It's good to be back talking to you from the "Castle" again. Things have gone far beyond busy here within these walls which I call sanctuary. Doc, Prof, Gorblie, the Princess, Ting-Ting, and the rest of the goons (I mean gang) around here have been busy getting things ready for the "emergence." (You know, springtime; flowers, insects, reptiles, amphibians, etc...) We want to make sure we don't miss any oportunities to capture the full onslaught of spring.
Lizard Talk A. carolinensis is a creature of open swamplands, grasslands and forests. Basically they prefer virgin habitat to land that has been manipulated by the "hand of man." A. s. sagrei, on the other hand, is an opportunistic species which is very adaptable to a constantly changing landscape. As man changes the landscape with roads, houses, and yards A. carolinensis moves out of the area, retreating again to the wilderness areas. The area left behind is perfect for A. s. sagrei to move into. Thus it would appear that one species has driven another one out of the area.
In years of observing the two species (including some areas where both species are found) I have never seen any aggression between the two. Actually they dwell in very different parts of the habitat. A. carolinensis tends to dwell higher in the trees where A. s. sagrei likes to perch closer to the ground. It is highly unlikely one would ever find A. carolinensis on the ground. A. s. sagrei, on the other hand, are regularly found scurrying across the landscape or perching in bushes near the ground.
Even though they are commonly found in a variety of locations everywhere, I find anoles to be fascinating lizards which are fun to oberve on a nice, hot, sunny day. There are several species found in the state so this summer we're going to go out and begin filming them. So get out there in the yard and spend some time with your own personal zoo.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings about nature, on with the show.
Moon Knight Tampa Indie Film Fest IV Have a Great Weekend. C-ya!!!
The "Creature"
Speaking of Spring I've noticed the Anoles in the yard are becoming active again. In case you are not familiar with them, anoles are the brown (or green) lizards you see all over your garden and on sidewalks, window screens, etc. They are popping up all over the place and should begin breeding soon. As usual the predominant species is the Cuban Brown Anole (Anolis s. sagrei) though I have seen a couple American Anoles (Anolis carolinensis) at Lettuce Lake Park. Which brings me to a debate that finds it's way out into the open every year around this time. The debate concerns the apparent displacement of American Anole (A. carolinensis) by the more predominant Cuban Brown Anole (A. s. sagrei). The issue here is whether the Cuban Brown anoles are driving the American Anoles out of their habitat as they appear to be the more aggressive of the two species. I'm not convinced that is what's happening so I have my own ideas.
Have you checked out the new "Moon Knight" from Marvel comics? It just came out and I think issue #1 is destined to be a quick sell-out. I've looked at it and think it looks great.The dark noirish style fits this book well. Marvel did the right thing when they put this team together; Charlie Huston takes on the writing chores with the art team of David Finch as the artist, Danny Miki inking, Frank D'Armata coloring the story, and Joe Caramagna handling the lettering chores. The editing chores are handled by Axel Alonso and Cory Sedlmeier. This is a very good looking book that is a good read visually. I give it "Four Screams" on the Creature Scale. Run out and get this one folks, you'll be glad you did.
Finally, I want to remind all you filmmakers out there to take advantage of Film Festival 4 at the Tampa Comic Book and Toy Convention on May 7th. This is your chance as a film community to share some of your work with others in the community. We'd like to see several of you submit something to show and be there as well so we can have a great little get-together for Tampa's Film Community. This is your show so participate. If you want more info contact me at creatureproductions@yahoo.com. There are a few spaces left so let's fill 'em.
"Creature's Corner" is ©2006 by John Lewis. Webpage design and all graphics herein are creations of Nolan B. Canova. All contents of Nolan's Pop Culture Review are ©2006 by Nolan B. Canova.