ECB Presents: THE EPIC CLUB VLOG - EPISODE I: A NEW POST

Greetings, dear readers.

Optiluiz here after yet another extended leave of absence. Before you stone me to death, however, I'd recommend watching our first Epic Club Vlog! In it, Max and I try to explain why we've disappeared, and talk about future projects that you guys might be interested in.

We promise that great things are coming for our humble blog, and you'll be a part of that! Thank you so much for reading/watching,

We'll keep you guys updated, and if you'd like to see more vlogs like this one, or any other kind of content, feel free to leave a comment, or email us at the usual address.

Chainsaw cheers,

- Optiluiz.

Cryptids and Summer Break

Greetings, readers!

     Optiluiz here on this wonderful February evening, rising from the dead! Actually, it was more like an extended vacation than death. I'm terribly sorry for the absence, but I've been dealing with some personal problems for a while, and I guess I needed some time off. We're back, however, and that's all that matters! Also, stay tuned for an alternate version of the comic below the post!

     Now, since my last post, I've travelled a bit to some far off places (both literally and metaphorically), and I'm ready to get back at it! This summer break has brought a lot of adventures, and plans for the future! If all goes as planned, I'll soon be returning to what I consider my home-country, and as Marty McFly would say, "Whoah, that's heavy, Doc!" In any case, during my travels I continued with my doodling, and here's an example which should soon show up again when I write a story about it!

     In other news, after seeing the Battle of the Five Armies in theaters and receiving my full Lord of The Rings novel in the mail (Not to mention downloading all the Skyrim expansions), I'm once again in FULL HIGH FANTASY MODE! I'll probably be like this for a while, so you'd better get used to it. I have a soft spot for fantastical worlds, and I guess it's just that time of year again.

     Regarding the comic, cryptozoology is one of my favourite hobbies and I'm actually surprised more of it doesn't show up in my writing, be it on the blog or otherwise. I'm seeking to correct that, and soon we'll be seeing a lot more Jersey Devils, Chupacabras and Mothmen on here! That reminds me, I've been binge-watching X-Files again and I whole-heartedly recommend it.

     I think that's all for now, folks. I'd better get back to orc/dragon-slaying and preparing for yet another RPG! I hope y'all forgive me for the late post, but I'll try to make it up to you with an alternate comic and an interesting video about LARPing below. For now, I wish you all a great week/weekend, and may the hair on your toes never fall out!

Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out. (Check the alternate comic below!)



PS: Regarding the alternate comic, torrent website ads just aren't what they used to be.

PPS: Not that I torrent or illegally download anything... right?

December Travels and a CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY! (CLOSED)

Greetings, jolly readers.

      Optiluiz here to forcibly shove some yuletide joy into your unprepared minds on this merry... Thursday. Yes, my friends, I'm posting early for the first time in forever! Actually, I'm only doing this because on Friday I'll be heading to the beach with my friends and won't be available for a while. Besides, I think we should all just enjoy the Holidays and not worry about posting for a while. Anyhow, on to the news, and remember to check out our giveaway details after the main post!

     Max and I are working on our next animated video, and I think it'll turn out ok. It'll probably be another remake of an old comic, but we're redrawing it to make things prettier! Animation is hard work, so it might still take a while to complete. In any case, I hope today's comic satisfies the humor-hungry readers out there. I'm also gonna test out my camera and editing skills on the new computer, so we might have some live-action videos as well! Be prepared, people.

     You know, living in Brazil has made it hard to fully appreciate the Christmas spirit, especially after childhood in Canada. The lack of snow, tv specials and general northerness kind of bums me out sometimes. However, I think the Christmas spirit should live on regardless of what continent you are in. As long as you're in the company of people you like and have access to a copy of The Nightmare Before Christmas, everything will be alright. (Yes, I have an annual tradition of re-watching that damned perfect film, and it's the only present anyone will ever need).

     Christmas is one of my favourite moments of the year, only losing to Halloween because there are no spooky things involved. I actually know a lot of people who don't care for it, but I can't imagine living life as a soul-less Grinch who can't enjoy the season of giving and cheer. Hell, my first goal for when I get horribly rich (and yes, it's when, not if), is to be able to buy EVERYONE I know some of the best Christmas gifts ever. But I digress, it's gonna be a while before that happens, and for now I guess the stuff I ordered on eBay will suffice. If it ever gets here.

