I need to borrow Superman...

Allright, this is long-ish so bear with me...

Next week is I-Con (the Israeli Sci-Fi, Fanatsy, Comic, Gaming convention, we basically only have one of these so everything get encompassed into one place, it's basically our Comic-Con, Wizard World, E3, etc. sans major announcements).

Every year they bring one "Guest of Honor" to the convention. Last year came Gabriel something-or-other, so not very impressive (though, they did manage to snag Orson Scott Card a couple years back, but I'm not a fan...).

Anyways rumors have been circulating as to who will come this year, and several weeks back it was confirmed - Neil Gaiman is coming. Joyness abound, as Neil is my favorite living author (Douglas Adams is my all-time favorite). So naturally, I would've sold my soul to get anywhere Neil will be (the Guest of Honor at the Con usually gives a lecture or two at the Con). So it was announced that Neil will be giving 3 "lectures". One about Dreams (the "theme" of the Con), one will be a Q&A and the last will be him reading from his own work. I got tickets for the first two (can't go to the last one due to previous obligations) early on and grinned to myself.

Then over the weekend I find about a fourth, previously unpublished activity featuring Gaiman. A writing workshop. Yep. Neil Gaiman is giving a writing workshop here in Israel. So I'm sitting on nails the entire weekend and all of today (the ticket-order center opens at 4 pm). Come 4:01, I get on the phone for 1 and half hours, straight. I can't get through. Naturally, I'm getting more and more pissed. And then It's time to call it a day and go home. 1 wasted hour of commuting. I get home and still can't get through. At 6:45 I finally manage to get through and..... no tickets left.

This sucks.

So if anyone's got Superman's number, I need to turn back time...

A Recommendation

Go check it out... Awsome Storm Justice 41

Solitary

The following piece is a short, 5-page comic script I wrote for a Writing Contest on PencilJack.
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Solitary
By Itai Rosenbaum
08.08.06



A Note: Throughout the piece I will use a lot of dialogue for which there is no speaker. It should be just a balloon floating mid-panel, with no tail. Maybe color it in some way to emphasize that whoever is saying these things is not in the room, like making them semi-transparent, or something like that. I will signify these balloons using VOICE as the speaker.

Page 1

Panel 1 - Large. Overhead shot of the inside of a prison cell. It is a solitary confinement cell, so there are no bars, just a solid, bolted iron door. The walls are poured concrete, flat, and lifeless. The only thing in the cell is a small iron bed, bolted to the wall. In the bed lies ZACHARY IRONS. ZACK is in his late twenties, and fit. He is sleeping.

CAP: THEY PUT YOU IN SOLITARY SO YOU CRACK.

Panel 2 - Close Up on ZACK’s face. He’s still sleeping, and has a calm expression across his face, enjoying the dream he is dreaming.

CAP: SO YOU BREAK DOWN.

Panel 3 - Extreme-Close up on ZACK’s eye. It is wide open. He’s got icy blue eyes, and it’s got a far-away, distant look.

CAP: 33 DAYS.

VOICE: IN THE CASE OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS AGAINST ZACHARY IRONS, WE THE JURY FIND THE DEFENDANT...

VOICE: GUILTY.

Page 2

Panel 1 - Medium shot of ZACK, sitting on the edge of his bed. He’s got his arms on his knees, head hanging down. He wears a wife-beater and a pair of blue, standard-issue prisoner trousers.

CAP: I BEAT TWO CONS IN THE YARD.

Panel 2 - ZACK stands up, and stretches.

CAP: WARDEN GAVE ME TWO MONTHS IN SOLITARY. THINKING BACK, A THIRD MONTH MAY HAVE BEEN WORTH IT.

VOICE: ZACHARY IRONS, I HEREBY FIND YOU GUILTY IN THE CHARGES OF THE MURDER OF ALICE AND JACK RAYS AND THE ASSAULT OF OFFICER JOHNATHAN BARREN, AND SENTENCE YOU TO A LIFE SENTENCE TO BE SERVED IN GRAHAM CORRECTIONAL FACILITY...

Panel 3 - ZACK lies on the floor of his cell, doing push-ups.

CAP: HEH, I CAN DO THIS. THIS IS EASY. 33 DAYS.

Panel 4 - ZACK is now doing crunches, exhaling deeply as he rises up from the floor.

CAP: JUST GOTTA KEEP OCCUPIED. KEEP MYSELF BUSY.

