Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachael McAdams, Mark Strong
Plot: Upon stopping the evil Lord Blackwood (Strong) from killing his next victim, Holmes (Downey Jr) and his partner Watson (Law) watch as the man is hanged. However, several days later Blackwood's crypt is opened from the inside and he has started killing again. Is something supernatural at work here, and what does Blackwood's resurrection have to do with the return of Irene Adler (McAdams), Holmes old flame?



Holmes and Watson are back on the case (for the first time, in this movie franchise), dodging martial arts trained criminals and explosions. That's right, kids. In this non-origin story first movie, Sherlock Holmes solves mysteries...with his fists!

While there may be some slight exaggeration in that statement, the mystery of Blackwood's resurrection seems to just be the road that takes Holmes and Watson from one fist fight to the next. I'm sure the more ADD among us will absolutely love it (and I admit that I didn't mind it as much as I feared I would), but a little more sleuthing and a little less punching would've suited me just fine.

But that's not to say that the action isn't entertaining. Holmes is such a smarty that he actually figures out how a fight is going to happen (in slow motion with great details on how much damage would be inflicted) before he moves on it - which takes all of 3 seconds to execute. It was a brilliant testament to Holmes intellect and physical prowess.

And there certainly is drama (and yes, sleuthing) throughout this movie. Watson is breaking up the dynamic duo by getting married and moving out, and Holmes only real flame has returned to his life under mysterious circumstances. There are secret societies, conspiracy theories, and clues throughout - but sadly, it's difficult to put all of the pieces together and solve the mystery before the end because, well, Holmes is leagues beyond everyone else when it comes to solving cases. His knowledge and insight into how events unfold doesn't come to light until the very end of the movie, which does have a satisfying ending to a roller-coaster ride of a movie.

I admit to having low expectations for this flick, and was pleasantly surprised having seen it opening weekend. It's an enjoyable Hollywood romp through a modernization of Holmes. And while it wasn't the Hitchcockian thriller that I was hoping for, it does have enough elements of that to have kept me in my seat for the duration. That said, it may be best to watch this movie at home so you can revisit parts after the mysteries are revealed.

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I have a signing at Brainstorm tonight at 6pm-10pm for Indy Comic Book Week. They are located at:

Brainstorm Movies, Comics & Gaming
1648 W. North Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622

Come on out and say hi, buy the book, and let's chat about comics!

The new year's right around the corner, and at the risk of sounding less than funny, I have some comments about the past few years.

2008 sucked for me. Almost completely. I was dumped without reason, I was downsized from my job, the economy continued to tank, and nothing seemed like it was going right.

Then we had 2009, which I held as the year of hope. Obama was promoting hope and while not a lot has changed for the better, the changes for me have been on the positive side. I moved to a new state, I got a new job, I printed a book, I attended a bunch of conventions and met a ton of new friends.

Now in 2010 I'm hoping to be the year of positive change. More comic opportunities, more successes in love and at work, and more fun collaborative projects (like the one you're reading here).

What do you hope for in 2010?

See you on the first day of the new year with a brand new @$$hole!

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One page splash! Rock!

I just got back to Chicago from home, having spent several days there visiting family and friends. I have two days off from work on vacation to recover / work on comics, and then I'm back to the grind stone. Here's hoping that there are no more 11pm nights....

Have a great New Years, everyone, and I'll see you in 2010!

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Happy holidays everyone! Don't forget to pencil my interview into your schedule for January 12 at 8pm central.

Have a great holiday, and I'll see you all next week for Temple and @$$hole!

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Sorry for the lack of update last week Friday, but I was working another 13+ hour day and after the weeks events at work (working from home while sick, working 17 hours the next day, and then pulling a 13 hour day) I was just too tired to update.

However, you'll get some special pages for the holidays and I have a fun announcement!

I'm going to be interviewed on TGT Webcomics on January 12, so be sure to keep your calendar free at 8pm central time and listen in live. You can ask me questions about my comics, comics in general, or anything you want.

Alan Evans is going to be a special guest co-host. Be sure to check it out.

See you all Friday!

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Nominate TrevorAMueller.com in the 2009 Web Comic List Reader's Choice Awards (no need to sign up, but it helps if you put in some info so they know you're not a spambot). I'd take any nominations, but I'm specifically looking for:

- Best Writing
- The Innovation Award
- Best Supporting Character - Susie (or the crazy cat lady...or the waiter)

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The first page for the new story, Assassin. No worries if it's doesn't make sense yet - this story starts in the middle and fills in the gaps.

It's been a hellish week at work. I got sick on Tuesday, but had so much left to do that I opted to work from home (in between bouts of vomiting in the bathroom). I left better the next day and went into work early to finish up work stuff...and stayed until 11pm. Then last night when I was going to get comic stuff done, I had to stay until 9:30pm to finish an emergency project for the next day.

When I got home i just passed out on the couch.

So sorry that there won't be a comic update today. This is the first update that I have missed in 2009, and my goal was to miss none. I'm not going to beat myself up because I know that the circumstances were grim, but still - it's hard not to be disappointed when I was so close to accomplishing the goal.

Comics next week. I'll bust ass this weekend to get everything done that I can.

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Got sick on Tuesday but thought I could suck it up and go into the office. Not a good idea. After getting off the train twice to try to avoid puking on the plethora of people riding the metal tube during rush hour, I was able to get myself into the office, grab what I needed, and ended up working from home. It was a slower day for me, but there is just too much to do to just be sick and not go into work. I took a nap for an hour, felt like crap for most of the day, and then decided to go to bed early.

Here's hoping I feel better tomorrow.

