Sorry, sorry. Mood's been in the toilet the last...30 years or so, and I'm trying cut back on the public moaning about how awful life is. It's unseemly (even if it is accurate).
So, not a lot of posting coming from me lately, and honestly, I don't see a whole lot more in the immediate future. But here's one bad thing I can whine about because I'm not doing it on my own behalf, and some good stuff that's going on.
First, the crappy thing. You may recall a year or two back I and Nick Johnson joining the online comics collective The Chemistry Set, where we released THE HOLIDAY MEN in THE MASSACRE MEMORIAL DAY SALE MASSACRE. There was a lot of good comics material on the Set, much of it unfinished for a variety of reasons, many relating to creators needing to do something other than a non-paying online comic to eat. Many, but not all.
For isntance, my favourite strip (other than the one I co-created, obviously), FCHS by Vito Delsante and Rachel Freire, stopped its ChemSet run after finding a print publisher.
FCHS, frequently pitched as "Riverdale, 90210", was a story about a group of teenagers in high school. Not the sort of subject matter that particularly appeals to my sensibilities, but Vito's writing did manage to hook me--the situations and characters rang true for me, something that's probably related to the story being at least semi-autobiographical.
But for me, FCHS's real draw was Rachel Freire's pared-down, cartoony artwork. Her FCHS work read to me like a cross between Dan DeCarlo and early Paul Grist. I loved it. My biggest gripe with FCHS's initial release on the ChemSet was that the creators had elected to work in a rigid three-panel strip format. I didn't mind the strip idea--in fact, I think it was great--but three panels every few days, well, I just wanted more.
Then Adhouse came along and agreed to publish an FCHS book. Vito and Rachel pulled FCHS from the Set and started retooling for print publication (losing the three panel tier along the way, which I still think is a shame.)
It was heartening to see Adhouse really get behind the book. In addition to Vito working relentlessly to let the online community know about the project, Adhouse released an FCHS teaser issue for Free Comic Book Day. I don't know the details of what went on behind the scenes, but as far as I can tell, a lot of people put a lot of effort into marketing a book I was looking forward to finally being able to read in full.
It's recently come out that Adhouse didn't get enough preorders and FCHS has been canceled. And that sucks.
I'm hoping Vito and Rachel come back and manage to find a new home for the project, either a new publisher or online. Not for them, but for me. As always, I want more FCHS, damn it.
***
GOOD STUFF
Happy Harbor Comics continued to earn its 2007 Outstanding Retailer Shuster Award this past weekend by raising in excess of $2700 for Alberta Literacy via a 24 Hour Comic event. HH is kicking in 10 cents for every dollar raised, which puts the total the charity will receive at over 3 grand.
That was last weekend. This weekend sees the launch of the Gilbert Bouchard Memorial Art Show: Visions of Comics. An exhibit of works by local artists, the show celebrates the creators, icons and history of the comics medium. The opening, at 7:00PM Saturday night, will have...cheese or something, and it will have me. I got my crummy sketches I did of Will Eisner in San Diego that I also got Will Eisner to sign shortly after the panel I drew them in framed. There is a reasonably entertaining story to go along with the piece--longtime readers of this blog (provided this blog is LiveJournal) might remember me relating it, but if you don't, or you want to hear the live version, or you just want to support the community and remember Gilbert, you should come down to Happy Harbor Volume One Saturday night.
Finally, thanks to Diamond electing not to release new comics on the Wednesday between Christmas and New Years this year, the Harbor's declared that Local Creators week. For those seven days, the New This Week shelves will feature comics almost exclusively by local creators. I believe Jay's talking to people about doing signings too. I wonder if I could talk Fiona and Nick into coming up...
***
SPEAKING OF FIONA...
...This used to be the weirdest interview with her ever, but apparently who- or whatever replaced words in her answers with more Lovecraftian language ("comic" became "jocose") has undone what they did. Still a nice interview, but I kind of miss the sensation I got when I first read it that I'd either fallen into a David Lynch film or suffered a massive stroke.
***
ALSO...
There's talk of someone doing a movie of Chris Carter's MILLENNIUM, with original series star Lance Henriksen reprising his role as profiler Frank Black. Sounds like Carter might not be involved, but then, I don't know how involved he was in the second season of the show (my favourite), either.
Millennium had two of the absolute best season-ending images ever, the super-bleak "We probably won't be back for a third season" S2 finale, and the final image of season 3.
Now all we need is for David Lynch to return to Twin Peaks and I can die of geek nostalgia-induced bliss.
A
Showing posts with label The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
For the Art Process Junkies
In this thread at Canadian Geek, the Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples describes her process in developing the first cover image for the Brian Wood/Rebekah Isaacs revamp of Wildstorm's DV8 comic. I'm constantly amazed by how she and artists like Frazer Irving manage to create such rich, painterly work entirely digitally. On the one hand, I like the idea that the printed cover is itself the finished piece*; on the other, it just feels wrong on some basic level that there isn't a physical, real-world artifact to show for the effort.
