Dyn-A-Mic Tales

     Do you consider yourself to be a fan of comic books? If so, are you familiar with Dyn-A-Mic Tales? If your comic book tastes harken back to the good old days where stories were important and heroes were actually good people, you should check us out! Why is that, you ask? Dyn-A-Mic Tales stars super-heroes: Dark Thunder and Red Web. The creators (James E. Babcock and Rich Konkle) weave intricately detailed stories involving characters with depth and fleshed out back stories. The humor is intelligent and quirky, and the characters are believeable and relatable.

     In Rich's own words: "(Dyn-A-Mic Tales) is a double feature because (James has) a backlog of characters and concepts to try out...and this puts them in print twice as fast. In this issue, we have a goofy, super-hero satire ("Dark Thunder") paired with a mysterious, mythical "goddess" ("Red Web"). I can attest that James has other crime-fighting, sci-fi, and espionage characters waiting in the wings. Whatever shows up in future issues, though, the one common denominator will be costumes and super-powers. James is "old school" that way." - Rich Konkle

     In James's own words: "Dark Thunder is an overly-muscled, square-jawed caricature...a beloved, big jerk of a super-hero who was unknowingly cursed with an alter ego...which caused him to frequently morph into a nervous, bumbling little peon called "Norman"! Think "Superman becomes Mr. Magoo"! Of course these two nut jobs can't stand each other, and only want to return to their "normal" existence.

     "Red Web" is a more recent creation. My first attempt actually looked like a very young Spider-Man, but with a HUGE amount of hair trailing behind her. I quietly thought this looks stupid, since she'd be constantly tripping over it to get to the bad guys! So then I thought, "Why not add a webbing look to it, and make it an actual SUPER-POWER?" The webbed "hair" would be red...and out of NOWHERE I uttered her name for the first time: "RED WEB"!

     "So there you have it. "Dyn-A-Mic Tales" is meant to be a creative incubator: a place to try out those unused heroes and heroines still crammed inside my filing cabinet...give them life...and see if they grow! ...And once they've had their day in the sun, it'll be time for two other lonely, unused characters to finally make their premiere! Should be fun!" - James E. Babcock

     If you love well made comic books, this is THE ONE to get on board with! To find out more about Dyn-A-Mic Tales, go to Dyn-A-Mic Tales.

Lilcactibabe

     This is an art website by my friend Jasmine Upton. I had the privilege of working with her at Nightfall at Old Tucson. She is a dedicated scarer, but I also recently found out that she's an amazing artist as well. Here is what she has to say about her website.

     I make connections with mother nature and the human body because they're both very beautiful. I've been doing art since I was about 15, and now I run my own shop as an 18-year-old Tucson artist. I want my art to influence people to be unique and to be themselves because the world needs individuality and creativity. Some of the money I make off of it goes to breast cancer foundations, and also toward saving local pollinators (bees). My site is also really neat because it's for all artists to get their stuff out. Redbubble is an amazing site for small artists and they are high quality producers. I really love them, and I love that they're here for the artists!

     You can find her art at: Lilcactibabe  I hope that you find her art as beautiful as I do. As a matter of fact, I'm always looking for local talent to commission book covers. I will be asking Jasmine to paint a unique cover for one of my upcoming books. Please check out her site!

Ravenhearse

      I recently started working at a local haunted attraction called Ravenhearse. It is one of the only haunted attractions in the United States that is open year-round. It's a unique haunted experience because we offer different tours that are designed to accomodate all ages and different scare levels. The Green Tour is designed for children of any age. There are no scares at all. It's fun and educational. It is also designed to accomodate children with special needs. The Yellow Tour is for children who are 7 years or older. The tour takes place in the dark. There are no scares. The Red Tour is not recommended for children under the age of 12. This tour also takes place in the dark. There is disturbing content and it is terrifying. Finally, there is the Dark Tour that is for children 12 years or older. Fact is stranger than fiction. It is a guided tour of the haunt, in the dark, which focuses on the haunted artifacts that we have. There is disturbing content.

     The haunt is open from 6pm to 9pm on Thursdays, and 5pm to 10pm Friday through Sunday. We are closed Monday through Wednesday. Admission costs $5 per person, or two wooden nickels, or a Trail Dust Town attractions wristband, which is good for one visit to the haunt. Children under 3 get in for free. We are located in Trail Dust Town, located at 6541 E. Tanque Verde Rd. Suite 27, Tucson, Arizona 85715. For more information, you can contact us at (520) 370-5472. You can also look us up on Facebook and Twitter. Our website is Ravenhearse website. Come on over for a ghoulishly fun time!

     Here is a music video for the song, Not As Wicked As You, by the band, Mission Creeps. Not As Wicked As You. It was created by H. Barragan Jr. at Red Bennie Digital. It features James Arr, Miss Frankie Stein, George Palenzuela, Greivsley RavenHearse, and crew. It was filmed on location at Trail Dust Town in Tucson, Arizona in September 2016.

