When it comes to the loves of my life, it goes

1. Scott
2. family and close friends
3. Cleveland
4. comic books 

Scott and me celebrating his birthday at a beer and comic books event

While that may be a slight exaggeration, my love for comic books and graphic novels goes beyond the act of enjoying the latest issue of Fables. I think about how I used to draw comics as a kid and jump at the chance to visit the local baseball card store to read up on the X-Men.

I think about how Scott re-introduced me to comics when we started dating. It’s the first activity we shared as a couple, and every time I can help Scott with his own webcomic writing, it brings us even closer in our marriage.

I also think about all of the people I’ve met who share this love – both in the Cleveland community and at conventions from Minnesota to Maryland.

All of this is why I was thrilled to learn The Intergalactic Nemesis Live-Action Graphic Novel is coming to PlayhouseSquare. I saw another live-action graphic novel last year – Kill Shakespeare at C2E2 in Chicago.  It’s an incredibly immersive and entertaining experience.

Intergalactic Nemesis at PlayhouseSquare on January 30

I was even more thrilled when PlayhouseSquare offered me the chance to ask Jason Neulander, Intergalactic Nemesis’ writer, producer and director, a few questions about the show.

Read on to learn more about the show’s history, the unique experience of producing and seeing the show, and why non-comic book and sci-fi fans will enjoy Intergalactic Nemesis.

Intergalactic Nemesis onstage

Clue Into Cleveland: I love that this started as a radio show reading. While they’re becoming slightly more popular as podcasts, you don’t often see people doing serialized radio fiction. What was the reason or the circumstances around starting Intergalactic Nemesis as a radio show?

Jason Neulander: Great question. Back in the mid-90s, when this project got its start, I had founded a small theater company with the mission of developing and producing new plays that pushed the envelope of what theater could be. Part of achieving that mission was making theater happen in unusual venues. For example, we produced most of our work in the first couple of years in a rock club.

Anyway, a friend of mine, Ray Colgan, worked at this coffeehouse in downtown Austin and approached me with the idea of creating a sci-fi radio play to be performed and recorded in front of a live audience at that coffeehouse. I thought it was a great idea, so we went ahead and did it.

Immediately, people really responded. They came out in droves for the performances and our local NPR affiliate actually broadcast it serially–originally it was ten 20-minute episodes! I had so much fun, that I decided to keep the project alive and bring it back every few years.

Clue Into Cleveland  Had you ever scripted a comic book before this?  How did the writing process for the graphic novel differ from the radio/live show or were there any unexpected challenges of turning it into a graphic novel?

Jason: I hadn’t written a graphic novel before, but by the time we got into that phase of the project we had really worked the radio play. Every time I brought that back (2000, 2002, 2007), we revamped the material to make it stronger.

In 2007, Chad Nichols and I rewrote it top-to-bottom replacing the serialized structure with a more cinematic one. By that point, I knew the story backward and forward. So it was pretty easy to envision it as a comic-book. My main reason for making that transition, actually, was that I was very interested in how the story could be told visually, rather than orally.

I was lucky that I had Tim Doyle to work with. He had always wanted to draw a full-color comic book series and was (and is) a serious collector and expert on comic books.  So he really helped me develop a language for writing a script that a comic-book artist could work with to draw it.

This has helped a lot with the sequels since I’m now working with David Hutchison who is a really professional comic-book artist (versus me, who is merely a hack comic-book writer!).

Clue Into Cleveland: You didn’t just adapt a story for the stage or film, but actually melded two mediums into one thing. It’s a unique idea. Where did the idea come from to combine the visuals of the graphic novel with the radio show performance?

Jason: Another great question! In 2008, I had left the theater company I founded with the strong impression that we were going to open the radio version of Intergalactic in New York on Broadway.

The economy collapsed and I was out of work and as the months went on I became more and more desperate for a job. So in July 2009 I set up a meeting with Cliff Redd, the Executive Director of the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Austin, to basically beg him for work.