*While I like artists having access to as many revenue streams as possible, I've heard it argued that the rising value of original comic art has had a negative effect on comic storytelling. The argument is that artists supposedly use various means to push for full and double-page spreads that are more valuable for an art collector than the boring old multi-panel storytelling pages, at the expense of the story. I don't really know if that's actually the reason (or one of them) for the overuse of such pages (especially the one-panel double-page spread, which I will go to my grave insisting only works in saddle-stitched format and therefore ought to be banned for any story that's going to see print in a bound paperback or hardcover format), but it's hard to look at what's on the comic shop shelves in any given week and not notice that it's taking six issues to tell stories that took 22 pages or less when I started reading comics.
Which isn't to say comics back then were better-written--they weren't. But I do think a lot of the tools that were developed over the first fifty or so years of North American comics' development, like descriptive captions, thought balloons, and sound effects to name just three, elements that are almost entirely unique to the medium, we tossed aside a little too eagerly in the late '90s/early '00s. Happily, most of them seem to be making something in the way of a comeback in the last few years, but we're still seeing way too many double-page spreads...
A
*While I like artists having access to as many revenue streams as possible, I've heard it argued that the rising value of original comic art has had a negative effect on comic storytelling. The argument is that artists supposedly use various means to push for full and double-page spreads that are more valuable for an art collector than the boring old multi-panel storytelling pages, at the expense of the story. I don't really know if that's actually the reason (or one of them) for the overuse of such pages (especially the one-panel double-page spread, which I will go to my grave insisting only works in saddle-stitched format and therefore ought to be banned for any story that's going to see print in a bound paperback or hardcover format), but it's hard to look at what's on the comic shop shelves in any given week and not notice that it's taking six issues to tell stories that took 22 pages or less when I started reading comics.
Which isn't to say comics back then were better-written--they weren't. But I do think a lot of the tools that were developed over the first fifty or so years of North American comics' development, like descriptive captions, thought balloons, and sound effects to name just three, elements that are almost entirely unique to the medium, we tossed aside a little too eagerly in the late '90s/early '00s. Happily, most of them seem to be making something in the way of a comeback in the last few years, but we're still seeing way too many double-page spreads...
A
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Con Gamed
“This is the most fun I’ve ever had drawing a comic.” Fiona Staples, who apparently wants to hurt my feelings. Between that and her NORTH 40 editor believing her work on the upcoming TRICK 'R TREAT was "the first full-length comic Fiona had ever drawn", I'm starting to feel sorry for myself...
Oh wait, I already felt sorry for myself. Never mind, then.
So the "big news" out of the San Diego Comic Con this year seems to be the acquisition of a number of loose superhero properties by major North American mainstream publishers. Last year, DC announced the return of the Milestone characters and the acquisition of Archie Comics' Red Circle superheroes; this year, they announced that they've finally got The THUNDER Agents, which, along with the Justice Machine, is a group of characters I've long had an attachment to for no rational reason I've ever been able to articulate.
Dark Horse has got Jim Shooter working on some characters he's already given a booster shot to back when he helped build up Valiant Comics, Gold Key properties like Turok and Dr. Solar.
And Marvel managed to get loads of PR by strongly implying that Alan Moore's lost/Neil Gaiman's unfinished superhero masterpiece will finally be found/finished, while pointedly not saying anything of the sort. Over at The Beat, Heidi McDonald quotes one-time Eclipse Comics honcho Dean Mullaney saying point-blank that the Miracleman version of the character isn't what Marvel's managed to get hold of. All this talk of Marvelman being "the JD Salinger" of comics characters loses a lot of (if not all of) its weight if what's actually been acquired is a blatant fairly Captain Marvel rip-off, rather than Alan Moore's other major comics work deconstructing the superhero. If it's the latter, it's an exciting development for people who don't feel like shelling out hundreds of dollars for the now very difficult to get hold of story; if it's the former, it amounts to pointing out a molehill and pretending it's a mountain while leaving enough wiggle room to say, "Hey, I never actually said it was a mountain" when someone examines the thing a little more closely.
I completely fell for the hype myself, and sat there reading Newsarama's live updates of the Quesada panel, waiting for the Big Announcement, which I seriously believed would involve Harry Potter--something that might have carried a little weight in the wider mainstream and offered a potential infusion of new readers to a medium that could frankly use it. It was not to be, but as a comics fan, I was excited to learn that Marvelman would be returning, right up until I noticed what wasn't being said.
But hey--The THUNDER Agents are coming back! And Fiona Staples is having a lot of fun drawing NORTH 40. And I didn't spend a couple grand over the last five days for the privilege of sweating and getting frustrated in a distant city. So that's all good.
A
Oh wait, I already felt sorry for myself. Never mind, then.
So the "big news" out of the San Diego Comic Con this year seems to be the acquisition of a number of loose superhero properties by major North American mainstream publishers. Last year, DC announced the return of the Milestone characters and the acquisition of Archie Comics' Red Circle superheroes; this year, they announced that they've finally got The THUNDER Agents, which, along with the Justice Machine, is a group of characters I've long had an attachment to for no rational reason I've ever been able to articulate.
