ITK Newsletter, no. XCII: No Show??? + FCL for June, Week 1!!

Jun 13, 2019

Welcome Dear Loonies!

Well, my golly golly gosh! What a week it has been!

As some of you are well aware, we released our 100th episode on ITK and revealed all our little surprises for all our listeners.

I'll be taking a break from recording this week, to rejuvenate after such an epic episode, but I'll be using that time wisely - I'm hoping to write more on our newly featured serial, and I may be dropping a line to some friends of the show to see if we can tee up an appearance on a LUNAR-PICK, ISLA RA or SPOTLIGHT in the phases of the Moon to come!

In my absence, the other two High Priests Connorshu and Rebecca MAY drop something for this week, so I can't tell you what it will be on, but whatever it is, I'm sure it will be entertaining!

(As heard on our previous episode - the fact that Khonshu has lost his Sceptre, has interefered with our show's scheduling and format...so anything goes!)

So there could well be an episode this weekend - or there could well not...please just keep an eye out on your podcatcher for any updates to your ITK subscription!

Anyhoo!! -

I thought I'd take this opportunity as well to reflect a bit on our 100th episode and give you a bit more insight into how it all got put together. Needless to say, I'm as proud as can be in the 100th episode - it's certainly the most ambitious one yet and it's length also reflects the desire we had to try and give you as memorable episode as we possibly could!

First and foremost, want to say how much of an honour it was to be able to chat to Doug Moench, Greg Smallwood and JM DeMatteis!

I can't believe that the expectations we set ourselves for the 100th episode was not only met but exceeded! I had thrown a wide net out there to many of the Moon Knight Alumni, and am forever grateful that Doug, Greg and JM were so gracious as to respond and give their time for our humble little show.

The interview with JM was the last one we conducted and I again was blessed to have had Anthony from Capes on the Couch join me in chatting with JM. Anthony (as previously mentioned is an Omega Level Loony) is a HUGE JM fam and his favourite run of Moon Knight is the Scarlet Redemption. Having missed out on our review of the arc, I thought it only fair that he join me in chatting with Mr. DeMatteis and we all had a really good time!

I seriously could have chatted with JM and Anthony for another hour or so, but you can most likely hear in the background, my own little Loony, Finn, crying...! Both JM and Anthony were very accommodating with this and they professionally carried on, which I totally admire. If you've heard the interview, I strongly recommend picking up JM DeMatteis' 'Moonshadow - Definitive Edition'...it looks bloody good! Also, if you are in the area, consider JM DeMatteis' writing workshop or consultation from Imagination 101 or Creative point...

The interview with Greg Smallwood was the first interview I got on tape, and it was actually during the move we made from one apartment to another in the same building. I recorded it in the empty living room of our old apartment (you can kinda hear the echo) and as a little behind-the-scenes, both Greg and I had MASSIVE gremlins in our Skype! The interview itself is made up of at least 4-5 separate recordings, and a fair bit of editing, as we'd have to stop the chat, and pick up again once Skype reconnected..thankfully I'm glad it didn't effect the final result and the chat was very relaxed and so much fun to do. Greg is most certainly a night owl, so this time it was the wee hours of the night for him and around mid-morning for me....

In stark contrast, the chat I had with Doug had me in all sorts! Although Doug was very apologetic for the time I had to wake up for the chat (4am!), I reassured him that it was only a small bit of effort to be able to get to chat with such a huge creator, so in reality it was no problem at all. To add to that, I also had a vicious cold and was coming off a week of being beaten down with a virus, so it is a very scratchy voice you can hear during the chat, but again after warming up to it, it was such an entertaining talk with THE guy that created THE character that we all know and love. I guess I didn't really know what to expect with Doug Moench. I didn't know what type of person he was and I'd listened to some of his interviews on other podcasts and read some articles in which he featured, but I got to say the only word I can describe Doug is, 'funky'. He has such a vibrant personality it's hard not to be affected by it, and so when he started telling me about his early days in the Marvel office, and his early jobs where he got to write at the dead of night...or when we got to hang around with The Who and Jimi Hendrix....well, ...that stuff is just gold!

Another MAJOR factor that made this show so special was the selfless contribution made by good mate, Wayne Hunt. Wayne isn't only one of the coolest and kindest blokes I know, but he's also generous to a fault. It's because of Wayne that we managed to not only elevate our 50th episode, by giving us great art (who can forget Conquer Lord giving Moon Knight a suplex??), but we also managed to make our 100th episode extra special by providing not one, but two original artworks! Wayne messaged me and said he felt inspired to creat something for our episode, ...and who am I to stop him? :)

It wasn't long before he sent over the drafts and I was just in awe at the beauty (the first artwork) and the pop comedic aspects (the second one) of his work - 

So a huge thank you Wayne for being our 'face' of the episode!

Not only that, but Wayne also messaged me with a surprise that rivalled his artwork - he said that he bought some comics that could be used a prize giveaways for the show! Again, I was gob-smacked by this and it just seemed that all the pieces for the show were coming together...we'd never conducted a giveaway before, and so we had heaps of fun thinking of ways to make it a competition and to figure out whether it should be announced on the 100th, or whether the winners be announced on the 100th.