Instead of hiring me in the office, Cliff offered me their big hall to present Intergalactic. At that time it was just a radio play and I felt that that venue, which has 2400 seats, was way too big for the intimate experience of watching a radio drama be performed.

In a flash, I had a vision of comic book artwork projected on a screen the size of the proscenium arch, and literally within 2 seconds of Cliff suggesting we perform there, I replied by asking him if he was interested in this radio-play-comic-book hybrid.

Cliff replied by saying that the venue had just purchased a very fancy cinematic projection system and was looking for ways to use it! So in an amazing 20-minute meeting the project had this huge evolutionary leap and my professional life turned around.

Clue Into Cleveland: Compared to more traditional theatre productions you’ve done, how does the experience of a live action graphic novel differ for the actors and crew?  What are the challenges for them?  How does the experience differ for the audience?

Jason: You’re killing me with these great questions. I love being able to field new questions. It really gives me great perspective on what I do. Thanks!

For me, The Intergalactic Nemesis has been truly a one-of-a-kind theatrical experience. From a production standpoint, it’s pretty rare that every performer gets the opportunity to flex their artistic muscles  so consistently and in such a fun way.

For example, when Cami performs the sound effects, she not only recreates the sound, but she throws her personality into it as well. It’s totally captivating.

The cinematic score is mostly improvised and Kenny Redding just freakin’ kills it.

The actors get to switch roles within scenes and because the show flows seamlessly, thanks to the visuals on the screen, it becomes a complete tour-de-force performance for them.

And from the perspective on the audience, I’ve never been a part of a show that people seem to love so much. They laugh, clap, and cheer through much of the show and then after we actually get to meet them because we sign the books after every performance. So we get to chat with folks who have absolutely had the time of their lives.

It’s incredibly rewarding and humbling at the same time. Humbling because the work has taken on a life far beyond the individuals involved with the creation of it. I’ve never had more fun working on a project.

Clue Into Cleveland:  How has audience reaction been to this? As comic books become more mainstream, have you seen the show grow in popularity?

Jason: We’ve definitely seen audiences grow over the past two-and-a-half years of touring. We’re actually trying this spring to figure out why that is so that we can help venues who are struggling with ticket sales. At the shows themselves, the audience response is just amazing.

Clue Into Cleveland: I’m always trying to convice non-comic readers to pick up a comic book and try something out — and this seems like a fantastic way to introduce someone to the medium. Why should someone, who’s not into comic books or science fiction, see this show?

Jason: The Intergalactic Nemesis definitely is more than the sum of its parts. At its most fundamental level, it’s simply three actors at microphones, a bunch of toys on a big table, a piano player, and some images on a screen. But together it seems to transcend what you’d think that combination of elements would amount to.

I think that’s because we really allow the audience to bring their imagination as a creative element of the show. And this is why I think it appeals beyond the comic-book crowd.

Nowadays, almost everyone has grown up in the post-Star-Wars pop culture environment, which means that a certain type of storytelling is the mainstream. Not necessarily sci-fi, but character-driven adventure.

Because the show itself is so very theatrical–all the production elements are exposed on stage, it’s an auditory and visual spectacle. It really has an appeal that extends to anyone who loves live performance and has a sense of humor.

One of my favorite audience stories was this mom who came with her son. She felt she was doing him a favor because he really wanted to see it, but she was dreading coming. She was neither a fan of sci-fi nor comic-books. But in the signing line after, her son was ecstatic from the experience and she told me after that she thought she might have had more fun than he did.

Clue Into Cleveland: And because I’m always on the look out for new things to add to my pull list, what’s the last good comic book or graphic novel you read?

Jason: It’s not the latest one I’ve read, but I keep coming back to it: the original Japanese 28-book Lone Wolf and Cub series. Just absolutely incredible.

