Catching Up

WHY I DON’T PLAY VIDEOGAMES

Tiina spent about thirty seconds playing the boxing game on her brother’s Wii before feeling the need to phone me and tell me she wants one. This will not end well.

I spend a stupid amount of time in front of the television and/or monitor. The last thing I need is another thing to distract me from working. Especially not one I can’t justify as being work-related.

I’ve got a blog. That should be enough for anyone, really.

***

WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING

Editing, mostly. And blogging about editing, though not on these blogs because I’m not sure if my contractually-obligated editing blogs are considered property of the company I’m working for (remember Zeros2Heroes?) or not. If you’re actually interested in seeing me blather on about my Favourite Editing Topic (which is “How I, as an Editor, Like To Do As Little As Possible”), the blogs are here. Be warned, a couple of them are pretty wordy, even for me. For the comic process junkies and no one else.

***

QUOTES OF THE DAY

“…audacity is what has always been good about comics.” Steven Grant in his Permanent Damage column

“Nitpicky donkey biscuits.” The Future of Comics (II), John Keane.

On a semi-related note, I managed to talk John into making my life as an editor really easy for a second time (the first time I had the good fortune to work with him in an editing capacity can be found here--actually, I better OK that with John before I go giving the url out for that one...). The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples’ star is on the rise (and it's about damn time, I say). But as of yet, no comic bigwig has backed the Money Truck up to John’s place and made him an offer he can’t refuse. Get with it, people! If you don't move fast you're going to lose him to animation or videogames or something that isn't comics...

***

CONGRATULATIONS…

…to my friend and fellow ChemSetter Vito Delsante, who wrote this week’s issue of Superman (with an Alex Ross cover, no less.) I’ve gotta figure out a way to get on his coattails…

***

DOGWITCH V.3: MOOD SWINGS

I doubt Steven Grant was thinking specifically about Dan Schaffer’s career-making gothpunk sex farce DOGWITCH when he was talking about audacity. But he certainly could’ve been. I’ve been waiting for this concluding collection of the (sadly ended) series for a couple years now, I think. And it’s almost here! The order code is

DOGWITCH VOL 3: MOOD SWINGS is APR08 2170.

Order many copies and give them to people you love. Kinky people.

***

WHAT ELSE I’VE BEEN DOING

And, when I’ve not been editing, I’ve been working on my own stuff, albeit not at the pace I might prefer. I’ve got two chapters of the YA novel sample publishing editor wanted me to write for an editor who was, for some reason (I could speculate on the reasons, but then certain other editors would kill me, so I won’t), more interested in a prose version of what I think is a very comic book idea. It’s been years since I wrote anything longer than a couple hundred words in prose form, and it’s just as frustrating a process as I remember it being. But an editor’s expressed interest. What am I gonna do, just ignore that? No. Not yet I won’t…

Working on another comic concept for Nick Johnson, a fantasy-comedy currently titled THE NEXT BEST QUEST. It’s taking awhile to gel. I could probably have forced the thing into a workable form, but I don’t like to fight with what I’m writing if I can avoid it. And an interesting (to me) narrative device for the story has occurred to me that I don’t think would’ve occurred to me otherwise, so that’s good. In the meantime, Nick’s started work on THE HOLIDAY MEN in NORTH POLE DANCE, or FOR WHOM THE SLEIGH BELL TOLLS.

Got most of the first page of THE LITTLE BROTHER in from the artist. Need to get back to him on that, soon.

Revised spec pilot script #2 per Hollywood Manager’s notes.

Still need to do the major revision to spec movie script #1 per HollMan’s notes. That’s probably next up after I finish this.

Which I just did, I think.

A