Klagger

Have you seen the short horror film KLAGGER? If you haven't and still consider yourself a TRUE independent horror fan, YOU SHOULD! Why is that, you ask? KLAGGER screened at dozens of film festivals and conventions throughout the US and Europe for three solid years. The filmmakers (Casey & Gene Crow) are now expanding the short film into a 90 minute feature, prompted by an ever-growing outpour of fan enthusiasm.

KLAGGER is a grungy, industrial horror film about a man named Joseph Klagger who was killed in a factory explosion back in the 1970's. His body was physically destroyed in a way that made recovery an impossible task. As a result, the factory was closed down, leaving KLAGGER's remains entombed there for decades. In the feature film version of KLAGGER, a demolition team arrives to implode the old building with explosives and awakens Joseph's spirit from the dead! KLAGGER will be a serious, action-packed horror movie like NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN crossed with NEAR DARK. Rural, dramatically intense, and bloody as hell!

So far, Casey and Gene have received tremendous support from the horror community by launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund KLAGGER into feature film territory. The campaign has achieved 60% of its funding goal currently. "Horror fans are a die-hard group of people," says Casey Crow, the film's director. "We wouldn't have this level of success without their support. It's greatly appreciated!"

If you love well-made horror films, this is THE ONE to get on board with! To find out more on how you can become part of the KLAGGER project, hit up Joseph Klagger on Facebook (yes, he has a Facebook page) OR go directly to the Kickstarter campaign Klagger Kickstarter and join The Crow Brothers in making a cool horror movie!

It Can't Rain All The Time: An Interview With Actress Rochelle Davis

     Actress Rochelle Davis is an amazingly deep, loving, and compassionate person. I've had the privelege of having several conversations with her over the past few years. You would know her as Sarah from the movie, The Crow with Brandon Lee, son of the late Bruce Lee. As you may know, Brandon was accidentally fatally shot on set while filming a scene. What you might not know is that this unfortunate tragedy resulted in Rochelle dropping out of acting. She has recently striven to get back into acting. Also, she is writing a book about her experiences, titled It Can't Rain All The Time. That is a quote from The Crow, and one of the most powerful messages from the film. I had the honor of being granted an interview with Rochelle recently.

     Me: At what point did you reach rock bottom and realize that you wanted to get back toward starting up your acting career again?
     Rochelle: When my ex-husband coded on my living room floor. I felt like the universe was telling me that I was wasting my time not doing what I love to do.

     Me: Were you allowed to keep anything from The Crow?
     Rochelle: Many things, but I have few left.

     Me: How was school life for you?
     Rochelle: Pretty terrible. Kids were cruel.

     Me: What were you doing when you found out that Brandon had been shot?
     Rochelle: I was in my dressing room waiting for them to locate a harness for my next shot.

     Me: What measures did you take to find yourself again?
     Rochelle: I looked inward at myself, spent a lot of time alone and learned who I was in the core.

     Me: Was there anything or anyone in particular that motivated you?
     Rochelle: Lots of things that motivate me. My son mostly.

     Me: How did you get into pet rats?
     Rochelle: My brother forced his on me and I fell in love.

     Me: Are there any upcoming conventions that you're excited about?
     Rochelle: All of them. Scares That Care in Virginia, the Palm Springs comic book convention, and the Days of the Dead in Indianapolis.

     Me: Do you have any acting gigs lined up?
     Rochelle: Mayyyybe.

     Me: What inspired you to write your book?
     Rochelle: My son.

     I certainly hope her the best of luck in finding some solid roles to portray cinematically. She is a dear, sweet friend of mine and I am blessed to know her. I look forward to reading her book when it comes out. I'd also love to see her at a convention some time. My dream would be to work with her on a movie project. Love and hugs always.

Sleight by Sloane Kady

Author bio:

     "Sloane Kady is the best-selling author of two novels and several short stories. You can find her debut novel and suspense thriller, Irreparable Deeds, on Amazon, along with several anthologies featuring her short psychological horror stories. Her most recent novel, Sleight (an edgy literary fiction novel), is out now. Currently, Sloane is working on her third book."

Back cover blurb:

     How is love measured? By how much you're willing to bleed for another person? Do they show you one of those pain-rating scales and ask how much your relationship hurts? Point to the most anguished face and win a prize.
Congratulations!
You must truly be loved. At what point is it more humane to just rip each other's hearts out instead of cutting each other open with sharp words and lies?
If love is measured in scars and sacrifices, I win. "Your dad's been in an accident, Bryce." "You're all he has, Bryce." "Do the right thing, Bryce." And I do, because I'm reluctantly good, even though my father only knows how to make me bleed. I leave the bright colors of Seattle for my father's stagnant world and his decaying mind. He doesn't want me around, but he needs my memories. I don't want to be around, but maybe I need closure before the cloaked man takes him away forever, just like my mother and brother. Only thing is, I never learned to be careful what I asked for, and when I tear down the wall separating my father and me and find that everything I knew about him was a facade concealing unimaginable truths, forgiveness will come easy, but rectification might cost me everything.