tiny sad robot

Blair on Twitter...

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:59:53 -0700

Hey, you know how I never post on this blog? I've fixed that -- sort of. I'm now on Twitter.
Come visit at www.twitter.com/theblairbutler. Thanks!

New Fresh Inks...

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 18:45:24 -0700

Hey, everyone. I know I update this blog, like, once a decade, but keep an eye out for some new Fresh Inks coming your way in the next few months on Attack of the Show. Slightly new format, with an awesomely geeky new graphics open by our talented AOTS Graphics guy and some very talented artists.

Thanks, and have a happy week.

- Blair

Zombie show online!

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:50:41 -0700

Shot this Zombie pilot in 2 days over the summer for VH1/51 Minds. Couldn't have worked with a better bunch of people. It made my year.

Please check it out:

http://www.vh1.com/video/play.jhtml?id=1597759&vid=292599

Parts 1 - 5 are Online -- catch 'em while they're still up!

I know, I know...

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:28:39 -0700

Yes, I am a terrible blogger. I rarely post. For this, I am sorry. I do, however, have a few decent excuses (and for all of them -- except the Comic-Con SARS -- I am grateful).

Below: Why I have been so damn busy (in random order):

Covered the Cannes Film Festival for G4. Ate crepes on Le Souquet. Did not sleep for 4 days.
Wrote and Directed a zombie project, TBA.
Went to Tokyo. Saw amazing, Japanese toilets FROM THE FUTURE. (Hint: They play music and spray things.)
Had a Tarantula poop a web on my hand.
Lost my dignity while wearing a Mo-cap suit covered with ping-pong balls for the Incredible Hulk DVD release.
Went to two weddings (both were lovely).
Worked on an animated pilot (TBA).
Got to visit Stan Winston studios and totally touched the Mark II Iron Man suit and the Iron Monger. I would so wear them.
Saw 25 minutes of Watchmen. The opening credits gave me chills.
Went to Comic-Con and met Ed Brubaker and Chuck BB.
Ate about 12 cupcakes.
Read a ton of comics (Local, Joker, American Widow, etc.)
Got Comic-Con SARS and was out of it for two weeks.
Watched a tank of fake vomit explode on the AOTS set.
Watched a blender full of McDonald's dollar menu items get dropped on Kevin.
Shot many podcasts for G4.
Interviewed Kevin Smith, Mark Millar, and Tony Harris for Geek Out on G4tv.com
Made many comic runs to the Apple with the other Blair (a.k.a. X-Play's "Man-Blair")
Went to Vegas to tape the Comic-Con Pre-Show at the Star Trek Experience, may it Rest In Peace (I hope the Klingons have found subsequent employment).
Learned how to play Roulette thanks to Chris Gore.
Talked Fallout 3 with Morgan.
Finally cut my hair.
Slimmed down my comic book collection (the short boxes had taken over).
Bought some very cool Crazy 4 Cult and Stan Lee: Under the Influence art.

And some other stuff I forgot.

Sorry. It's been crazypants.

PS3, I'm yours...until I run out of games. Like, tomorrow.

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:37:28 -0700

So, I finally bought the PS3 (thank you MGS4 bundle), and so far I've cranked through Heavenly Sword (super short, nice story, ridiculously difficult final boss battle), and am close to the end of Uncharted, which, holy crap, is a shockingly good game. The cut scenes blend so seamlessly into the actual gameplay that half the time I forget to play the damn thing. And lordy, it's pretty. If you have a PS3, HD, like Raiders of the Lost Ark, and own an HDMI cable, run out and get Uncharted already. It's gorgeous. Anyway, up next I'll be working my way through Metal Gear Solid 4 and then......uh....yeah. I guess there's....Ratchet and Clank. And, uh, I can replay God of War. And God of War 2. And wait for Killzone 2. So....yeah, Sony, the console is awesome -- could you just make some more solid exclusives, plz? See, if it's going to be multiplatform, I'm going to buy it for the 360, so I can awkwardly attempt to inflate my gamerscore. So, more exclusives, plz. That's all I ask. 'Cause y'all make a damn fine console.
K thanx bai.

PS - And, by the way, lest anyone accuse me of being a Microsoft fangirl, my damn 360 has red-ringed THREE times. THREE. That's totally uncool.

PPS - However, when you have exclusives like Gears, Dead Rising, and Halo, (plus Bioshock for the first year) it does help ease the pain. (I'm not counting PC and Wii versions of those games, since the Wii graphics are limited and high-end PC is outta my price range).

I'm in Comic Foundry Magazine - On shelves now!