As a little side note, you'll kinda hear that in our ITK Serial - 'The Hunt for Khonshu's Golden Sceptre' - there are 'clues' dropped in the serial. The idea was to have them as clues for Loonies to pick up on, when the competition was ANNOUNCED on the 100th episode. In the end, I couldn't wait any longer, so decided to announce the competition beforehand, and have the WINNERS announced on the 100th...small detail, but yeah...just in case anyone picked that up...!:P

Segue-ing straight into the ITK Serial....

Ahem...yes, this is something we thought we'd test on the show and see what sort of a response we'd get. From our end, I'm speaking on behalf of everyone involved, but I thought we all had a blast doing it! It's all tongue in cheek, and I believe most of us are fans of that Wolverine 'Long Night' serial, so why not try our own?

I'm pretty excited to try and write this thing, but as mentioned on the show, it's also an open invitation to get more Loonies involved - do you write as well? Would you be keen to take 'The Hunt for Khonshu's Golden Sceptre' further? Or do you like to have a go at acting? Either way, it would be great to drop us a line and let us know what you would be keen to do...we can either write you into an episode, or discuss what you'd want to write for the serial, and where you want to take it...it's a huge sandbox, Loonies - and we want everyone (who's keen to) to play!

So a huge thank you to the High Priests Connor and Rebecca, The Power of Chad, Dustin 'Cold Case' Kurtz, Josh 'Geronimo' Johnson and Tommy 'The Man on the Streets' for indulging this madcap Loony to bring the serial to life...!

Let us know what you thought of the episode and the interviews, serial, competition, Dear Khonshus etc...if you liked them, or would like to see something else on the show...we're more than happy to respond! You can catch us on any of these platforms - 

• Email: itkmoonknight@gmail.com
• Podcast Page: http://intotheknight.libsyn.com
• Facebook Page: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Podcast
• Facebook Group: Into the Knight - A Moon Knight Fan Base
• Twitter: @ITKmoonknight
• Discord ITK Server: ITK Server
• Twitch: COMING SOON!

#ITKMoonKnight 2019 Fantasy Comic League - June, Week 1

The current season of #FantasyComicLeague continues on in the month of June, Loonies, and we've got an update on the new drafts that your team members (Connorshu, Dustin, Chad, Tommy and Rey) have chosen for the new month.

The first week has already come and gone, and the points have been scored for each of the characters. Below you can see the current scorecards for each of the team members. Still early days yet, and anything can happen again during the month - 

Tommy made a late charge and came in at second place, followed by me (Rey), 'Cold Case' Kurtz, and The Power of Chad rounding off the group - 

High Priest of Khonshu, Reynaldo Gesmundo

Due to the results in May, I've been allowed to retain two of my previous players and so I've chosen to stick with Deadpool and Captain America. Those guys seem to be rather consistent - I just hope I chose the right powers for them. I've gone for two other big names in Iron Man and the Hulk. They don't necessarily translate into big points, but after perusing this month's comics, they're in with a chance...

Dustin 'Cold Case' Kurtz

Dustin was allowed to retain up to three of his players, and he's made full use of that option by retaining the supernatural/mystical titans of Blade, Doctor Strange and Ghost Rider. Dustin's also picked up a MASSIVE draw with Wolverine this time - an opportunity which arose due to last month's winner, Connorshu, not allowed to retain any of his players...

Tommy 'The Man on the Streets' Kawel

Tommy starts off solid again with a pretty decent pack of characters. Retaining only Venom, Tommy has managed to pick up Punisher and Daredevil, both of whom performed very well last month. Let's see how they go this month, but expect Tommy to shoot up the ladder!

High Priest of Khonshu, Connorshu Stephens

Poor Connorshu has had it tough for the month following May - he's had to relinquish ALL his players (due to being top of the table last month), and a busy schedule has seen him miss out on the drafting deadline...giving him two auto-drafts in Silver Surfer and Doctor Voodoo! Still, I imagine Captain Marvel will give him many points, but the new Silver Surfer title (and the Guardians of the Galaxy) may give Connorshu the boost he needs to return to the top!

'The Power of' Chad Jernigan

Our maverick, Chad had the opportunity to change his whole team, but sticking with his favourite characters has confirmed an identical team to last month. You never know with this sort of thing - although Chad rounded off the ladder last month, this month his players may yield even more points - it only really depends on how they are written for the books this month...so there's the very possibility that Chad may surprise all the others and climb up that ladder!

Well, that about wraps it, Loonies for this newsletter - a bit of a long one, but a great chance to reflect on our milestone just past...as well as give you an update on our Fantasy Comic League progress!

Thanks once again for reading this newsletter and listening to our podcast! Spread the word of Khonshu and Moon Knight if you can...would be great to interact and hear from new fans (and old ones who've only just recently come across our community!)

Keep watching that night sky, and keep tuning in!!

May Khonshu Watch Over the Denizens of the (K)Night,

Rey

Proud Member of The Collective