     Alas, I do believe it's time to go. I'm sure you all have your own holiday matters to attend to, and I have to get ready for travel (and a few more stop-motion Christmas Specials as well). Hopefully I'll make another post before New Year's, as I think this was an amazing year with some events that warrant commenting on the blog. Until then, I hope you all have a great Christmas, with much love, partying and presents. I'll leave you with a Weird Al classic, to get y'all in the mood.

Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.

PS: Don't forget to check out my Christmas-y short story on the 29th!

PPS: Anyone else excited for the Doctor Who Christmas Special? God, I love Christmas Specials!

BONUS ROUND: In the spirit of Christmas, I've decided to do the Epic Club Blog's first Christmas Giveaway! Yes, folks, you all have a chance to win a downloadable copy of the survival horror game "Afterfall: Insanity - Extended Edition!" All you have to do to enter is comment below! Just tell us what your favourite ECB comic is, and you'll have a confirmed entry. We'll announce the winner on our next post before New Year's, so be quick about it (CLOSED). 

There And Back Again...

Greetings readers,

     Optiluiz here on this fine Friday eve- Oh, it's Saturday now. In any case, I'm here to present you all with something awesome as an apology for not posting since Halloween. I've been rather busy these past weeks and have had to deal with some personal issues, but now we're back and that's all that matters!

     Anyway, the Epic Club Show is finally a thing, and Max and I are working as hard as we can on producing some quality videos for all you dudes and dudettes. The above teaser is, for now, only a remake of an old comic, but we'll be making original content soon, and there'll be more teasers as well.

     Well, I watched the last Hobbit movie last night, and I loved it. Sure, it kind of glossed over some pretty important scenes as if they were nothing, but I still found it to be a great movie. My opinion is quite biased, however, as I have some fond memories regarding both the book and films. I saw all three of them with my girlfriend as soon as they were released, and I will never regret it. I guess it's time for a picture to break the ice, so here's the wonderful gift Annie got me before the movie!

     Cool, eh? I've always thought that Sting made a better sword than musician, and now I'll carry it around everywhere I go. Although, I am waiting for a smaug pendant to arrive in the mail any day now, which is pretty cool as well. In fact, I'm waiting for a lot of things in the mail, as I spent most of my writer's pay on ebay and some pay-what-you-want game deals. This also reminds me that on the 29th, my Christmas story will be online on Saturday Night Reader!

     On a final note, I now have a good computer to work on! It's what made the video possible today, so we all better love him/her! For the first time I can actually decently game and edit videos on my own computer, and it is just blissfull. Almost as motivating as the great reviews I've been getting on the Writing Forums, which I joined earlier this month in an attempt to advance my creative skills. 

     So... I guess that's all for now, friends and readers. Sorry for this long time with no posts, but I promise you that we are alive and well, and new amazing things are on the horizon! Just wait and see! I guess I'll leave you with something relevant to how I felt last night during the movie, just so I don't have to suffer through it alone. I wish you all a great week (be it a great week whether you like it or not, or a week to be good on).

Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.

PS: Guess who's getting Urth of the New Sun for Christmas, bitchez?

PPS: Aaaand here's the Halloween Costume picture I promised back in October:

Published Horror, Free Pizza and Koreans!

Greetings,

     Optiluiz here once more on this fine Friday evening with some awesome news! But first, let's take a moment to remember that South-Koreans are still prohibited from watching porn, and that's awful. With no carnal distractions, they keep dominating us in online games. Please let this madness stop! Now, onto some lighter news...

     My short horror story is finally online! Yay! I've been waiting for this for a while, and this story is based on adventures regarding myself and Max! Here's a link to Saturday Night Reader, where my story "Buried Intentions" is being hosted. It's a great site, with calming rain sounds and lots of story options to choose from (Choose mine, though!). Now here's a random doodle from pre-blog times. Please don't judge. 

  

     Didya like it? I only uploaded the image after having already written this, so I have no idea what you just saw, but I know it was great because Optiluiz was the one responsible. And speaking of great things, I got free pizza with Max yesterday! That's just something I thought didn't exist in real life. But I was wrong. We live in the best of possible worlds, friends.

     Other than that I guess I can say it's been a slow week. Max and I are discussing a remake/refurbishing of older comics in order to make something new and awesome. Also, our paranormal videos, which are almost certain at this point. Which reminds me, our paypal button is still there so we wouldn't mind some help raising the money to buy our own domain name and make this blog as awesome as it can be! But I think I'm rambling, so I should go now.  