Many thanks to Jason for answering these questions. You can purchase tickets for Intergalactic Nemesis on PlayhouseSquare’s site. Stay updated on the show’s tour at theintergalacticnemesis.com/blog.

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the show in exchange for previewing the event. It was my choice to write a second post about it.

Growing up, one of my favorite trips each month would be to the baseball card store. My mom would usually take me there after my orthodontist checkup so I could pick out a new pack of Topps. And without fail, each time I’d convince her to also let me get a copy of Tales from the Crypt.

I loved these horror comics and their pun-ey GhouLunatics hosts – especially the CryptKeeper. Nothing could take my mind off another month of braces like the one-two punch of a good scare and laugh.

In the same vein comes this month’s CLE Read: The Lake Erie Monster, a Cleveland-based horror anthology comic.

The book is written and illustrated by John Greiner and Jake Kelly.

Separately, the two have created murals and posters for Cleveland indie institutions like the Beachland, Grog Shop and Melt (check out this time-lapse of Kelly’s mural for the Cleveland Heights Melt).

Then in 2011 the two collaborated on an exhibit for Heights Arts. Ten Imaginary Movies featured a series of movie posters inspired by 1970s horror films. Kelly and Greiner created fictional actors and directors, reviews and movie memorabilia.

Two pieces of this exhibit were comic book covers for film #1 The Lake Erie Monster. After the  exhibit ended, they decided to move forward with an “adaptation” of it. First published last April, each quarterly issue features the ongoing Lake Erie Monster story, followed by 2 stand-alone tales.

The inspiration for the comic – The Lake Erie Monster movie poster. www.thelakeeriemonster.com

In The Lake Erie Monster, pollution from a decaying 1970s Cleveland has found its way into the waters of Lake Erie. And something menacing has grown in the murk.

A pair of journalists, a group of nosey kids and a van of worried hippies have realized something’s up as Clevelanders are found brutally murdered by the lakeside.

It’s a campy trip – with plenty of gore rolled into a sardonic look at this era in Cleveland history.  Although the grainy illustrations and palette were a little difficult to jump into at first, I got used to it by the end of issue 1 and found its rough-around-the-edges, vintage aesthetic lent itself very well to the tale’s grislier parts.

Although I enjoy the simmering suspense of the ongoing main story, it’s the backup tales I most look forward to when I pick up a new issue.

My favorite from these has been “Greens,” which tells of a trip to the farmers’ market that turns very strange when one unsuspecting shopper picks up some mysterious vegetables.

These stand-alone stories give me that quick horror fix I seek.

Cryptkeeper fans will also rejoice that Lake Erie Monster is home to its own GhouLunatic: the fantastically frightful Commodore.

From thelakeeriemonster.com, the Commodore’s Cleveland Clippings

With a middle name like Hazard, it’s not surprising that Commodore Perry has been haunting Cleveland since the 1800s. Sure, he’s lost a few teeth (and a bit of skin), but he’s retained the same style and swagger that brought him victory in the War of 1812.

The Commodore currently makes his residence on a secret floor of the Terminal Tower where he answers fan mail and pens his one-page “Commodore’s Cleveland” story for each issue.

From the most-cursed three acres of land in Cleveland to the Tree Man of Train Avenue, you’ll learn a few tall-tales from Cleveland’s past. And the Commodore’s wise-cracks alone are worth the $5 for the comic.

The Lake Erie Monster is published once a quarter. After inquiring at Comics Are Go!, whose recommendation got me hooked on the first issue, I was told the fourth issue should be out in the next couple of months and I’ll update when I learn more.

In the meantime, though, you can purchase digital and print copies of previous Lake Erie Monster issues from the Shiner Comics online store.

The newer installments can also be found at area retailers and comic book shops like Big Fun, Joy Machines and Comics Are Go! (many of whom are also featured in the comic with hilarious ads designed by the comic’s creators).

