Welcome back to the “Artificial Ink Drops” newsletter! This is post #6, so you know by now that you’re in for updates on all things creative by Ted Kendrick.
Hurry up and take my money.
I may play with some subscription options for special releases here in the future, like a weekly webcomic, but this newsletter is totally free to read.
That seems like your problem.
It may not mesh very well with capitalism, but you can always donate on Venmo. I suggest $6 to cover the six newsletters that you‘ve received so far.
You are shameless.
Hey, c’mon now. That’s just how the hustle works. This is the creative grind in visual action. Blame the game, not the player, or whatever the saying.
Let’s just talk creative stuff.
Creative work is no mean feat, and yes, I will keep using that double entendre as long as it’s applicable. The NO MEAN FEET short film, produced with my brother Joe Kendrick, enjoyed its film festival premiere at Festival Angaelica in December, and pending acceptance at a handful of other potential festival screenings, with plans underway to also play at Bigfoot focused conferences.
The short will premiere online on YouTube on February 4th, 2022 at 4pm ET, along with the official soundtrack the same day, available to listen on Spotify and Apple Music. Be sure to follow the embedded link below, and hit the reminder bell to catch the premiere if you want to watch it drop live with me.
Elsewhere on the 4SIGHT front, we are very close to having a first cut of the short film. My frequent collaborator Rome Widenhouse is overseeing the edit, who also served on set as the 1st Assistant Director, and provided voiceover narration for the 4SIGHT Augmented Augur. Sam Zeilender, the Director of Photography, included some footage from 4SIGHT in his reel, and is already involved in the color correction process. The edit has come together slowly and deliberately, but I’m still very excited to finish and share the piece.
At the start of January, I attempted to harness that New Years energy that inspires new projects, while navigating the landmines of potential offers that may be insincere or ill-conceived. December was spent with some debilitating shoulder pain (solved by a new chiropractor), and early January in quarantine after a bout with the Omicron variant, so you could say I am overdue for good luck and positivity, all the while attempting to honor my resolution which is, per every year, to drink more water. It’s realistic and achievable. I’ve got this.
If you can keep up a newsletter, you can do anything.
I really appreciate the optimism. Sincerely. Thank you.
A few years ago, I participated in a screenwriting class taught by Andrew Shearer where each student wrote a feature film. I only got as far as 30 pages into my concept at the time, since I was balancing work at Social Construct Films by day and food delivery at night. However, I recently resurrected the concept to write the 16-page proof of concept script RAPID RETREAT, a potential whitewater horror film where a group travels by canoe, kayak and raft along a river in a futile attempt to escape the reach of an alien invasion.
I shared the script with several friends and colleagues who all claimed to be impressed by the originality and considered it a real page turner. Feel free to email me directly to request the script if you are interested in reading as well.
But I want something with printed pages.
Well, you’re in luck. Adam Mullen and I curated several short stories for a sci-fi comic book anthology we’re collaborating on together entitled JOLT! One of my shorts “Dance on the Razor’s Edge” is currently being illustrated by Joe Rivera, who previously provided the artwork for the NO MEAN FEET film poster. The six page story is about an expedition to the border that surrounds the universe, and mankind’s hubris when they decide to breach it. Check out the initial designs below for the lead character of Commander Vanga.
The LOST DOMINION space western comic series written by Adam Mullen recently ran a successful crowdfunding campaign that financed the first three issues of TALES OF THE LOST DOMINION, a separate spinoff anthology series which explores different characters and eras that were only hinted at so far in the main series. I recently completed the lettering for TALES #1.
I also wrote a little six page story on DeMarco, an outlaw woman who wears a skull bandana, and bears multiple tragedies and heartbreak. Not sure what if anything will happen with the short yet, but I pitched it to Adam, so we’ll see!
We always do, don’t we?
True. I believe that I’ve finalized my poetry chapbook design. I created some actual ink splatter with an ink jar and an old credit card, and used Photoshop to interpose the splatter on top of scanned printed pages to give the design a xeroxed zine effect. Waiting on feedback from a few more folks before I send it off to the printer and try to sell it for $7, as either a digital download and in print in some local stores with shipping options available. Check out the cover design, the table of contents and a few poems in the post below.
