Print Version of The Talented now available!

Finally, you can read the comic as it was meant to be read.

Check it out!

The Talented Issue 1 now on ISSUU

We've been experimenting with distributing The Talented online in various forms, and I think this is my favorite.

Open publication - Free publishing - More sabir

If you move your mouse over the middle, there's a full-screen option.

It. Is. Awesome.

The Webcomic List

Hey everyone,

We're now on the webcomic list. Check it out here

There's tons of other cool stuff on that site, too, so take a look.

technical difficulties

It has come to our attention that the site cannot be viewed properly on internet explorer. There's just a lot of black and misalignment.

We have no idea how to solve this problem. May we suggest that you try to view it using mozilla firefox or google chrome? Those seem to work just fine.

Thank You and we are sorry that we aren't typical indians and therefore good with computers.

First issue complete!

That's right! Our double-sized first issue is done and can be read in its entirety here.

We'll still be updating the site with extras and backup materials, and this blog will continue to contain new stuff as well.

Like this for instance. Discarded pages from issue 1, featuring Conner.

Monday Meeting: April 27th; Part II

Omar: wow, sabir, you sure are asking me a lot of questions
this brings us to

10 QUESTIONS

so if this goes well, Sabir and I will do this on a weekly basis
we each have 5 questions to ask each other
that have to do with geek culture and personal taste
so who should go first?

Sabir: why don't we alternate questions?
I'll start
Which superhero costume do you think would best accentuate your physical features?

Omar: haha at first I read "superhero" and I was going to ask "like if we were a couple"
hmm
Oh, duh
Miss Marvel

Sabir: hahaha

Omar: or Power Girl haha

Sabir: I've got this hilarious image in my head

Omar: who designed Power Girl's outfit

Sabir: I can't stop laughing
I have no idea

Omar: hahaha ah im glad
so my first question is in the same toe

1. It's WonderCon 2010, you are wearing your favorite female comic character costume. What is it?

Sabir: Poison Ivy

Omar: way to ruin that image! thans man
fucker

Sabir: haha sorry
Oh, I completely forgot!

Omar: my entire libido is just...shot now

Sabir: There was a poison ivy at wondercon a few years back
and I got her number

Omar: it was last year
you cheated!
you were her student

Sabir: was that really...wow, you're right

Omar: you sick bastard

Sabir: it was only a year ago
hey man, don't hate the player, hate the game

Omar: what game? what player?
anyhow, your question sir

Sabir: it's rated M for mature
anyway, my next question

2. If you could have a threesome with any fictional character couple, which character couple would it be?

Omar: Scarlet Witch and her robot lover
haha no no
lets see

Sabir: hahahahaha

Omar: Batman and Robin

Sabir: ooooh

Omar: haha my girlfriend answered that when I asked her

Sabir: that's just wrong

Omar: in reality though
OH FUCK
the two Psylockes
both bodies

Sabir: hahahahaha
I love that answer

Omar: English and Asian baby
or Ollie and Black Canary
cause I think they're a kick ass couple
Ollie reminds me of Kevin Smith
and if I ever have a threesome
it's gonna be with someone from the original Clerks

Sabir: if you ever have a threesome again, you mean
clearly you're forgetting san diego

Omar: OH FUCK
yeah
shit
that did happen
jeez
so much duct tape
2. you know that thing that happened to aquaman where his hand got cut off and now he has a water hand? yeah, something similar happened to you and now you can piss any liquid you want in any color. what and why?

Sabir: I'd piss that blue gatorade all over people's faces, because it looks extreme
and it's always been a fantasy of mine

Omar: haha
thats
thats really odd
gatorade?

Sabir: you don't remember those commercials where Michael Jordan is competing with Mia Hamm?
that was epic

Omar: oh yeah!
I remember that

Sabir: oh, wait, I think that might have been a Nike commercial
whateve
and now for your question
If you had the opportunity to have one superhuman power, but it would only be active when you’re in bed, which power would you choose?

Omar: flight
haha worst answer ever

Sabir: hahaha

Omar: haha no no my skin would turn to diamond
but realistically

Sabir: ouch

Omar: human torch's power
here's my reasoning
you could heat up your... okay this would get a bit graphic but you could kill your sperm
so it'd be...uh...preventive...
no that was a horrible answer as well

Sabir: I never thought of that

Omar: that is a great question
damn

Sabir: no wonder Johnny Storm is such a playboy

Omar: oh I would have Wolverine
Wolverine's power
to heal
I figure that'd inhance stamina
and if you get in danger
you just start jerking off
"fuck, I broke my arm. Well... I know what I have now have to do"

Sabir: hahahahaha

Omar: thats my answer

Sabir: I finally understand why wolverine's so popular

Omar: hahaha
telepathy says mia, cause it'd help communicate between the lovers
I still think I'd rub one out if I scraped my knee

Sabir: hahahaha

Omar: 3. let's take night crawler's extra dick and put it on another marvel character. which one and why

Sabir: Rogue.

