights with me during the writing of this piece, so I’d like to again extend my thanks to writer/producer Alan Burnett as well as storyboard designers Kevin Altieri, Brad Rader, and Dan Riba. Some of these folks shared the essay on their personal social media pages, and I think that’s pretty cool! It was actually pretty surreal.
But I will keep this post on the shorter end. Thanks for opening the email if you’re back after the year hiatus. Or if you found me from Dust on the VCR, I promise that Artificial Ink Drops is not dead, and new updates are on the horizon. 2023 saw several creative projects: narrative shorts, documentary production, and comic books, and I need to scream about them to the world! But we’ll do that next time.
Woah! What’s this? Another installment of Artificial Ink Drops, and not even a full month after the previous one? What in the world is going on here?!
Hail Santa!
Sure. We can chalk it up as an early Christmas present. Why not?
As I mentioned previously, the Watchtower Database is currently underway in our “Zeta Month” event throughouty the last two months, and finally covering THE ZETA PROJECT animated series from 2001 which spun out of BATMAN BEYOND, after years of comments asking us to talk about the show. While I appeared in several of the bookend skits throughout the month, I was solely responsible for the research, writing, and hosting on three videos of my own.
This better be about THE ZETA PROJECT.
I’ve always considered “Zeta Month” to be a celebration of the Watchtower Database, providing fans and followers of the channel with an effective payoff for their years of attention. We brought back all the old “shows” from the channel’s past, such as Mattie’s “Vanishing Point” and my “Graphic Content” comic book reviews, with a new review of “The Pantheon Saga” from 1983’s WORLD’S FINEST #296 to #300. Connor John Locke edited this one, and for such convoluted coverage, they managed to cut it together quite nicely.
Per the “Zeta Month” plot, I did not actually host the above video, but a Synthoid called IU-Jake disguised itself as Ted to cover the show. Jake’s ineptitude contended that he couldn’t even cover the correct Zeta character. The version in “The Pantheon Saga” shared almost nothing with THE ZETA PROJECT aside for the name, and a few themes in regards to finding one’s humanity, but learning about DC Comics’ first Zeta character is just the kind of thing the viewers are here to see, so that’s the content they received.
My next video was a return to the “Casting Call” series, which highlights the careers of notable voice actors from the DC Animated Universe, with a focus on Diedrich Bader. Whether you know him from television such as THE DREW CAREY SHOW or BETTER THINGS, films like OFFICE SPACE and NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, or cartoons as the voice of Batman in BATMAN: THE BRAVE & THE BOLD and the titular character from THE ZETA PROJECT, you’ve likely seen Bader’s face and heard his voice at some point. Bader was even kind enough to share the video on his Twitter feed.
Just to clarify, the above video was hosted by the real me, not Jake. While James and Mattie were held at gunpoint by the Synthoids, I was allowed to jump on a Skype call— yes, Skype. Not Zoom. It’s part of the plot—so I could crank out a new “Casting Call” episode all about Zeta’s primary voice actor.
Lastly, I returned for a short “Trivia Tuesdays with Ted” which was my first show on the channel, basically quick facts that released on (you guessed it) every other Tuesday. I highlighted the single panel in the only issue in which the correct Zeta character ever appeared in DC Comics’ publications, an issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE BEYOND where Zeta was mentioned in tandem with the New Terrific Trio, a pastiche of Marvel’s FANTASTIC FOUR.
You must catch the “Zeta Month” finale on this Sunday, December 18th! James Strecker has truly outdone himself this year with various cinematic videos, from the “DCAU Multiverse Revisited” through “Poison Ivy: Plant or Clone?” to the hour-long “Batman & Harley Quinn: Will It Canon?” and finally into “Zeta Month.” The Watchtower Database released less frequently in 2022, but James was dedicated in making sure the ones we made had the best production value possible with high quality special effects, and together, they connect our channel lore (which began in 2017) into a compelling movie.
Have you considered making an original feature film?
We would love nothing more. Are you a financier? Let’s chat! But seriously, James himself is nearly finished with post-production on the sci-fi comedy VIREALITY (co-written by me), and I’m currently undertaking a work-for-hire sci-fi feature script. I’ve shared more about that project in previous drops.
Moving on, James Strecker and I were also guests on Brian Day’s YouTube channel BDKnight where we participated in his “DC-Cember” event.
DC-Cember. I see what you did there.
I give credit solely to Brian for that piece of clever branding. “DCember” might have been more concise, but creates the potential to be read as “DC Ember” which is clearly not ideal, so “DC-Cember” became what it must be.
Over several recording sessions, we ranked our top 10 villains from BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES in a run of countdown videos, each about 10 minutes in length, starting with choices 10 and 9, then 8 and 7, and so forth to the final picks. We averaged our choices into a communal top 10 between us, and spoke towards why those characters had a lasting impact in their animated series, as well as the broader DC Animated Universe.