If you were wondering where the “Chronicles” title of the newsletter comes from, look no further. “Anno Domini: Chronicles” was the full title for issue #11 of the LEGACIES OF THE DCAU webcomic that I write for the Watchtower Database. I wrote the script at least three years ago as part of our “Anno Domini” story arc set in the DC Animated Universe’s timeline smack dab in the middle of the present day and BATMAN BEYOND future. The story was crafted by a directive from James Strecker. He really wanted to show a funeral for Gotham City police commissioner Jim Gordon, and I believe we sent him off in style, with an excerpt of his book “The Batman Chronicles.”
Oh cool. I thought the webcomic was dead.
Heroes get remembered, but Legends never die…and neither do Legacies. We actually almost titled the webcomic as LEGENDS OF THE DCAU, but shifted after The CW launched their show LEGENDS OF TOMORROW. Funny enough, they later greenlit a show called LEGACIES, but honestly, the title of the webcomic had nothing to do with The CW or its content. It was meant only as an allusion to the 90s DC Comics series LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE.
What else is all along the Watchtower?
We completed our collective coverage on BATMAN: THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE and JUSTICE LEAGUE INFINITY comic series based off their respective animated series. The monthly play-by-play reviews for both series proved to be a bit much, so we’ll continue these reviews in our upcoming podcast relaunch instead. James recently dropped an update video to share the changes coming to the YouTube channel, but the more things change, the more things stay the same. While we’re sorta on the subject of JLI, check out my chat over a beer with colorist Nick Filardi about his work on the series!
Although I’m not yet sure what the following release order will actually be, I am currently working on several scripts for upcoming video essays: “Casting Call” reflections on voice actors Clancy Brown and Tara Strong, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES’ influence on Christoper Nolan’s THE DARK KNIGHT film trilogy, how the Christoper Reeves movies influenced SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, Christmas coverage on Paul Dini’s JINGLE BELLE, and something about a batch of WORLD’S FINEST comic books from 1983. Expect to see the fruits of all these topics throughout the 2022 calendar year.
Those are interesting topics, I guess.
And of course, I’ve continued my mostly weekly video game livestreams. I just completed SUPERMAN: SHADOW OF APOKOLIPS for the PlayStation 2 a few days ago, as of the release of this newsletter. Although I stream directly to the Watchtower Database on usually Tuesdays, you can rewatch the archives on The Podtower YouTube channel, along with comic reviews, book clubs, and several other related podcasts such as DCAU Review and Timm Talk.
Whatcha got in the realm of recommendations?
Honestly, I’ve been pretty hyped for Matt Reeves’ upcoming reinvention of THE BATMAN. It’s obviously no secret that I usually have Batman on the brain, but in anticipation of the new film, I read that Reeves was heavily inspired by Warner Bros.’ 1971 crime drama KLUTE with Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland, so I gave that a watch. Their chemistry was undeniable with Fonda as an escort and Sutherland a private detective, and easy to see how their relationship might be reflected by the Bat and Cat. I loved the stark noir cinematography from Gordon Willis, who also shot THE GODFATHER trilogy with Francis Ford Coppola. I can already see from the trailers how THE BATMAN borrows techniques from KLUTE, so if you’re into that kinda aesthetic, shell out the cash and rent KLUTE wherever you rent movies.
In the book realm, I read BATMAN: THE IMPOSTER by Mattson Tomlin with art by Andrea Sorrentino. Tomlin also wrote the screenplay for Reeves’ THE BATMAN feature film, so I went into the three issue limited series curious if it shared a continuity with the film. Right now, that remains to be seen, but what I enjoyed most about the book was its focus on the relationship between Bruce Wayne and his therapist Leslie Thompkins, who blackmails Batman into visiting her clinic every morning at dawn to talk about his nightly exploits, or else she threatens to reveal his identity to the police, all while Bruce is convinced that an imposter Batman is running around the streets, killing people, and ruining the vigilante’s reputation. Being a part of DC’s Black Label brand basically means the book is non-rated with leverage to do whatever it wants in terms of content, so it stands on its own in a darker space.
Lastly, I’ll leave you with a little more darkness in the song “Devil n Me” by Taylor Hollingsworth, a staple songwriter of the Birmingham, Alabama indie music scene, who was someone I saw play many times when I grew up there in the late aughts, and try to catch whenever I visit. This particular song has a pounding punk folk beat that makes you drive a little faster than the speed limit, and celebrate the feeling that you might be getting up to no good.
On that note, so long.
Until next time, likely in a month and half’s time if I remain as consistent and true to form. At this point, I don’t see why I wouldn’t be anything else, right?