     Thanks for reading, and I hope everyone has a great weekend. Let's celebrate the little things and wave at our far-away problems! I'll leave you guys with a paranormal video from a guy I admire. The Dead Explorer has some great videos, so I hope you like this one.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/k62OCHbKcA4]

Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.

PS: Hey, Max here! I'm way too stoned on my meds to really say something, but I guess there was supposed to be something about K-PORN in this comic.

Strike, Donations and the Book of the New Sun!

Greetings,

     Optiluiz here again after quite some time. My scanner still hasn't been fixed, so I have to borrow my girlfriend's. (Thanks Annie!) Anyway, the comic was my explanation for writer's block. Sometimes the character's just don't want to do anything, hence the strike. but now, onto blog news...

     My extended vacation is finally over, but I promise that I'll keep posting as regularily as possible. Toast finally made his introduction, and we're hoping to review a lot more around here. Remember, comment with any suggestions! Also, we've finally set up a donation button so you readers can help us make the blog even better! Current goals are our own domain name, and some design updates. So, if you can spare some cash, we'd totally like to use it. And now, to this month's most important detail...



     I've finally finished the Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe. All I can say is "Holy shit." Actually, I can say a lot more. This has turned out to be my new favourite book, and it's simply amazing. Who would have thought that the story of an exiled torturer travelling the peculiar lands of a dying earth with religious undertones could be so engaging? The characters are memorable, the story itself is incredible and the writing is strange yet hypnotizing.

     The actual book is divided into four parts, Shadow of the Torturer, Claw of the Conciliator, Sword of the Lictor and finally, Citadel of the Autarch. My favourite was the third, although Terminus Est bei- Sorry, I won't spoil it. Just don't go in expecting this to be as simple as Star Wars or something more Tolkien-esque. This story works on much higher (or perhaps much deeper) levels, with Severian, the protagonist, being somewhat akin to a modern-day goth Christ-figure, dressed in fuligin (the colour darker than black!).

     But I think I've said enough about this book. You all should read it, this is pretty much the next Bible, only more entertaining and with more pain and sufferi-actually, it's about the same in the last respect. I guess I'll leave you with an inspired song, and I hope that everyone has a great weekend. And my the New Sun come upon us soon.



Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.

PS: They actually invented real-life fuligin a few weeks back, isn't that awesome???

Emos, Magic and Toast!

Greetings!

     Optiluiz here (late again) with some great news! First of all, this post's art has been done by none other than Max, who finally exorcised the lazy spirits that were possessing him! Good job, Max! If he's up to it, we'll be seeing a lot more of his art around here. I'm also back in my own home, ready for more adventures! And in other news...

     We have a new blog member, ladies and gentlepersons! Prepare to meet Toast, our resident reviewer! I've been rather lazy regarding our movie reviews, so we've brought someone in that's sure to spice things up. My girlfriend (see, she's real enough to comment on things) usually refers to him as the Rich Texan Harry Potter for some reason. He'll be making his own introductory post shortly, but for now here's our friend Toast: 

      Coolio, eh? He'll also be taking care of our finances, since I'm pretty busy with Fatal Frame 2 and murderi-I mean, playing Magic the Gathering! So, my deck is pretty awesome now, and I'm feeling pretty good about my skills as a planeswalker. If anyone cares enough to check out my pimped out deck, here's a link. I named it Terminus Est, after the sword in The Book of the New Sun, which I've been reading. I've also been writing short stories and trying to get them published, which is fun, I guess.

     I highly recommend reading said book, which is one of the best fantasy things I've read since the Hobbit earlier this year. I also recommend getting yourself and some friends hooked on Magic. It's fun for all ages but still requires a lot of skill to master. I'm actually patient 0 in my circle of friends, being the one that originally thought about playing (And I beat Max all the time!).

     Anyway, I think that's all for now. I technically did write this on a Friday, though the lack of a scanner made things difficult. I'm still on vacation as well, trying to relax and now trying to ready TWO seperate RPGs. Well, I think I'll leave ya'll with a video about Magic, since it's my current obsession. I hope you all have a great weekend!



Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.

PS: I want all of you portuguese speakers to visit Better Stay Inside right now! My awesome friend Maah is in charge of that blog, and she is almost as great as I am!

Were-Pandas and paranormal stuff and things...

     Greetings!

     Optiluiz here once more on this fine Friday evening. Yeah, I brought back the Were-Panda. I like the Were-Panda. Anyways, Max and I have been having some actual adventures late. Reliving the glory days of old, and being superheroes and whatnot, but that's a story for another time. Right now, let's rejoice because our dragons are alive! Now it's up to you readers to decide their names!

