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MonsterPants
was founded in Boston in 1995 for the purpose of publishing the
independent comics anthology, COW. Three
issues were published featuring work by artist such as Aleksandar
Zograf (Bulletins from Serbia), Chad Verrill, J. Torres &
Tim Levins (The Copybook Tales), Pete Sickman-Garner (Hey Mister!),
Ty & Ian Smith (Oddjob), Bradford Scobie, Mick Cusimano (Underground
Surrealist), Tracey Mitchell, Rick & Al Limacher, Mike T. Gilbert
(Mr. Monster) and co-editor & publisher James
Felix McKenney, as well as many others. Also published was
McKenney's collection of FOUR SHORT PLAYS.
After moving
to Los Angeles in December 1996, MonsterPants went on hiatus for
two years until the co-publication of Aleksandar Zograf's PSYCHONAUT
#3, a title taken over from previous publisher, Fantagraphics
Books. In order to get the financing to Zograf's work published,
MonsterPants teamed up with Freight Films, who agreed to publish
PSYCHONAUT if it could be teamed with something to promote their
film in pre-production, THE PURSUERS. Due to a collapse of the
Brazilian economy (the source of financing as well as the location
for the film) THE PURSUERS motion picture never came to be, but
the five-page promotional comic can still be found in the back
of PSYCHONAUT #3.
In the year
2000, the first MonsterPants Movie went into production, CANNIBALLISTIC!
The film was McKenney's directorial debut. Again, working with
Freight Films, post-production was done in New York City, as MonsterPants
re-located once again. CanniBallistic premiered at The Pod in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn in January 2002. It was released a year
later on VHS and DVD by Dead Alive/Spectrum. Unbeknownst to the
director until it was too late, the distributor gave the release
a cover art featuring a photo of a blood-spattered actor with
McKenney's head pasted on, instead of a picture the film's star.
McKenney is still horrified to this day.
Also in 2002,
was the weekend shoot of the short film, THE WAKING DEAD. The
movie has never been released, but there are plans for it to debut
as a bonus item on a future, bigger and better DVD release of
CANNIBALLISTIC!
The second
MonsterPants feature, THE OFF SEASON,
like its predecessor, was shot in Southern Maine and was released
by Lions Gate Entertainment in 2005. This ScareFlick
was followed by the critically
acclaimed retro-styled
sci-fi horror film, AUTOMATONS,
available on DVD January 29, 2008. Both films feature genre legend
Angus Scrimm (Phantasm, Alias) in supporting roles.
McKenney and
company are gearing up for the final push on the next MonsterPants
Movie, SATAN
HATES YOU, which they have been
shooting in small segments since 2005 during the production of
other projects. The final and largest segment of SATAN HATES YOU
will be shot in June of 2008.
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