Condoms should be used on every conceivable occasion.

Okay, so I will admit that self-deprecating humor is kind of my bread and butter. The other day, Amy and I are watching TV and there is a commercial for AllTel with their blonde spokesperson Chad being hauled into a van by his cell phone rivals.
After some conversation, Chad asks the guy in the yellow shirt, “What level Dungeon Master are you?”
I narrowed my eyes and was a split second away from saying “DMs don’t have levels.”
But before I could speak, the yellow shirt guy (I think he might be Sprint) scoffs at him and says, “Dungeon Masters don’t have levels… Dork.”
At this comment, my wife bursts into hysterical laughter and looks over at me…It’s not easy being a geek but somehow, I manage…

A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.

I think I've talked about this before but in case you forgot...

I went to the theaters to watch Deja Vu starring Denzel Washington. It is coming out on DVD this Tuesday (the 24th). I got a sneak peek at the DVD and I was reminded just how GREAT this movie is. It is one of the best I have seen in a long time. I highly recommend it. While you are there, rent Smokin' Aces while you are at it.

Who says I don't give good movie rental advice?

RMF Enterprises Bares Fangs

Writer to release 5-issue original mini-series through Arcana Studios.

For several years I have been pursuing a career in writing… It has been a long slog. I’ve fought. I’ve clawed. Joe Quesada at Marvel has rejected me more times than I care to count. Top Cow and Wildstorm said “No.” And then there were the dark times where I received no rejection, just flat out no response at all.

I’ve received letters of praise from people like Wildstorm Editor Drew Bittner and artist Tim Seely that kept me motivated. I turned a major corner when I was hired to write my first issue of Masters of the Universe. And while I have been working on several projects since my first publication, I have just turned a major corner.

I have sold my first original mini-series.

While details are still being kept confidential, I can confirm that Arcana Studios has purchased my 5-issue original mini-series entitled Midnight to Daylight, a short series revolving around the mysterious and romantic world of the vampire.

For this particular series, I will be working with two artists that have yet to be hired but the contributions will result in a tremendously fast release schedule.

More information will be available as I learn it. Right now I have too much work to do. But this event is the biggest event in comics to happen to me since getting my first assignment.

More soon…

Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death.

On Friday, April 20th, Amy and I are going to celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary. At times, I often have to wonder what I have done or what blessed constellation I was born under to have found a woman that would put up with me for an entire decade as husband and wife.
Now, I know, you are saying to yourself, “Ryan, what are you talking about?” I know. I know. After all, I am a sexy beast. Who needs your pretty boys like Brad Pitt and George Clooney when you can have an overweight, balding man with an addiction to comic books, collects action figures, and has unquenchable thirst to write “the funny books.” Six pack abs and a six-figure salary? Ppshaw! I have like a 200-issue run of Captain America, a complete run of Spawn with Issue #1 autographed by Todd McFarlane, a massive DVD and Music Soundtrack set, and a massive Marvel Legends action figure collection… Now, that is a dowry!
Still, being married with children and facing a few hurdles financially, it is hard for us to properly celebrate our big two-digit anniversary with a night on the town or renting out a honeymoon suite. I have come to accept this and as long as we are together, that is really all that matters.
My mom always used to tell me that you have to make sure that your wife is your best friend because at times it is just the two of you. As my life continues to stretch on and people get pulled in various directions (family, career, etc.), at times I do find my family become more and more isolated. This causes Amy and I to lean on each other even more. There have been hills and valleys in my life and Amy has been there for all of them. I know that the bad times helps us appreciate the good times and because of all of this, I can honestly say that I am more in love with her now that I was when we were married.

Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.

Where were you when Captain America died?
It’s true, people. Steve Rogers—the heroic Captain America—was gunned down by a sniper’s bullet in Captain America #25.
Death in comics has become cliché at times. The cardinal rule in comics is that only Bucky stays dead. Marvel broke that rule awhile back revealing that Cap’s sidekick—thought killed in WWII—was actually the Winter Soldier. So maybe it should be only Uncle Ben stays dead…
Still, I have read several deaths in comics. Marvel Girl. Superman. Hawkeye.
But to have Cap killed after surrendering to end Marvel’s Civil War and learn about it on the Channel 8 evening news… yeah, it came as a shocker. Marvel did a good job keeping this one under the radar. I don’t think anyone saw it coming.
I’m not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing but I find it curious how these fictional characters can move us emotionally. Be it Cap, Mr. Eko, Apollo Creed, Dumbledore…
Strange.
Still, I find it hard to believe that Cap is gone forever. The question right now is how will his book continue with the main character dead but it certainly makes for interesting reading. I’m sure it may take a few years and then Steve Rogers will return to his rightful mantle but until then, you still miss Big Blue.

So, until then, permission to stand down, soldier. Permission to stand down…