Panel 5 - ZACK is spread out on the floor, arms stretched over his head, toes stretched in the other direction, cooling down from his exercise. Beads of sweat have formed on his arms and face, and sweat-stains can be seen on his shirt.

VOICE: ...STANDING OUTSIDE THE COURTROOM WHERE ZACK IRONS HAS JUST BEEN CONVICTED OF MURDERING HIS SISTER, ALICE RAYS, AND HER HUSBAND.

VOICE (connected): REPORTS FROM THE HOSPITAL WHERE JOHNTHAN BARREN, THE POLICE OFFICER WHO ARRIVED AT THE SCENE, IS BEING HELD CLAIM THAT HE IS STILL IN INTESIVE CARE. DOCTORS ARE DOING...

Page 3

Panel 1 - ZACK sits on the bed, leaning up against the wall.

CAP: AFTER A MONTH, YOU LEARN THE TIME-TABLES.

SFX: SCRAPE

Panel 2 - Close-up on a metal tray with food on it. There is also a small new-paper clipping on the tray. The clipping reads “6 YEARS AFTER BRUTAL ASSAULT - JOHN BARRENS WALKS AGAIN”.

CAP: YOU GET TO KNOW WHEN IT’S TIME TO EAT.

Panel 3 - Same as previous, only the plate on the tray is empty, only crumbs and a little left-over’s litter it. The clipping is gone.

VOICE: I-- I’M NOT VISITING YOU ANYMORE, ZACK. THIS IS THE LAST TIME. I-- I’M... I’M PREGNANT.

Panel 4 - ZACK lies on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. His jaw is set, and he has a very serious look on his face.

VOICE: IT’S YOUR BABY.

Page 4

Panel 1 - ZACK paces in his cell.

CAP: BEING HERE, IT GIVES YOU TIME TO RELAX... TO... THINK.

Panel 2 - Same, different camera angle.

CAP: THIS IS EASY.

Panel 3 - ZACK is in boxing pose, practicing fighting against an imaginary opponent.

CAP: 33 DAYS.

VOICE: MR. IRONS, I AM SORRY TO INFORM YOU, YOUR REQUEST FOR EARLY PAROLE HAS BEEN DENIED.

Panel 4 - A shot of the cell, taken from the wall opposite the wall. The camera should be about a foot off the floor. We can see the bed, the door, but ZACK is not in the panel.

CAP: THEY PUT YOU IN SOLITARY SO YOU CRACK.

Page 5

Panel 1 - Splash panel. Over-head shot of the entire cell. We see ZACK huddled up in the corner, against the wall opposite the door. He’s got his head between his knees.

CAP: SO YOU BREAK DOWN.

VOICE: GUILTY

VOICE: TWO CONS

VOICE: MURDER OF ALICE AND JACK RAYS

VOICE: IN INTENSIVE CARE

VOICE: TWO MONTHS

VOICE: YOUR BABY

VOICE: GUILTY

VOICE: MURDERING HIS SISTER

VOICE: DENIED

VOICE: LIFE SENTENCE

VOICE: WALKS AGAIN

VOICE: PREGANANT

VOICE: NOT VISITING YOU ANYMORE

VOICE: CRACK

Panel 2 - Inset into panel 1, close-up of ZACK, he lifts his head, looking slightly to the left of the camera, tears are running down his cheeks, and his eyes are red,

CAP: I CAN’T DO THIS.

The End

What's been going on...

Well, I haven't posted for ages.

But that doesn't mean I've been sitting idly by, either.
Work has been pretty hectic, but I'm not going to bore you with the tedious specifics of my work day... plus, it's top-secret espionage, take-over-the-world-type work. So I'd have to kill you all. Slowly.

No, I've gotten into creating comics. Yep, I am one step closer to achieving my dreams (picture a starry-eyed me right now). The webcomic I am helping create is the aptly named Awsome Storm Justice 41. check it at: http://www.uggabugga.net.

I am doing some lettering, editing and am working on writing something (I'll keep what I'm writing specifically under-wraps for now - if for no other reason than to keep you guessing...)

Also, I've found a forum called Penciljack (http://www.penciljack.com). PJ is a comic creator forum, and I've been hanging out there, mainly in the writer's lab. I've even won a writing contest there. I'll post the winning entry here soon.

Lastly, I've actually started writing my novel, "Shifted" (Tentative title, subject to change - once I think of something better). And once I get something semi-decent (that doesn't ruin the entrie story) I'll post up a sample of that too.

On a sadder note, my computer got fu**ed up again. The screen just stopped working... I hate it.

Well, I'll keep you posted.
Peace.

-Itai