Upcoming Workshop in Montreal
May 24th, 2012
 I've been busy putting together a full day workshop I'll be giving at Elite 2012: The Annual Convention in Animation, Visual Effects and Video Games which will take place at Centre NAD in Montreal, Canada, from May 23rd to June 1st. I essentially intend to present and discuss the whole process of my experience working on Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet from the origination of the idea all the way to getting the game completed and released. Should be lots of fun. I wish my partner Joe Olson, who co-created the game, could be there with me, but unfortunately, his schedule won't permit.
My workshop will take place on Monday, May 28th. Furthermore, on June 1st, I will be part of Indie Camp, a one-day workshop hosted by Jason Della Rocca and five guest speakers, that will cover the ins and outs of succeeding in the business of games, with a focus on indie developers.
Interview @ Reminisc3.com
May 14th, 2012
Check out this recent interview with Joe and I discussing ITSP.
BAFTA Arrives!
May 12th, 2012
I finally received my BAFTA in the mail. The British Academy awarded us two statuettes, one for Joe and one for me. So cool... and so heavy too!
Projects Update
May 7th, 2012
Since the completion of "Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet", I've been furiously plugging away on two projects simultaneously.
The first is a 250-page graphic novel called ZED: A Cosmic Epic. This is not a reprint of the comic series but rather a reworking of it. In the graphic novel version, the content of the first six issues has been redrawn, re-colored (grayscale) and re-scripted. I'm making significant changes to all ten issues, adding pages and editing dialogue, so that it works as a cohesive graphic novel, rather than a reprint book. So in a sense, the comic series is completely unique in itself. If you haven't read the series, I invite you to check it out.
The other project is the film version of Fixed Fragmented Fluid, which initially took place as a live show on June 25th, 2010. The performance as well as reheasals were video documented and all the animation I played live was recorded in full 1080 HD. I'm fine tuning the animation and getting a hold of all the footage that was shot during the event. It will be either a feature or a featurette depending on how the editing goes.
I'm equally excited about both projects and will keep you posted here as they develop. More later, now back to work!
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is now on PC!
April 17th, 2012
Pre-order ITSP for PC at 25% off on Steam until April 17th
April 10th, 2012
Check it out!
Press Release from Fantagraphics
April 8th, 2012
 Jack Kirby is among the most influential American artists of the last century, but a substantial body of Kirby’s work has been largely overlooked until recently. In the post-war years, with the popularity of superhero comic books fading, Kirby teamed with writer Joe Simon to create the new genre of romance comics.
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery celebrates these forgotten works with “Young Romance: The Best of Simon & Kirby’s Romance Comics.” The interpretive exhibition opens on Saturday, April 14 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM with a discussion by Michel Gagné, author of a recent collection of the same title from Fantagraphics Books.
At the end of World War II, with soldiers returning from long deployments, romance was in the air. The superhero comics that served to instill a sense of patriotic heroism leading up to the global conflict had lost their appeal. Simon and Kirby seized on these emerging sensibilities to create one of the most popular comic book series of all time. Unlike previous comic book genres, the work appealed largely to women readers. The stories and imagery reflected mid-century American society while discretely challenging the conventional morality of the era. Kirby’s work from this period was mimicked by pop artist Roy Lichtenstein and others, and is emblematic of post-war American aesthetics.
Curator Michel Gagné will discuss his delicate restoration process at the opening reception on Saturday, April 14. An exhibition will display enlarged examples of Simon and Kirby’s romance comics and examine the creative process of these American masters. Gagné has worked as an animator and cartoonist for Pixar, Disney, DC Comics and the Cartoon Network. He won the 2011 Annie Award for Best Animated Video Game and the 2012 BAFTA GAME Award for Best Debut Game for his independent creation Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet.
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery is located at 1201 S. Vale St. (at Airport Way S.) just minutes from downtown Seattle. Open daily 11:30 to 8:00 PM, Sundays until 5:00. Phone 206.658.0110. This event coincides with the colorful Georgetown Art Attack featuring visual and performing arts presentations throughout the historic arts community.
YOUNG ROMANCE: The Best of Simon & Kirby’s Romance Comics — Curated by Michel Gagné
Opening reception and curator discussion Saturday, April 14, 6:00 to 9:00 PM. Exhibition continues through May 9, 2012.
Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
1201 S. Vale Street (at Airport Way S)
Seattle, WA 98108 206.658.0110
Open daily 11:30 – 8:00 PM, Sunday until 5:00 PM
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet PC Release Date Announced
April 2nd, 2012
Shadow Planet Productions is pleased to announce Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet will finally be unleashed on the PC gaming community. The critically acclaimed game was recently awarded the BAFTA for "Best Debut Game", the Annie Award (animation's highest honor) for "Best Animated Video Game", and has received numerous prizes and nominations from industry media outlets.
Shadow Planet Productions' partners and creators of ITSP, Michel Gagné and Joe Olson are particularly excited about this release as it will not only feature the single player Campaign and multiplayer Lantern Run, but will also include the Shadow Hunters Co-op mode which was released as a separate Game Add-On for the Xbox LIVE Arcade version. Players can play locally or online with their friends to defeat the infectious shadow entity once and for all!
"Seeing ITSP run on PC is a sight to behold", said Gagné, "but what I'm really excited about is to finally have Shadow Hunters as part of the main package. I feel like that Co-op mode didn't get the chance it deserved as a separate Game Add-On, but this time around, I'm confident it will". “ITSP is right at home on today’s powerful gaming PCs”, said Olson, “with increased resolution, improved controls, and two multiplayer modes we truly believe the PC version of ITSP packs in a lot of value.”
In conjunction with the PC release, the Xbox LIVE Arcade version will be discounted to 800 MSP. The Shadow Hunters Game Add-On will continue to be available for 400 MSP, letting Xbox 360 owners complete their Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet experience.
Additionally, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet will be available for pre-sale on Steam for 25% off one week prior to release, beginning April 10th, 2012 and ending April 16th, 2012.
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet for PC will be available for purchase on Steam on April 17th, 2012 for $14.99 USD and on Games For Windows LIVE Marketplace for 1200 MSP.
For more information on Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet visit www.shadow-planet-productions.com.
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