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 21:31:32 -0700

Whoot! New issue of Comic Foundry is on shelves now. All your questions will be answered!

Army of Two

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 14:16:25 -0700

Oh dear. I love playing co-op on Army of Two. I know there are massive chunks of the campaign missing (like, oh, 2 or 3 levels -- and EA better put 'em on XBL for cheap download) but it's still super fun. Steve from the web-team and I have been slogging through the co-op campaign and giggling at the ragdoll physics. I also enjoy upgrading weapons and looking for silver suitcases. You've gotta love a game that cheerfully asks you if you'd like to "Go Mid-Mission Shopping?" Yes. Yes I would. Goodtimes.

FAQ - Part one

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:41:51 -0700

FAQ – Part One – Mostly Comics

Q: Why don’t you answer your myspace messages?

I know it’s a crappy excuse, but I’m really, truly swamped with work. I promise, that’s a good thing, b/c it means I’m usually working on cool stuff for Fresh Ink, Geek Out, AOTS, Geek Monthly Magazine, or a few side projects that I can tell you about…one of these days.

Q: What ongoing comics are you reading right now?

A: The Sword, The Killer, The Walking Dead, Pax Romana, Green Lantern, Astonishing X-Men, Planetary (when the damn thing comes out), Locke & Key, Optic Nerve, Local, Northlanders, Queen & Country (trades), Catwoman, Crime Bible, Star Wars: Dark Times, All Star Superman, The Order, The Twelve, Ex Machina, Y, Criminal, Black Summer, Wolfskin, The Infinite Horizon, Thunderbolts, The Goon, Umbrella Academy, Action Comics (Geoff Johns/Gary Frank arc), Daredevil, Powers, Buffy Season 8, Runaways, Jonah Hex, Scalped, Wonder Woman (Gail Simone arc), Kick Ass, Resurrection, JSA, Almighty, Echo, and a bunch of other books that I’m completely blanking on. Basically, the above comics are the ones I buy no matter what. Everything else I pick up from time to time (Conan, Hack/Slash, etc.). For every book listed here, there are two I’m forgetting.

Q: Why do you sometimes mispronounce creators’ names? Seriously, how can you get Mark Millar wrong?

A: Yeah, basically, I’m terrible at guessing how people’s names are pronounced. Mark Millar, Bill Sienkiewicz, Rick Remender, Jim Steranko, Adrian Tomine – I’ve massacred all their names. Sometimes to their faces. Unless your name is extra easy, like Joss Whedon, Warren Ellis, Amanda Conner, or Dan Slott, I’m gonna bungle it. For this, I apologize in advance.

Q: I’m a creator -- how can I get my comic on the show or podcast?

A: Sadly, I don’t get a chance to read or check out everything on the market. The truth is that I buy 90% of my comics with my own cashola, so I can’t pick up every book on the shelf. However, I often check out a ton of new floppies/trades each week – and – to be honest – if I’m not that into it, I probably won’t mention it on the show. I know how hard it is to get a book onto the market, and there’s little point in me slamming someone’s blood, sweat, and tears if I’m not feeling it. Another likely scenario is that I just haven’t had the chance to read it yet. I honestly have a read pile that’s the size of an overturned long-box, so I’m a little behind.

Q: What happened to the Buy, Browse, or Burn rating system?

While “Buy” and “Browse” are pretty decent, I was always sort of morally opposed to the “Burn” category. I don’t think you should actually burn ANY books, and, honestly, I felt horrible when we did that on the show – I may not have liked the comic, but it’s crappy to flambé someone’s book. I will say that the creator of one of the few books we did give the “Burn” rating to actually talked to me about the criticism and was a total class act about it. My hat is off to him.

Q: How do you decide what you’re going to cover on the show/podcast?

I read a big mess of comics every Wednesday (New Comic Book Day!) and talk about the ones that really stand out.

Q: Why do you mostly cover Trades/Graphic Novels and not floppies (single issues) on Attack of the Show now?

I used to cover single issues on Attack (and I still do – occasionally). The problem was, we’d get a TON of e-mail from viewers who don’t live near a decent comic book store. So now I tend to cover stuff on Attack of the Show that people can easily track down using Amazon or any other online service. That way, the guy in Alaska who likes my review of Whiteout or Exit Wounds can actually buy the comic.

On the plus side, this means I can cover five floppies a week on the Fresh Ink podcast.
You can watch it at: www.g4tv.com/freshink

More to follow…
-blair

MYSPACE shenanigans -- and more!