I’ll be back in April with James Renner’s The Man from Primrose Lane. Described by the Associated Press as “a thriller and detective story, plus science fiction and romance with a little near-future dystopia thrown in,” I’m looking forward to it.

I could also use some more recommendations.  If you have any Cleveland-area books you’ve enjoyed reading, please leave a comment below.

This is the latest in my CLE Reads series. Check out my previous installments:

• Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland (September 2012)
• Les Roberts’ Whiskey Island (October 2012)
• Rust Belt Chic (November 2012)
• Damn Right I’m From Cleveland (December 2012)
• Women Behaving Badly by John Stark Bellamy II (January 2013)

Avengers Assemble this Friday! (from marvel.com/avengers_movie)

Only a few days remain until a movie opens that I’ve been anticipating for years: this Friday, the Avengers assemble!

As a longtime Marvel fan, I’ve been looking forward to this blockbuster since it was first officially announced after the success of Iron Man.

And as if I needed another reason to see the movie, downtown Cleveland was transformed last summer into one of the film’s urban battlefields. As much as I love Cleveland, the idea of seeing E9th Street getting blown up on screen really excites me.

Needless to say, I’ll be heading out to a midnight showing on Thursday night near my local comic book shop in Sheffield Village. I plan on seeing it at least twice – once so I can revel in my Marvel fangirldom, and a second so I can enjoy the glimpses of Cleveland besieged by explosions and bad guys.

Action Comics #1 (from comics.org)

This isn’t the first time, though, that the world of caped crusaders has collided with Cleveland.

As the birthplace of Superman (created by Clevelanders Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster), Cleveland boasts an amazing heritage when it comes to writing and drawing comic book heroes.  Even today, current and former Clevelanders continue this legacy – writing, drawing and inking for both indie publishers and powerhouses like Marvel and DC.

Awhile back I did a post on some of the ways Cleveland and comics connect – from Harvey Pekar to Calvin and Hobbes’ Bill Watterson. In honor of the Avengers opening, this time around I want to share a few crimefighting and sci-fi comics with a Cleveland connection:

Brian Michael Bendis, who grew up in Cleveland and is the architect of many Marvel books including Avengers, at C2E2 2011

Brian Michael Bendis: It’s fitting that one of Marvel’s heavyweights and the architect of a number of current Avengers titles is originally from Cleveland’s eastside. In 2000, Brian Michael Bendis helmed the debut of Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man and continues writing it today with over 100 issues under his belt.

Having also written House of M and Daredevil, among many other books for Marvel, he’s currently writing for my favorite Avengers team: the New Avengers. In addition to traditional superheroes, Bendis created and writes the gritty Powers as well as the Jinx line of crime comics.

• Books by Brian Michael Bendis

Taskmaster #1 (from comics.org)

Fred Van Lente: Called one of the more idiosyncratic and insightful voices in comics, NYT-bestselling author Fred Van Lente shared in a 2008 interview that he grew up in the Cleveland area after moving here.

When I pick up a Van Lente book I have high expectations for a seamless combination of action, humor and really relatable characters — even if those characters are the Incredible Hercules or Taskmaster, which was one of the most simulataneously touching and action-packed Marvel miniseries I’ve read in the last few years.

Van Lente also created Cowboys and Aliens (the basis for last summer’s movie) with Andrew Foley, as well as one of the first comics Scott introduced me to – Action Philosophers! with his Evil Twin Comics cohort Ryan Dunlavey.  This August, he’ll be participating in Valiant Entertainment’s relaunch with Archer & Armstrong.

• Books by Fred Van Lente

Wonder Woman #8 (from comics.org)

Brian Azzarello: Although he may now call Chicago home, DC’s Brian Azzarello was born and raised in the Cleveland area. He became most well-known for writing 100 Bullets. Published through DC’s Vertigo line, the dark, hard-boiled crime series was honored with both the Harvey and Eisner Awards.