     Well, one viewer suggested that we made a post on werewolves and other paranormal things. Since I love you guys and would do almost anything for views, let's do this! 

     It's no secret that I'm a sucker for all things paranormal, especially cryptozoology (the study of 'secret' or 'hidden' creatures), and few legends can compete with that of the werewolf, predating bigfoot and even nessie. You see, werewolves have been recorded in history since before the ancient Greeks, though the mythology isn't always consistent with what we consider to be 'modern werewolves'. Even vikings belived in shapeshifting warriors which could turn into animals by donning the pelt of a predator. Now here's some wolf-inspired art!


     Like it? If you want to see more of these fine drawings, visit my cousin Ketrin's blog at http://katzdesenhos.blogspot.com.br/ ! She draws a lot better than myself, so I think you'll enjoy it. 

     Now back to werewolves, like witches, many people were persecuted during medieval times under suspicion of lycanthropy (the condition of being a werewolf, which nowadays refers to the psychological affliction). But in fact, many medieval doctors already suspected this to be an illness of the mind, and not actual black magic, though many accused were burned at the stake. Even so, the legend of the werewolf lives on, and I know a lot of people, even inside my own family, that swear that they've seen a wolfman at one point or another. I wish I'll get to see something like that some day...

     I think that's all I can say regarding werewolves, but if you're interested in the subject, I recommend you watch American Werewolf in London, the Ginger Snaps trilogy and Dog Soldiers! These are my favourite werewolf movies, and I'll leave a mini-documentary regarding the infamous Warren paranormal investigators facing a supposed werewolf. So, I hope you guys have a great weekend, and tell us what you think our dragons should be named!



Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.

PS: Max prefers to be a vampire, but more on that later...

PPS: I'm a werewolf in Skyrim, so yeah...

Julami and otherworldly things...

Greetings!

     Optiluiz here once more, and I'd like to add that there is some truth to the above comic, but we'll get there soon enough. Well, since we last posted I found out that the new Robocop is actually pretty good (I'm not even joking), the RPG didn't pan out yet (but I'm working on it!) and I had an idea for a movie (again, more on that later.)

Though I'm still playing Skyrim like it's a part-time job, this week stuff actually happened. Max and I accidentally summoned a being called Julami after jokingly (and badly) making a Ouija board and trying it out. It was our first time doing this, and it was all pretty fun, though everything was homemade and improvised. We don't know much about Julami other than that he's rather useless and a bit of a pushover. At least he'll keep Max company. In other news...

     Our dragon died. Yeah, not enough visits or clicked. I hope you're happy... But have no fear! I've adopted two new eggs which seem to be doing a lot better. If things keep up they'll hatch soon, so common clubbers, let's make sure the blog has two new reptilian pets. Or flying war-machines, depends on our mood, really. And speaking of dragons...



     That's as close as I could get to an actual motivational poster, guys. And hopefully that's the last dragon I'll be drawing for a while. But you never know, fate could have something else in store for our doodles here.

     Other than all that, I think that this is the closest I've ever come to actually making a movie with Max in real life, so hopefully we'll have more stuff for you guys as time goes on. It actually has to do with Julami, and I think it fits with everything I like to write about here on the blog. And one more thing, sorry, no worthy pictures were taken at the zombie walk. Better luck next time.

     I guess that's all for now, but before I go, here's a video about something really awesome. Someone is actually trying to make a Silent Hill movie that feels like Silent Hill! Sure the acting's sub par and it gets a bit cheesy, but this has potential and is turning into a feature-length fan-film. Anyways, have an awesome Friday!



Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.

PS: I just barely posted this on time!

Guess who's back? Back again!

Wow.

     Here we are again. It's 2014, and we're back again. I guess deep down I always knew one day I might return. I'm not sure why, but I knew. Well, to make a long story short, the blog is back in action! Years have passed and things have changed, but, for your enjoyment, the Epic Club Blog lives on! It's funny how these things work, but to be honest, I just really missed this place.

     Along with me is Max, the original Co-founder of the blog. We've decided to give this blog another shot of adrenaline right in the heart. It feels good to be back, folks. The ECB 4.0 is a new creature, and I hope you guys will enjoy it. Life has changed much after all these years, but some things stay the same, and I hope you'll embrace our new posts, and we can all be a big, happy (and slightly evil), club again!

