It's that time!

What time? The time I say...

Final Girl is on hiatus.

WHAT.

Yes, friends, it must happen. I have a shit ton of work to do in the world of comics, and I can just feel Final Girl sitting here sad and lonely like a cyber Carrie White. I mean, if I'm going to not post and not say anything about it, why don't I just take it a step further and throw tampons at my computer monitor, right? I mean.

Okay, it wouldn't make sense for me to do that in any capacity, but you know what I'm saying. If you can handle the truth, let me tell it to you now- I think I've only watched three movies in the past four months. For serious! Part of that is because I don't have a couch, and I'm sorry...you need a couch for a good movie-watching experience. Or I do, anyway. Call me a baby!

I will still post from time to time, but I felt I needed to make some sort of statement as regular posting won't happen for some time. I'm still down with horror: Slashers 101 is still available, and I'm working on the next installment in the 101 series (YES A SERIES SAY WHAT). If you want some original art made just for you, hit me up at stacieponder at gmail dot com and tell me all about it. Facebook is a pretty good place to find me also.

I'm doing a signing for Womanthology at Casablanca Comics in Portland, ME on Saturday the 24th at 2pm, and one at Hub Comics in Somerville, MA on Saturday the 31st from 12-4. I'll also be at Boston Comic-Con (April 21-22)...not sure on my table time yet, but I'll be on the Womanthology panel, whenever that is. You can come and say hi if you want! I am a solid 26% less interesting in person, but it's balanced by the fact that I'm 38% more awkward.

So yes, that is that. This is better, I think. Now when I post, we'll all be "Oh, how special! Posting during hiatus!" rather than "IT'S ABOUT TIME WHY YOU NEVER POST", right?

Oh Charles Nelson Reilly, you is a cold hearted snake!

So this happened...

Umm, so Barbara Crampton has a copy of Womanthology. This means that Barbara Crampton has some of my comics. This means that Barbara Crampton might actually read some of my comics. I have a lot of feelings about this.

I am just saying.

awesome movie poster friday - the ALIEN edition!

That's right, making good on a promise of yesterweek with these posters from the Alien series...and man, these posters have me wanting to dig into the movies again. Well, the first two, anyway. Maybe the third, which I like if I can keep my brain from screaming YOU DID WHAT TO NEWT AND HICKS the whole time. Alien Resurrection...now, that one I really have no desire to watch ever again. I don't remember hating it, necessarily, but I can't say I enjoyed it. For me it's kind of the equivalent of getting food poisoning from chicken chow mein or what have you- perhaps it's nothing against chicken chow mein itself, but rather the bad experience has my body fighting with everything it has against trying it again. I found a DVD cover for the film that features one quote on it, no tagline. The quote, from People Magazine: "Resurrection rocks!"

That basically sums up that situation, I think.

Also: Prometheus. Oooh baby, I can't wait for that one!

awesome movie poster friday - the PSYCHO edition!

I could have sworn I'd already done a Psycho edition of AMPF, but it seems I'd only done it in my head...until now! Now it has made the leap from my brain to reality! And it has worked out better than most things that make that leap, let me assure you.

once more unto the shower

Wonder with me for a moment, if you will, if Alfred Hitchcock's classic Psycho (1960) had remained a film untouched by Sequel Fever until today. What if, when you logged in to Facebook, your feed was full of you horror-loving cyber-friends talking about a newly-announced Psycho II and linking to stories on all the genre news websites? What if the book had only come out last year? For the sake of this exercise, I'm making like the cast would be the same as is was in 1983, when Psycho II came out...or, at least Anthony Perkins would be reprising his role as Norman.

Look, there's really no deep thought at work here. I'm just wondering how much Internet Outrage there would be...because I get the feeling that horror fans would be incensed. I'm sure I would have chimed in with a WHAT PSYCHO DOESN'T NEED A SEQUEL, or something equally erudite and meaningful.

Because really, Psycho II doesn't need to exist, and it certainly shouldn't be good. And yet, it manages to do both of those things. This is some Ripley's Believe It or Not shit!


Norman Bates (Perkins) is released from an institution 22 years after the events of Psycho. He heads home (bad idea #1) and tries to make a go at a normal life- working in a diner, not killing people, etc. He becomes friends with Mary (Meg Tilly), a waitress at the diner, and invites her into Stately Bates Manor (bad idea #2) when a bad breakup leaves her homeless. Before you can say "bad idea #3", Norman is running Bates Motel again and receiving phone calls and notes from dear old mom. And someone who looks just like dear old mom is spotted throughout the house- is she not really dead? Is Norman up to his old shenanigans?

You'll honestly be wondering what's what in Psycho II right up until...mmm, about 5 seconds before the credits roll, and I don't mean in a confused sort of way. Everything here makes sense- it's just, you see, there is mystery afoot.


Psycho II is the last thing you'd expect: it's super enjoyable. Watching poor Norman struggle to keep it together, waiting for him to pick up where he left off 22 years earlier...it's a delight, oscillating between fear of Norman and fear for Norman.

The violence, when it comes, is fast, brutal, and shocking. Psycho II opens by presenting Hitchcock's shower scene in full (wait, not his shower scene...that would be...eh, you know what I mean), and man, watching it last night...I mean, it's perhaps the most famous scene in horror film history. Everyone has seen it a billion times. Everyone has aped it, miming the stabbing motions and butchering Herrmann's famous score. It's sort of taken for granted how amazing that scene is, but last night it sort of butchered my face and I re-realized just how horrifying it is. I know, duh. But it was some rare touched for the very first time kind of nonsense and it was great. I am just saying.


So listen up, folks- including you, self- the next time there's some announcement and you take to your keyboard or teletype and you start with the WHAT A SEQUEL THAT IS A TERRIBLE IDEA! AN OUTRAGE- THIS IS ONE!, just keep telling yourself: but Psycho II was good...but Psycho II was good...but Psycho II was good...

And I didn't even get into the Meg Tilly-ness of it all!