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:10:44 -0700

So, FYI the legit myspace page is:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=78410483
Accept no imposters.
Also, I am back to the blog. The FAQ will also be up semi-shortly.....(er...you guys know me...might be a few days).

Thanks to everyone I met/saw at Wizard World and Wondercon.

And if you haven't already read it, run out and pick up a copy of Madman Atomic Comics #3 from Image. Yes, it's a few months old, but it's a breathtaking tribute to artists from Chris Ware to Frank Quitely. Worth every penny.
-b

FAKE MYSPACE PAGE - This sucks.

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 16:36:27 -0700

Hey all,

I've been swamped for the past few months and haven't posted. Unfortunately, since then, someone has created a fake myspace page using my name and photos, announcing that it's my NEW myspace page. PLEASE, please, please, remember that I am not posting to myspace, nor am I ON myspace anymore. This kind of identity theft is really depressing. If you have spoken to ANYONE on myspace who claims to be me in the last calendar year, IT ISN'T ME.

The real bummer is that I truly don't have time to respond to e-mails or myspace messages (and for that I apologize) but it's pretty uncool that someone has been pretending to be me.

Thanks, and please steer clear of myspace. People who actually know me can rapidly figure out which page ISN'T actually, but it really worries me that some folks out there may be under the impression that they've been communicating with me when they haven't.

I apologize for all the confusion, but, again, I am not messaging ANYONE via myspace, so if you've heard from someone, it isn't me.

-the "real" blair butler

Best Video Games of 2007...

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:13:06 -0700

Thought I'd do a quick Best of 2007 List for Video Games.

Two quick things:

A.) I don't own a PS3 (yet) so Uncharted isn't on here.
B.) I hate First Person Shooters. Always have. Thought I always would. Then 2007 came along. Which makes this "Best Of" list kind of mind-blowing for me.

Blair's picks for the Best Video Games of 2007

1) Bioshock - Yes, there's no multiplayer. Get over it. This game is perfect. Flawless design, flawless story, plenty of room to pick and choose plasmids. I hope Levine and 2K kiss and make-up, becuase I want a sequel NOW.

2) The Orange Box - The best value of the year. All of Half-Life. Best Villian of 2007 in Portal. Companion cubes. GlaDOS. The end of Episode Two. And the cake is a lie.

3) Call of Duty 4 - Yes, this game looks beautiful. But I was sure the story in the single-player campaign would suck. I was wrong. An awe-inspiring look at military sacrifice. Seriously.

4) HALO 3 - 4 Player Co-op is fun. And it's HALO. 'nuff said.

5) Assassin's Creed - I hated this game for an hour, then loved it for three, then hated it for two, then loved the final hour, up until the last 2 minutes. Which I hated. Deeply, deeply flawed, but running on rooftops is good for the soul. There are breathtaking moments here, if you can deal with long-winded cut-scenes and pretentious plotlines. Still, it's hard to resist GTA Acre.

Hope you enjoy these games as much as I do.

Thanks,

Blair

Post Show says goodbye...

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 01:20:03 -0700

The Heroes Post Show was lovely while it lasted. As you know, the TV season is over during the WGA strike (go writers!), and so is the Post Show. Sadly, Kevin was out for the final episode, but we had four members of the Heroes cast, including James Kyson Lee (Ando), Jimmy Jean-Louis (The Haitian), Dania Ramirez (Maya), and Jack Coleman (H.R.G.) on the show -- plus creator Tim Kring and director Alan Arkush. They were all incredibly nice, and I'm glad I was able to nerd out on Live TV for six weeks. If only there were a Galactica Post Show.....

Anyway, thanks to everyone who tuned in. It was a pleasure, through and through.

BTW - My "Best Comics of 2007" list is on the way.... place your bets...

-blair

PS - Jimmy is so good-looking in real life that I thought one of our make-up ladies was going to faint.

PPS - Sometimes I wonder if I am the "Hank Kingsley" to Kevin's "Larry Sanders"....sigh.

Well, I have no idea how this happened...

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:48:58 -0700

..but I seem to be in a "Ladies of Tech" thing for Askmen.com. Anyway, I'm flattered to be in such good company - Veronica and Jessica are tops, as are all my fellow G4 ladies. If only they knew how bad I was at Assassin's Creed. http://www.askmen.com/toys/top_10_200/235_top_10_list.html

Heroes Post Show is coming Nov. 3rd...

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 20:49:53 -0700

Sad cheerleader needs superpowers...

New Fresh Ink - Style over Substance Edition!

nospam@example.com (blair butler) — Sat, 13 Oct 2007 13:53:04 -0700

In which the word "Boobalicious" is inadvertently used...Click HERE