     Now, for those just tuning in, why don't you visit our About Us page? And meanwhile, let me introduce you to the blog's main characters! (We'll update this when Max decides to help out).


     Optiluiz is me, The maniacal chainsaw-weilding co-founder of the ECB. He's obviously the most awesome person in this plane of existence, and is ready to fight for that position. He has a hate/hate relationship with his buddy Max (the ex-emo clown), and also really loves movies. A lot. Almost as much as chainsaws. He's also the world's best aspiring writer, and everyone should love him.


     Oh, El Hijo Del Diablo. He goes by many other names, but this sly devil is one of Optiluiz's 'buddies' and shows up every once in a while due to the blog's character's being so darn naughty. He's a good soul at heart, and enjoys roasting orphans on an open fire and long strolls on the lava beaches of hell. Piña Coladas are optional.

     More character bios will be added soon, as soon as Max makes his contribution. You'll see these fellows in our web-comics very soon, and I hope you'll enjoy their misadventures. And by the way, we'll be focusing on hand-drawn content from now on! Takes a long time but it's worth it. Right? RIGHT???

     We don't really look like our cartoonish avatars anymore, but I believe that these guys are still a part of us inside, and I guess that's all that matters. (I never really lost the taste for chainsaws, myself).

     Well, thanks for being here all this time. We've still had lots of views even during the hiatus (even though the most visited post was the Gimp one...), so I'd like to thank all of you. We'll be posting more reviews and videos soon. For now, why don't you listen to the Final Countdown, our blog's Anthem, of course (I know I did. A few hundred times...).

     Chainsaw cheers, everyone.

- Optiluiz out.

PS: It's fucking good to be back!

PSS: Come back soon for our edit with Max's bio!

Optiluiz's Final Transmission

Greetings.

     Wow. Has it really been that long? I feel like I owe you guys an apology. Or at least an explanation for this absence. I remember when this blog was something really important to me. A safe haven for my thoughts when I'd rather not share them with most people. To be honest, I think I left the blog because I thought I didn't need it anymore, and it didn't need me. Now they say the world is ending, and I think back to myself and... well, I guess I'll share this with you guys, as well as some art from 2012. 

     You might think that the blog was abandoned because I no longer had anything to write about. Au contraire, mon amis. This has been the most fucked up year of my life. I can't even begin to describe the bizarre nature of events that took place, but I don't regret a minute of it. Or maybe I do. Anyhow, it's too late for regrets. I think I really found myself this year. Artistically, philosophically and heck, I think I even found a heart underneath all the apathy.

     So much changed during all this time. Things I thought could never change. I met new people, got reacquainted with old friends and even met someone I actually care about. Yeah, I know, I'm as surprised as you are. I guess I wasn't that sociopathic after all. Well, I don't know if one person outweighs the world, but to me she does. Don't worry though, I still hate people as much as before. Just not all of them...

     Hell, I went through all extremes this year. From total nihilism to passion, from bliss to complete and utter depression. I even went from student to teacher in the space of just a few months. I even began hating some of the things that I cared about the most. In the end, I think it was all worth it. In the time away from the blog, I've written one and a half scripts and even a short story or two.

     Anyhow, this surprise post was inspired by two things. A sense of longing nostalgia regarding this blog and all the effort that was put into it, and the end of the world. More precisely, Europe's "The Final Countdown". Yeah, I still remember. I still remember discussing a blog with Max, and I still remember reviewing movies without the proper knowledge and still getting a kick out of it. I still remember staying up late drawing chainsaws because I was going to fucking make that deadline.

     To be honest, though I like to think that someone out there enjoyed our run, I know that deep down this was all for me. I learned a lot here too. Not just this year. It's just that now, there are new things to worry about, new people to attend to and new challenges ahead. So I think it's time to say goodbye. Thank you for being there when others couldn't, and thank you for helping to keep me "sane". I don't regret a single moment I spent writing here.

     Sure, I'll move on to new projects. This doesn't have to be the final word. But alas, I believe it is time to bring some closure towards the Epic Club Blog. You guys are the best, and I hope you forgive me for being away for so long. Also, I'd like to thank Max, Decepti-Drew and Isa for all their hard work in keeping this thing afloat. So this is farewell. Conveniently, a short while away from the supposed end of the world. Godspeed, comrades. See you on the other side.

Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.



PS: I don't really think the world will end this Friday, but one can hope, right? We should all at least try to go out in style. Epic Club Style.

PPS: I hope we really did make this the best blog ever! Right, Max?