Omar: oooh
thats...
thats troubling

Sabir: because we all know what Gambit really likes

Omar: hahahahaha im not gonna lie
I had no suspision of that
but now that I think about Archangel's origins
it all makes sense

Sabir: I mean, Gambit can't go two seconds without whipping out that pole

Omar: ah I now see what you're saying

Sabir: also, it would be tragic for Rogue to have it because she can't, well, you know

Omar: oh wow...
this is just a hard situation, all around
haha ah I am so good with puns

Sabir: hahaha
okay, my turn
If you could have any comic artist draw you, who would you
choose?

Omar: Jim Lee, I've always wanted a chest bigger than my tv

Sabir: hahaha
then perhaps you should choose Rob Liefeld

Omar: hahaha
hmm
what artist
you know what
my boy Adrian
he's just so good

Sabir: he really is

Omar: 4. kill, marry, fornicate? miss havisham, clayface, Bilbo Baggins

Sabir: haha Oh God
let's see
kill miss havisham
fornicate Bilbo Baggins
and marry clayface
I can't believe I just said that

Omar: hahahahaha
poor Havisham!
all she wanted was a wedding!

Sabir: I hated that book

Omar: this is revealing
you hate old women
that live in wedding dresses
and play knaves

Sabir: damn right

Omar: haha those are good answers tho
clayface needs some structure in his life
bam! went in for a second play on words

Sabir: hahaha
you're on a roll today

Omar: damn, if we were playing beer pong i'd be heating up
lets see if i can hat trick it like the sharks

Sabir: did they win today?

Omar: Yahoo didnt update my phone
I'm gonna look it up after this
btw, I'm gonna put this in a separate blog post cause this is a post-of-fun on its own

Sabir: okay
and my last question for you
your house burns down and a male fictional character offers for you to crash at his place for a while
which character do you stay with and why?

Omar: Northstar
nuff said

Sabir: hahaha
indeed
Canadians are very hospitable people

Omar: haha no to be completely honest
lets put all the civl war stuff aside
and lets forget who's a skrull and who's... not
Tony Stark
we'd freaking party it UP
who else has a mansion

Sabir: I've heard about Stark's parties

Omar: oh wait is this of all fiction?

Sabir: yes
all fiction

Omar: hmmm
Sherlock Holmes and I would do opium
but he has O.C.D.
Beowulf knows how to have fun

Sabir: all good answers

Omar: I just reviewed all my fictional literature knowledge

Sabir: Holmes would get on my nerves though

Omar: either Gatsby or Tony Stark
who I suspect are the same person!
you know who's house I would never stay at
she's also not a male fictional character
the protagonist from house on mango street
that would be the worst house ever
and there would be no grammar in that house

Sabir: hahahaha
I completely forgot about that book

Omar: ugh
just curious, whats your answer to your question?

Sabir: hmmm
I think I'd stay with Doug Funnie
that's a guy who knows how to stay out of trouble and have fun

Omar: you guys could go hunting for Nematodes

Sabir: and watch the Beets play live

Omar: how about Robin Williams from flubber?
I just want flubber

Sabir: God, no

Omar: I would jump everywhere

Sabir: how annoying would that be

Omar: EVERYWHERE
alright, my last question
5. this is a three part question: its disney's freaky friday and you just woke up in Jonah Hex's body. a- what would you do? b- what would Jonah Hex do in your body? c- what big lesson would you learn to break the spell?

Sabir: well, I'm not that familiar with Jonah Hex, but I'll try my best
a- I'd go from bar to bar sneering at people
b- he'd try to hit on all the ladies with my fabulous looks
c- I'd learn that even ugly people have feelings

Omar: hahahahahaha
great c answer

Sabir: does that work? Sorry, I wish I knew more about Jonah Hex so I could give a more comprehensive answer

Omar: I think that's perfect
well we've bantered enough

Sabir: Yeah

Omar: I think we can let these folk get some rest
thank you so much for reading our blog posts
we really really REALLY appreciate it

Sabir: definitely
and if you can't get enough of us
be sure to check us out at midnightepiphany.blogspot.com
where Omar and I both post frequently

Omar: and debate frequently as well

Sabir: and argue semantics in the comments section constantly
haha yeah

Omar: haha
well have a great week everyone

Sabir: Stay classy

Again, thank you for keeping up with the blog posts and we both hope you enjoy the first issue of The Talented

Monday Meeting: April 27th; Part I

Omar: hey everyone and welcome to this week's Monday Meeting!
As always, I'm Omar Najam and I'm here with Sabir Pirzada
how ya doin', Sabir?
Sabir?
Well folks, for the first time in Monday Meetings
I'm goign to have to play both parts
so here goes
how ya doin', Sabir?
Sabir: I'm doing quite alright, just got back from the stables
Omar: I didn't know you ride!
Sabir: Yeah, I actually have medals

Sabir: it's not a big deal, though

Omar: Sabir Pirzada, everybody!!

Sabir: I take it you've been doing well, Omar?
no... unplanned illnesses plaguing you in santa barbara?