Last week saw the top 10 villains from 1996’s SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES in another series of videos, and next week, we move on to 1999’s BATMAN BEYOND, and finally 2001’s JUSTICE LEAGUE to round off the winter month. Brian curated the DC-Cember playlist which has every video so far, and will continue to update the playlist through the end of the year.
How was your move?
I’m almost settled into the new place with the girlfriend, and just in time for the busy holidays, but my desk is functional again, and I’m feeling pretty comfy in my office. Nothing like a fresh environment to reignite your passion and productivity. Once the holidays are over, I look forward to reassessing my slate, and prioritizing creative and personal goals for the oncoming year.
Sadly, with the business of the move, I had to delay my video essay on Paul Dini’s JINGLE BELLE character and her similarities to Harley Quinn, another character co-created by Dini for BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. Now the second holiday season that I’ve had to delay the video, I am determined to hit the 2023 season for sure. Apologies to the several people out there who were looking forward to this one. It will surely happen next time! Or else, I guess!
This drop is a little shorter than usual since I wanted to promote “Zeta Month” and “DC-Cember” before their conclusions. Expect plenty of more updates in early 2023 with the next installment of Artificial Ink Drops. Please leave a comment if you’d like for me to write or speak to anything specific, and share the newsletter on social media or with a friend if you like what you see here.
Be well. Be good. Not for Santa Claus and his itemized list that details the moral failings of 8 billion people, but for yourselves. Look to whatever you prefer as your guiding North Pole or North Star. Believe wholeheartedly in your own Polaris, and you will surely stay the course to your destination.
Well, hello there, and welcome to another installment of Artificial Ink Drops.
It’s been way too long!
I never promised to post more than every few months. That’s the deal.
My fall kept me busy with a handful of freelance work. Paradigm Studios salaried director Tim Moran contacted me (and Artificial Ink Creative) to lead a single day of production for a short film on their YouTube channel.
Two mechanics attempt to scam a woman out of $2,500. Taking advantage of her ignorance, they set up a scheme to make sure she cannot leave without paying. As it turns out, their intimidation tactics fell on the wrong person…
Once we completed the day, we handed off the footage to Paradigm Studios for completion in post-production. The working title was “Dashboard Fireworks” but the upload had a slightly more clickbait title— “Car Mechanic Bullies the Wrong Woman”— but such is the way of these things sometimes.
It sounds like you blew up a car.
I promise, nothing caught on fire. Check out the completed short below.
As the 1st Assistant Director, I had full control over a $5,000 budget where I was able to employ a stellar cast and crew full of actors and filmmakers. It felt like a full circle moment for me regarding my time as a filmmaker in Asheville, and I’m so grateful to Paradigm Studios for the trust and opportunity.
Elsewhere, all along the Watchtower Database, Dr. ManHatTed is no more. He was 50% Man, 50% Hat, and 50% Ted. I felt a sort of kinship with at least a fraction of the fellow, being 100% Ted myself. I think that’s how math works.
Who was this guy?
Oh, well, Dr. ManHatTed was a cosmic being who was obsessed with continuity errors in the DC Animated Universe. He featured prominently in the Watchtower Database’s epic hour-long storyline finale video BATMAN & HARLEY QUINN: WILL IT CANON? ManHatTed set into motion the inciting incident that places the 2017 animated movie on trial to determine whether it truly connects with the original BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES.
Well, does it?
Watch to see for yourself. We put a lot of work into it. I flew to Oregon for the production where we shot the sequence in an old Masonic temple. I wrote more about that in Drop #4 if you feel like scrounging around the archives.
Maybe later.
That’s your call.
The death of Dr. ManHatTed leads directly into the next thing: ZETA MONTH! The Watchtower Database is releasing a month’s worth of videos covering THE ZETA PROJECT cartoon, and yours truly hosts three of them.
But didn’t they kill you off?
That was the dark top hat version of me, not regular me. You gotta keep up. I’ll be sure to share my Zeta videos in the next post of Artificial Ink Drops.
While tangentially near the DC Universe, I was also recently a guest on the DCAU Review podcast, hosted by Cal and Liam. The fellas decided to revisit the early episodes of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES for its 30th anniversary, and the fact that the podcast had come a long way since they initially reviewed those episodes. I joined DCAU Review particularly for episode #230 where we discussed “The Last Laugh,” one the Joker’s first appearances, which included the notoriously infamous Captain Clown.
I should also take the moment to reflect on the passing of Kevin Conroy, the voice actor behind Batman in the aforementioned animated series. His recent death on November 10th hit me pretty hard, as it did the rest of my collaborators at the Watchtower Database. James Strecker curated a playlist for “Remembering Kevin.” Conroy’s career was incredibly meaningful as we created video essays that frequently covered his expansive work. He was our Batman, the most compassionate version, and he will be greatly missed.
I am vengeance! I am—
—just a disembodied voice in my newsletter, so give it a rest, would ya?
In early November, I was brought on set for a TRAVEL + LEISURE magazine shoot to assist as production coordinator, and provide insight into their plans from a local logistical perspective. I also helped the team identify a certain zoom lens for their camera, and brought on an additional Production Assistant, my friend and frequent collaborator Rome Widenhouse.
