We could have run a post about that fake bigfoot story from last week, seeing how the dead sasquatch turned out to be nothing more than an old gorilla costume filled with old socks and rotten meat. But then we thought, what the hell’s so unusual about that? (We’ve got half a dozen old costumes filled with a wide variety of rotting crap out in the D18 garage.)

But we knew we HAD TO post some mention of this story, in which a couple of real life ninjas were caught trying to bust up a local drug ring. Sure, these two shmucks may have watched one too many Martin Lawrence-dressed-as-old-woman-cop movies to be inspired to such vigilante tactics, but they showed heart while doing it. But then again, can you still call yourself a ninja if you get caught?

The Union of Novelty Costumed Performers is putting out an advisory to all Pennsylvania residents to be on the lookout for this band of deranged penis mascots. They are NOT members of the Union and should be treated with extreme prejudice.

Speaking of “extreme prejudice,” here is one more reason to hate clowns with a righteous fury: http://nakedclowncalendar.com/bio.html

Oh, and you’re probably wondering what the hell is going on with the D18 TPB. Word on that soon enough. Be patient. In the meantime, go bludgeon a clown.

What you’ve been seeing these past few weeks and will see for a few weeks to come are what we originally solicited as Division 18 issues #1-3. Actually, “Issue 3″ was never solicited as a stand alone, but it would have completed our initial offering for the Division 18 Trade Paperpack. We hope you enjoy the new content, even if it is a pain to lug into the bathroom.

So, what happened to those original solicited books? Shit happened, that’s what. Ain’t that always the case?

But Jeremy and I are happy we got as far as we did pushing our cruddy little gem through Silent Devil. At the end of the day, the realities of small press publishing — especially the ones that apply to black-and-white independent comedy comics created by a couple of no-name newbies — proved to be too much of an obstacle to ignore. Hence, the redesign. Let’s move on, shall we?

In ”issue 3,” which we’ll refer to from here on as “The Union Files,” you’ll get to see MY first crack at penciling some of the D18 crew’s antics. You’ll also finally get to see those long-promised pages from Josh Adams. And keeping it all together is the glue, Jeremy Donelson, with some pencils of his own, and ALL of the inks and letters. After “The Union Files,” Jeremy will even be kicking me to the curb from time to time to knock out some solo D18 stories (though they’ll still carry my rubber stamp of co-creation). Be sure to bookmark the site and subscribe to our RSS feed, and we’ll be sure to keep the new comics coming.

No more dealines. No more false promises. Hell, send us an e-mail and we’ll probably even take requests! THIS is the new place to get your complete Division 18 fix. Tell a friend. Punch an enemy. Support the Union!

~Matt Bergin

Our buddy, THE Peter V. Brett, wrote a little something on his blog about Division 18, so now I’m writing a little something here about him writing his little somthing. Follow?

Peat is on his way to being able to buy and sell each and every one of us, as he is in the process of conquering the world of fantasy fiction. His planned trilogy (the first book, The Warded Man, available now for pre-order) is being hailed by some as the next big thing in fanasy. His work has been called “unputdownable” — and that, my friends, isn’t even a real word!

Consider all the money you are saving because D18 is now online for free and buy his book.

~Matt

I was blog-hopping around the internets recently and found out about a new, top-rated, fan-favorite, original Zuda webcomic about a couple of thugs in mascot costumes who work an innocuous day job with an office upstairs from their favorite dive-bar hangout, and in their spare time get tangled up in criminal mischief, including assaulting chumps in gator costumes.

No, it’s not Division 18. And no, Jeremy and I didn’t have anything to do with it (at least not voluntarily or cognizantly). Ain’t that a kick in the pants?

Friggin’ scabs.

Zuda presents

I have other interests and hobbies when I’m not scribbling typo-filled outlines for Jeremy to turn into polished, fully scripted and illustrated comic stories writing Division 18. One is being a parent. Another is being a pop culture geek. And my latest non-Union time killer is writing about being a pop culture geek parent, in my ForcesofGeek.com column, Pop on Pop.

You should go read it. Not necessarily because you’ll like it. Just because we take like 6 months to update THIS friggin’ site between issues and you’ll probably be bored just sitting here, in your gator panties, staring at the screen pressing “Refresh” every 20 seconds. 

~Matt B

Wellll, technically, it’s more of a video. And it isn’t an adaptation of the comic or anything featuring Snake, Lou or any other D18 characters. It’s a no-budget video short set in River City and featuring some brand new UNCP mascot mooks. Rehearsal and costume fittings took place over VD weekend (that’s the romantic holiday, not the itchy aftermath), and the one day shoot will take place on Sunday, Feb 22, at the Connecting Bar in The Bronx, NY.

Check out Joey ‘Roo, Cell-Fiona, and the Banana Man trying on their costumes at last week’s rehearsal.

 Let’s hope my buddies at Level 92 Films can pull this off, or we’ll be breaking more than a leg.

~Matt

P.S. — You can follow me on Twitter now: @D18Matt. You’ll find out the latest Division 18 info there before we post it here.

Thanks again to Level 92 Films for taking the time and pulling together the resources to shoot this Division 18 promotional video while we sharpen our pencils and work on new material for volume 2 of the actual D18 comic. Joey the Roo ain’t got nuthin on Jimmy the Snake, but you’ll see the final video before you see any new comic pages — so embrace it.

And while you wait for that, here are some photos from the set:

We shot at The Connecting Bar on the Yonkers/Bronx border in NY. There’s nothing quite like spending a Sunday afternoon with your 16-month-old baby in a bar. Pass the beer nuts!

SPOILER: My script called for a lot more baby business than we could actually pull off, what with the baby being an actual untrained baby, with wants and needs and diapers. Luckily, we had a (stuffed) body double to use whenever Alexa threw a fit.

River City is a rough town, so you can count on plenty of fisticuffs. Here, Director Dean – a former Olympic hopeful in the bitchslapathon and 12th degree red belt in gymkata — offers up some Matrix-esque fight choreography. 

It was a fun but long day for everyone (especially long for Alexa, who threw a fit every time we tried to film her, and Dean, who had to reshoot everything around Alexa’s fits). Hopefully, the finished product will pay off.

~Matt B

P.S. — More on the comic when there’s more comic to be on about!

Apparently, Brit pop singer, Lilly Allen is making a play for Union membership in case this whole singing thing doesn’t work out for her–and you’ll find no complaints here. As you can see, she looks good in fur, and we’ve heard she can drink like a fish. If the chick can crack a safe, we’re in business!

Here at D18 headquarters, we know two things about running marathons — Jack and Squat (and Jack just left town). And the only things we know about London is that boiled meat rots yer teeth and even the hobos sound like professors. But we just caught wind that them limeys have a friggin scab army! Follow the link for spy pics galore of scabs doing one of the things scabs do best – RUNNING. Bollocks!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-50-best-costumes-at-the-2009-london-marathon

Scabs on the run.