Omar: no swine flu
BUT something is blowing through town
a kinda fever
Improv fever
yeah, we actually made the news

Sabir: you're always catching the headlines

Omar: yup yup yup
so hopefully I can hawk the comic through this 15 minutes of fame
I'll post the link in this blog though, it's a pretty funny news story

Sabir: Looking forward to seeing it

Omar: and whats new with yous?

Sabir: not a whole lot, I've just been trying to stay on top of classes and writing
I am very close to finishing my first novel, so I'm burning the candle at both ends on my computer these days

Omar: hows that coming?

Sabir: oh, it's all crap
but at least it'll be done soon and I can polish it from crap to something better than crap
I hope this is the process that every writer goes through...

Omar: I've heard t.s. elliot say the exact same thing

Sabir: oh, so I'm in good company, I suppose

Omar: haha
your novel has chapters in it?

Sabir: yes, most of which are sexual puns

Omar: that brings us to our next segment

THIS WEEK'S CHAPTER

Sabir: haha that was brilliant

Omar: so before we get to the last page talk, any comments about this last chapter of our first issue

Sabir: not specific to the story, but I just want to point out that Adrian really did an amazing job on these pages
you can see how he crafted a whole setting and kept track of where every character moved through all the panels without making anything seem difficult to follow

Omar: he truly did

Sabir: it's really great work, from the facial expressions to the action to the angles he chose
it all works
Is there anything you want to say about this chapter?

Omar: we asked a lot of our readers when it came to action pacing
and i personally believe these pages really make it worth the wait

Sabir: absolutely

Omar: we blow up a fucking building

Sabir: not that The Talented is really about action
it's more about conflict, but sometimes that conflict is physical

Omar: exactly

Sabir: and makes for an exciting read

Omar: we want to stimulate with our characters, narrative, and buildings
which brings us to our next segment

THE LAST PAGE

the last page is a little confusing

Sabir: yes, to be honest, I don't think it came out the way we imagined it to
the original idea was that Patrick's narrative throughout the issue would be physically cut off when Sage burns his journal
but I think the way it was scripted might not have been the most clear way to tell what's going on
it's also a bit too cliche for my tastes
with the zooming in on the principal villain's eyes

Omar: maybe we should have had the whole page in flames
to portray the diary being burned

Sabir: yeah, that would have been cool

Omar: but here's what happens in the last page
the whole issue is Patrick's diary
and you get to the last page where we finally step out of Patrick's diary
we are in the future where Sage is burning Patrick's library
how we got there, you'll have to read
but there's one thing we do know: Sage is now in a position to change the world to fit his image
and we're all in big. trouble.

Sabir: yeah, we kind of jump to a real epic moment at the end
and the next part of the story is all about how we got there

Omar: the last page is a very very important part of our story but its a few issues in the future

Sabir: leading up the last part of the story, which is, what happens next?
what happens if Sage succeeds? Is that a happy ending or a tragedy?
and to quote perhaps the best comic ever
"nothing ever ends"

Omar: haha

Sabir: as that naked blue guy would say

Omar: hahaha
dammit
sage is Adrian Veidt
and Kerri is Silke Spectre
and Brian is Night Owl

Sabir: Oh, I like where this is going

Omar: and uh... Reynolds is the Comedian
and...
I just want to say it before the critics
so I can say that that's not at all the case

Sabir: hahaha

Omar: our first issue introduces the characters and gets the story started
once we start the wheels rolling....damn... we have some surprises in store for our fair readers
which brings us to our next section

THE FUTURE OF THE TALENTED

so Sabir, what is the future of the Talented

Sabir: that's a good question, Omar
it's something that's a bit... uncertain at the moment
as of now, we have a full, double-sized first issue complete
and will soon be submitting The Talented to every publisher with an address
when we get a publishing deal, we'll be up and running again with brand new content, picking up right where we left off
in the meantime, we've got a few surprises in store for readers who want to keep up with us in the interim
Does that about cover the future of The Talented, Omar?

Omar: I'd say so
we're kinda just sitting on our hands
but between Sabir and myself we have just about fifty side projects
and Adrian and Ben are busy bees, 24/7

Sabir: Haha that's actually not much of an exaggeration

Omar: haha not at all
Oh! one of my videos made it to the IVDV digital video festival
and I just started a new blog

Sabir: Oh, wow! Congrats man

Omar: thank you thank you

Sabir: that's really great news!

Omar: thank you very much
I'll post it in about a week after the festival

Sabir: I assume you will provide us with a link to your new blog?
great

Omar: once I get my first post up I will
its going to be fake film posters and synopses
as well as actual fake trailers
I will be inviting you as a contributor of course, Sabir

Sabir: Sounds like a lot of fun

Omar: the first movie is going to be called "The Athiest"

Sabir: and what genre would you put that in?

Omar: its a horror movie
haha

Sabir: haha nice
Looking forward to it

Omar: mel gisbon plays a priest

to be continued in PART II