The page is a little rushed because of the illness. I should've put another hour or two into it, but my eyes were burning and it felt like there was a gymnast training for the Olympics in my stomach. Ultimately it came down to not updating, or updating with something that was only so-so. Since I haven't missed an update yet this year (and there's only 3 weeks left), I wasn't about to not update!

Talk about suffering for your work. :P

Hopefully there will be a page Friday. A better page. It all depends on whether or not I can shake this illness.

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Nominate TrevorAMueller.com in the 2009 Web Comic List Reader's Choice Awards (no need to sign up, but it helps if you put in some info so they know you're not a spambot). I'd take any nominations, but I'm specifically looking for:

- Best Writing
- The Innovation Award
- Best Supporting Character - Susie (or the crazy cat lady...or the waiter)

###

Tried a new coloring technique for the cover of Assassin. It still needs some work (and Seymour is WAY too dark), but it was fun to experiment and play a little again. Time was my major constraining factor on this one. There are not enough hours in a day. Especially outside of work.

Next week the comic starts proper, and it'll be a 32 page romp of awesome!

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VOTE!

Nominate TrevorAMueller.com in the 2009 Web Comic List Reader's Choice Awards (no need to sign up, but it helps if you put in some info so they know you're not a spambot). I'd take any nominations, but I'm specifically looking for:

- Best Writing
- The Innovation Award
- Best Supporting Character - Susie (or the crazy cat lady...or the waiter)

###

So you've no doubt noticed that the blogs have slowed down (or stopped), and part of this is because of a very busy planning season at work. But there are other things going on that you should also be aware of that I'm doing:

Reading with Pictures is a non-profit that my friend Josh Elder has started to help get comics in the classroom. For someone for whom Maus was required reading for history class, this is kind of a big deal. I've been working with a fantastic artist and a few editors to develop my 8-page contribution to this fantastic anthology, which will be out next year. Tonight, in fact, they're having a fundraiser at Chicago Comics in Chicago, Il. I'll be there, so show up and say hi.

Comic Creator's Aliance is a charity started by two-time Harvey-nominated comic creator Lora Innes and I'm contributing to a piece that she's putting together to help raise money and awareness about human trafficking. Lora's done a few interviews about this already, and some of the stats that she has are truly frightening! There's more slavery today that there was before the Civil War, and most of it is sexual in nature. Be sure to find out how you can contribute to this cause by visiting the website.

My good friend and Eisner-Award winning artist Jon Bivens has just entered into Zuda's content with his entry The House Always Wins. Be sure to check that out and vote for it.

There are a slew of other things going on as well that cause me to not get enough hours of sleep at night (did I mention a busy planning season?), but these are the important ones worth mentioning.

Have a great weekend, all!

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VOTE!

Nominate TrevorAMueller.com in the 2009 Web Comic List Reader's Choice Awards (no need to sign up, but it helps if you put in some info so they know you're not a spambot). I'd take any nominations, but I'm specifically looking for:

- Best Writing
- The Innovation Award
- Best Supporting Character - Susie (or the crazy cat lady...or the waiter)

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First official page. It's a dream sequence. Foreshadowing and all that. :P

Back to planning.

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Nominate TrevorAMueller.com in the 2009 Web Comic List Reader's Choice Awards (no need to sign up, but it helps if you put in some info so they know you're not a spambot). I'd take any nominations, but I'm specifically looking for:

- Best Writing
- The Innovation Award
- Best Supporting Character - Susie (or the crazy cat lady...or the waiter)

###

Here's a single page summing up the two previous prequels in this series, to help catch new readers up to speed - and also so everyone else doesn't have to re-read everything that came before to know what's going on. Assassin starts next week with a cover by myself, and then we'll get right into the thick of it. Tell your friends.

Assassin takes place before, during, and after the events of Hikari, by the by, so some of the details may be nice to know from that story - but shouldn't be necessary. Some half conversations will be completed, and the locations of some characters (like where was Malukai during Sophia's attack) should be answered.

Still deciding if I want to put the extended Bushido story in before the finale in Holy War, but I have some time to figure that one out.

In the meantime, I'm going back to writing scripts. I'm so behind....

Later!

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Nominate TrevorAMueller.com in the 2009 Web Comic List Reader's Choice Awards (no need to sign up, but it helps if you put in some info so they know you're not a spambot). I'd take any nominations, but I'm specifically looking for:

- Best Writing
- The Innovation Award
- Best Supporting Character - Susie (or the crazy cat lady...or the waiter)

###

Then in 2009, the Drunk Duck Awards rolled around again and the romance seemed to continue - but with a twist! Suddenly, it was inevitable. My creative juices started flowing, and having been in regular contact with the creators of But Not Really, we formed a plan and the story that unfolds before you is the result of that. The two girls came to stay with me for a full week, and we certainly went on some fun adventures. However, none would be more entertaining (or challenging) as acting out a fictional romance with someone that you just met for the first time in person.

So sit back, relax, pop some popcorn, and get ready for an an comedic internet romance two years in the making!

My Site

VOTE!

Nominate TrevorAMueller.com in the 2009 Web Comic List Reader's Choice Awards (no need to sign up, but it helps if you put in some info so they know you're not a spambot). I'd take any nominations, but I'm specifically looking for:

- Best Writing
- The Innovation Award
- Best Supporting Character - Susie (or the crazy cat lady...or the waiter)

###

Ever since the 2008 Drunk Duck Awards people have been asking when Jess and Trevor would get together. However, there was a problem with her being in Texas and me being in (originally Michigan) Chicago. Ideas were instantly thrown around about starting a separate web comic series where the two of us would be dating online and would eventually get together in real life, but were just as quickly abandoned.

(...to be continued until Friday...)