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Monday, August 31, 2015

New Killer Track By Slayer! Full Album Is Coming.


Rock on!!
Slayer just posted a new track, from their upcoming album Repentless...! Check it out.....

There's also this advance music video of the main track, Repentless.
I've already placed my pre-order for the vinyl record. How about you?

Farewell, Wes Craven. You will be missed.





Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Cassettes are making a comeback! Yes, cassettes!

Vinyls sales are steadily going up since 2007, they are even getting more and more popular. Sales should reach some 10 million albums in 2015 and that ain’t bad, considering some folks declared vinyls dead when digital format took over the market.

But I was surprised last week, when a friend of mine running an electronics shop told me he had lots of requests for tape decks, and the demand keeps going up since nearly two years! That sounded strange. I sure can understand how people would prefer vinyls over digital, but tapes...? I asked him if shoppers were mainly asking decks for transferring their old cassettes to digital, but my friend told me it apparently wasn’t the case. They were just people looking for "a good deck to play cassettes."


And why not? After all, cassettes are cool as hell. And just like vinyl records, they have something that no digital format will ever be able to offer: something to hold in your hands. For music producers and recording artists, they’re also a great, cheap solution to release their albums.

Buying tapes and vinyl, you really own something. It’s there, in your hands.It exists. And you feel attached to what you own. Do you have any kind of sentiment for the digital album your purchased on iTunes? Do you have any feelings for a digital file on your mobile? Probably not. And that’s why music on vinyl and tape are claiming back their throne.



I guess I will need to go back to my friend’s shop, and find a replacement unit for my broken Sony deck. Because, like everybody else, I never got rid of my tapes.


"Dust off the boombox, cassettes are having a comeback | The Sacramento Bee"
http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/music-news-reviews/article22245705.html

“Cassettes tapes making a comeback | CBC News”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/cassette-tapes-making-a-comeback-1.2503619


***
UPDATED - SEPTEMBER 1ST
Great article on Mashable regarding the immortal cassettes!
http://mashable.com/2015/09/01/cassette-tapes-profitable

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

R.I.P. Yvonne Craig (Batman, In Like Flint, Mars Needs Women...)


So sad to hear Yvonne Craig passed away on August 17th... I must say she’s been one of my first crush, when I saw her in the 60’s Batman series, in the role of Bat Woman. Yvonne also starred in numerous movies such as cult classic In Like Flint (1966) with James Coburn, or Mars Needs Women (1967).

She had numerous TV appearances too, in shows like Man From The U.N.C.L.E., Wild Wild West, Six Million Dollar Man and Star Trek.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

The 'Cord-Cutting Apocalypse' is Just Around The Corner!

I haven't heard this term before, but it seems cable TV business folks are using the 'apocalypse' term more and more often...!

Yes, viewers are flocking away from cable TV, to turn to streaming options. Cable TV is damn expensive. Interestingly, the first time I heard that cable TV would collapse was in the mid 80s. To live, TV needs to reach a massive audience, millions of viewers, and then relies on advertising. Cable TV do just the opposite, it segments the market, offer numerous channels options and by doing so, advertising prices go dramatically down. Airwave TV was free, and broadcasters were still making lots of money. Cable TV is expensive, and lose billions in advertising opportunities. To compensate, cable TV subscription fees skyrocketed.

Now, these high prices are forcing viewers to migrate to streaming.

The sad part – for us viewers – is that we won't save money for a while. Cable TV distributors also own the internet service providers. If they lose subscribers to their TV channels, we must expect to see our internet connection bills to skyrocket. Streaming is expensive for the provider. And for the viewer, the need to subscribe to the desired streaming TV channel will still be there.

(Airwave TV is still available, if you're curious about getting free TV!)


The "Cord-Cutting Apocalypse" on Business Insider:
http://www.businessinsider.com/cable-tv-subscribers-plunging-2015-8

Universal leads the 2015 box office - without a single comic book movie!

Universal stands in a class of its own when it comes to box office figures, even though they had their share of chaotic moments these past few years.

Now, while other studios focus on the ‘taste of the day’ which consists in releasing super heros and comic book-based movies, Universal wins the market by filling the gap with other exciting stuff. Part nostalgia, part franchise films, titles like Jurassic Park, Furious 7, Minions and Fifty Shades Of Grey (among many others) brought billions to the company. And unlike super heros movies, they don’t have licensing fees on an array of copyrighted characters.

Don’t get me wrong – I love super heros movies. But I don’t want to see an entire industry flooded with only super heros. Goes like, I love peanut butter, but I wouldn’t eat it three times a day, seven days a week!

More on the indieWire blog here:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/how-universal-won-the-summer-box-office-without-a-single-comic-book-movie-20150817

Monday, August 17, 2015

Elvira Returns As Animated Series!

This made my day!
Cassandra Petersen announced at Boston Comiccon that she’s currently developing an animated TV series starring her character Elvira!
Also in the works is a biography of Cassandra. Looking good looking GOOD!