The rest of the crew was made up of filmmakers from Brother, a production company out of Portland, Oregon. We essentially followed them around town from the Applewood Manor, to the River Arts District, and then to Highland Brewing, as they shot several quick scenes with Katie Button, the 2022 James Beard award-winning chef and owner of Cúrate Tapas Bar.
Katie Button cooks over a coal fire at Applewood Manor.
I also completed the poster for my upcoming sci-fi comedy short film 4SIGHT which stars Alisha Hawthorne with narration from Susan Eisenberg, famously known as the voice of Wonder Woman! It was a lot of fun to reunite with Alisha to capture the photos for the poster, which I put together and designed over the month of September. The poster will look even better with a bunch of film festival laurels plastered all around it, but we’re not there quite yet.
The film itself is still undergoing post-production. My brother Joe Kendrick just composed original music, but we’re pausing briefly to recut elements in the first scene, then all that remains is the sound mix and color correction.
Not too much left.
It’s not! But at the same time, it kinda is. When you don’t have much money, these things tend to move forward a little more slowly to still do it right.
In other news, Aaron Fields, an artist and painter in the Asheville area, released his video “Daily Commute” and credited Artificial Ink Creative for some help, though it was pretty minor assistance, to be fair. All the same, the big and bold credit is much appreciated. Check out the video below, and learn more about Aaron’s artwork from his recent feature article on Asheville Made.
I also attended this year’s Cat Fly or Die Halloween Film Festival in October, though I didn’t have any horror work to screen. However, I did provide early notes on the short LOVESTRUCK that played Friday evening, written and directed by Zach Echols, and starring Daniel Henry, both friends of mine who are making big moves out of Atlanta now with Trash Mouth Productions.
An update from last time: I completed the feature film treatment, pitched it to the client, and now green-lit to move ahead on the full screenplay! I’ve yet to dive-in and focus on the next pages, but will surely be a priority next year. I’m excited to have negotiated a reasonable rate for the work, which is honestly the job I’ve always ever wanted. I need to remind my procrastination of that.
Somehow, I also completed a 16-page essay for writer Michael Julian whose upcoming book is not just about the cosmology and history of the DC Universe, but across several notable works of fiction, like the Marvel Universe and “Chronicles of Narnia,” and even the nature of our own reality, rooted in concepts from Jewish Kabbalah and Buddhist voidism. I find it all to be fascinating, and was flattered to be asked for my opinions, all because of the cosmology included on the very first page of the LEGACIES webcomic.
My current writing slate prioritizes a Christmas video for the Watchtower Database that is tangentially focused on Harley Quinn as a vehicle to discuss Paul Dini’s JINGLE BELLE , and the misadventures of Santa Claus’ daughter. Here’s hoping I can meet the deadline rather than hold for the 2023 holidays!
I also followed the writing community from its Twitter exodus over to Hive Social. I’ve always felt as if social media is a necessary evil that I try to use sparingly and intentionally. Maybe this one will be different. I don’t know yet, but if you feel inclined to follow me there, my username is tedkendrick.
Whatcha watching these days?
I caught “Black Adam” at the theater. It was fine, predictable, but always simply fun for me to see live action depictions of my favorite comic book characters like Dr. Fate and Hawkman, so I’m there for that thrill alone.
As a more intellectual recommendation, “The Eyes of Orson Welles” was a 2018 documentary by Mark Cousins that recently spoke powerfully to me, not just in the artistic methods used by the famous film director to frame the screen, but how he forged his morality, and developed his understanding of the human experience. Welles and I both spent our early 20s in Galway, Ireland where we noted the same archaic but comfortable simplicity. Nothing was rushed. No one seemed too self-important. I hope to return some day.
Welles referred to Galway, among other parts of the world, as little Gardens of Eden, though like the Bible, paradises never last forever. The impossibility of eternity may be the only promise. Everywhere in the world is guaranteed to change over time, like the Ship of Theseus, eventually the same as itself in name only, and ultimately not even that remains. Ignore the paradox. I feel the same about Asheville, North Carolina, where I lived over the last twelve years. I move away at the end of the month, which feels so bittersweet.
Back to Birmingham, Alabama for me, where I grew up and spent my childhood. I’ve been called back to the Magic City to explore a romantic relationship that has been long-distance for long enough. I’m reminded of the song “Adventures In Your Own Backyard” by Patrick Watson as I prepare for new adventures in what feels like my backyard: Birmingham, the city of my youth, which I now have the privilege to meet again in my adulthood.
Arrivederci! That is Italian for “until we meet again.”
Expect at least one more update before the year is out on both ZETA MONTH and HIKE IT UP, an outdoors comedy webseries! Four promo videos are finished, and I will share them here as they also venture out to raise a budget.
That’s all I got for you today. Thanks for reading if you’ve gotten this far, and wish me luck as the rest of my busy year falls into place. Change is in the air, and it’s refreshing. Just trying to breathe it all in and out, once at a time.