Among a long line of DC characters, he has written for both Batman and Superman, as well as Doc Savage.  And although we’re not even halfway through, 2012 has been a powerhouse year for Azzarello:

• His post-apocalyptic Spaceman miniseries rockets to its conclusion this summer.
• On his ongoing run of Wonder Woman, the character has undergone a number of fascinating changes and risen to be a Top 20 title for the first time in years.
• And he’s collaborating on not just one – but two – of the books in DC’s highly anticipated Before Watchmen series – taking on my two favorite Watchmen characters Comedian and Rorschach.

On a personal note, meeting him and briefly chatting about favorite dishes at Greenhouse Tavern was one of my highlights from this year’s C2E2.

• Books by Brian Azzarello

All-Ghouls School Tradepaperback (from sumerak.com)

Marc Sumerak: After spending time in NYC where he worked on Marvel’s editorial staff after college, editor and writer Marc Sumerak moved back to his hometown of Cleveland in 2003 to continue his career.

In addition to titles like Power Pack and Franklin Richards: Boy Genius, Sumerak’s most recent work includes his first original graphic novel All-Ghouls School and Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four: Hard Choices, a free comic in Marvel’s substance abuse prevention campaign.

Sumerak gives back to the Cleveland comic book community as well by hosting POP! The Comic Culture Club. Open to all Cleveland-area comic book fans, retailers and professionals who want to share their love of the medium, the group meets twice a month at the Cuyahoga County Public Library’s Parma Heights Branch.

• Books by Marc Sumerak

Marc Sumerak’s Pop! Comic Culture Club is open and free to all Clevelanders interested in the medium

Other Cleveland-grown authors and artists to clue into (and by no means is this an exhaustive list):

• Brian K. Vaughn, who wrote the critically acclaimed Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina and Marvel’s Runaways and recently returned to comics with his newest book Saga. I’ve torn through the first two issues of this St. Ignatius alum’s fantasy “space opera” and highly recommend picking them up along with issue #3 when it comes out in a couple weeks.
• Michael Sangiacomo, a longtime reporter at the Plain Dealer on the breaking news and crime beat. In addition to sharing his love of comics through his PD column on pop culture, he is the author of several graphic novels including Tales of the Starlight Drive-In and Phantom Jack, the story of a newspaper reporter who can turn invisible.
• P. Craig Russell, whose artwork is such a thing of wonder that I’d be remiss if I didn’t include him in this list though he’s from south of the Cleveland-area.  Included within his vast body of work is a comic-adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline  and a story in issue 113 of my favorite ongoing series Bill Willingham’s Fables.

Michael Sangiacomo’s Tales of the Starlight Drive-In (from talesofthestarlightdrivein.com)

While you can order many of these creators’ books online, Cleveland is blessed with many independent comic book stores scattered throughout the region.

I’m a huge proponent of heading to these brick-and-mortar stores instead because you’ll not only be able to get many of these books there, but also explore an entire world of comics worth your time.

And this Saturday, comic book stores nationwide are making it easy for newcomers to discover new reading material.  Free Comic Book Day takes place every year on the first Saturday of May and it’s the one day during the year when participating comic book shops give away free comics to anyone who visits their stores.

Search for a participating comic book store near you at freecomicbookday.com

From the east to westside, Clevelanders have a number of shops to choose from to pick up their free comic books. Cleveland.com has put together a rundown of the different stores’ festivities and Cleveland Scene’s The Dork Side features 5 of the 40+ free books you need to pick up.

Come Saturday morning (after catching up on my post-Avengers zzz’s), I’ll be at Comics Are Go! in Sheffield Village.

Formerly Astound Comics, Comics Are Go! recently moved their store from Westlake to Sheffield Village (5188 Detroit Rd., Exit 148 off I-90) and on Free Comic Book Day they’ll be introducing new and longtime customers to the new location starting at noon.

Hopefully I’ll even see a few new comic book readers there!