More information on Mass Live Boston Comiccon report:
http://www.masslive.com/news/boston/index.ssf/2015/08/boston_comic_con_2015_elvira_a.html

No more DC Comics spinoffs at The CW...

The CW big boss Mark Pedowitz draws the line there. After Legends Of Tomorrow, there are no plans on doing any more DC comics spinoffs. Let's hope ratings will be high so the show gets a second season.

More: http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=124108

This watercolor by Cosmo Sarson is just too hilarious!

I absolutely love it!
Every church needs a print of this...

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Heavy Metal Art Book Is On The Way!

I'm doing a lot of conventions, and many, many times, I have metal fans dropping by my stand, and ask questions about this or that heavy metal album cover I painted.

I did quite a bunch of album covers over the years, and some of these bands / albums became highly influential in the music industry.

I'm fortunate enough to be the artist who was commissioned to paint the artwork for some of these albums. No one knows in advance what death metal album will become a classic, I just happened to be at the right place, at the right time.

So after chatting with fellow metal fans in these conventions, I thought it would be a good idea to put out a book that covers every aspect, of every albums I worked on. How I got in touch with the bands. How I got to work with this or that label. The sketches I did, approval process, photo session with models when needed. Logo designs sometimes. Or record labels sponsoring my public art performances. Also bands praising my work as well as unhappy bands who went as far as issuing death threats.

There's lots of funny facts an artist can reveal around a heavy metal album cover he's done!



The hard cover book should be out sometimes this fall. Page count is not final yet but it should be around 250 pages. I'm still gathering all the content to fill the pages, and every single day I find stuff I totally forgot about. There's just so many things to cover!

«Yes but... Will this book show the same stuff as your other one, Universe In Motion?»

Nope! While Universe In Motion features a bunch of my heavy metal album covers, it doesn't include all of them - far from it. With this new book you will have everything, and I'm also adding comments and funny facts to spice it up...

So hang on there, and look out for an official announcement!

sv bell

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Black Flag TV: network upgrade!

Folks, if you noticed some downtime lately, I'm sorry for that! Keeping the stream steady becomes a daunting task and I called the techs since it appears the problem isn't in my studio.

So I'm on it. My ISP's tech came this morning to investigate the problem, and it appears there is a signal router to be replaced, located up in the post at the corner of the street.

I'm told the problem should be resolved tomorrow, the time another tech comes back with the replacement part.

So the stream will be erratic for another day, I apologize for that! Hang on there folks.

Follow the updates on my Twitter account!

Monday, May 25, 2015

Plus que quelques jours avant le Festival BD de Montréal!!

Les 29, 30 et 31 mai, c'est le Festival BD de Montréal au Parc Lafontaine! Venez rencontrer auteurs, éditeurs, libraires spécialisés et intervenants de la scène de la bande dessinée locale.

Je serai au kiosque de La Boite à B.D. de Laval avec mes séries de comics! D'autres auteurs sont aussi présents au kiosque de La Boite à BD: Rémi Paradis, Le David Gauthier, Jean Marquis et Michel Viau. Beaucoup de plaisir en perspective sous le chapiteau... On se voit là-bas!

Friday, May 15, 2015

Want a Free Ad In My Print Comics?

You publish your own comics? Or you're an indie author? Maybe an independent filmmaker? You're probably looking for places to advertise your stuff, give it exposure and reach a new audience.

I'd be happy to run your ads in the pages of my print comic books!

Yes, all my comics are in PRINT, that means your ad will be seen for years. Unlike digital stuff, print ads last forever.

How much? That's FREE! But, of course, spaces are limited. Contact me ASAP for details and deadlines for the next issue.

Want to have a guaranteed placement?
Sure thing, I can do that for a small amount!

Black and White, Full Page -- $20
Color, Full Page -- $35
Color, Back Cover -- $50




*** Ad Selection ***


Monday, May 11, 2015

Thanks For the Amazing Weekend! Ottawa Comiccon 2015

Thanks to all who attended the Ottawa Comiccon 2015, and who took the time to drop by my stand! It was - once again - a memorable show. Metro News reports there was a record crowd of some 40.000 visitors!

It was awesome meeting and greeting with fans, thanks again for the amazing support you have for my work, comics and movies. I actually ran sold out the box sets of my feature films! I'll get some more done for the next comic con, in Montreal, July 3-5. (Montreal Comiccon)

I've had many of you to ask about the next issues of my comic books! They're just around the corder! Realms of Fear no.2 and Silverblood no.4 are on the way, and also a french version of the three first issues of Silverblood.


I'll be at the FBDM Montreal on May 28-30th, and I hope to have the french version in time for that show. Come see me at the stand of La Boite à B.D.!

I'm also working on the first issue of Monsters and Models graphic novel. More about this one soon!

Cheers,
Sv Bell