Dark Horse has got Jim Shooter working on some characters he's already given a booster shot to back when he helped build up Valiant Comics, Gold Key properties like Turok and Dr. Solar.
And Marvel managed to get loads of PR by strongly implying that Alan Moore's lost/Neil Gaiman's unfinished superhero masterpiece will finally be found/finished, while pointedly not saying anything of the sort. Over at The Beat, Heidi McDonald quotes one-time Eclipse Comics honcho Dean Mullaney saying point-blank that the Miracleman version of the character isn't what Marvel's managed to get hold of. All this talk of Marvelman being "the JD Salinger" of comics characters loses a lot of (if not all of) its weight if what's actually been acquired is a blatant fairly Captain Marvel rip-off, rather than Alan Moore's other major comics work deconstructing the superhero. If it's the latter, it's an exciting development for people who don't feel like shelling out hundreds of dollars for the now very difficult to get hold of story; if it's the former, it amounts to pointing out a molehill and pretending it's a mountain while leaving enough wiggle room to say, "Hey, I never actually said it was a mountain" when someone examines the thing a little more closely.
I completely fell for the hype myself, and sat there reading Newsarama's live updates of the Quesada panel, waiting for the Big Announcement, which I seriously believed would involve Harry Potter--something that might have carried a little weight in the wider mainstream and offered a potential infusion of new readers to a medium that could frankly use it. It was not to be, but as a comics fan, I was excited to learn that Marvelman would be returning, right up until I noticed what wasn't being said.
But hey--The THUNDER Agents are coming back! And Fiona Staples is having a lot of fun drawing NORTH 40. And I didn't spend a couple grand over the last five days for the privilege of sweating and getting frustrated in a distant city. So that's all good.
A
Monday, July 6, 2009
The Future of Comics, Live and In Print
Rough day going to the doctor to see if she could do anything about the CRIPPLING FACEPAIN!(tm), which led to an unexpected realization, an unplanned confrontation, and the unhappy sensation that in an effort to make things better I've managed to make them worse. So I'm not going to talk about me and instead focus on the Future of Comics (I and III) Fiona Staples and Nick Johnson.
At long last, the first issue of Fiona's latest WildStorm miniseries, NORTH 40, written by Somebody Other Than Me (the lucky swine) is out on Wednesday. You, like all right-thinking people, should buy eighteen copies, one to read, five to lend, and thirteen to encase in liquid carbonite so future generations can see how awesome comics were back in the old days when you couldn't read an ebook while showering.
On a semi-related note, the cover to North 40 #3 may be my new favourite piece of Fiona artwork. I can't quite put my finger on why, possibly because I've repressed all memory of anything in my life that ever involved pink balloons and/or a corsage.
Meanwhile, Nick's started his new, month-long gig at the Telus World of Science Creative Kids Museum, where he'll be publicly working on transforming NO MORE PARENTS from the ramblings of a demented sufferer of CRIPPLING FACEPAIN!(tm) into a wonderfully entertaining adventure comic for children of all ages except three and a half, because 3 1/2 year olds are vile little creatures who must be systematically and mercilessly punished until they reach the age of four, at which point they transform from despicable little rotters into something that's at least tolerable. It's the circle of life.
So, if you're in Calgary, or you're really bored and have enough disposable cash to go to Calgary, and you're a child of all ages other than 3 1/2, you should go pay Nick a visit and throw grapes at him while demanding that he sing obscure Neil Diamond songs for your entertainment. He'll do it if you've got enough grapes, you know.
As it happens, I've also spent a portion of today working on a small comic strip-style advertisement with the Future of Comics (II) John Keane, and now that it's done, I estimate he'll be willing to talk to me again without wanting to kick my teeth down my throat sometime in the next four to six months. E-mail is perhaps not the best way to communicate nitpicking-level ideas, but I'm not convinced things would've gone smoother on the phone, and in any event CRIPPLING FACEPAIN!(tm) works very much against my (at the best of times dodgy) ability to present half-baked ideas as coherent statements of intent while talking in realtime.
So, yeah. NORTH 4o #1 (and WEDNESDAY COMICS #1, which I'm also looking forward to) on Wednesday. Nick and NO MORE PARENTS at the Telus Science Centre all month. Good stuff being created by good people, reported by a good-for-nothing.
***
ALSO GOOD:
TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE Volume One, by Michael Kupperman. For someone who's been really quite miserable for the last couple weeks, I've been laughing out loud an awful lot every time I take a minute or two to read a page or two of TDTT.
A
At long last, the first issue of Fiona's latest WildStorm miniseries, NORTH 40, written by Somebody Other Than Me (the lucky swine) is out on Wednesday. You, like all right-thinking people, should buy eighteen copies, one to read, five to lend, and thirteen to encase in liquid carbonite so future generations can see how awesome comics were back in the old days when you couldn't read an ebook while showering.
On a semi-related note, the cover to North 40 #3 may be my new favourite piece of Fiona artwork. I can't quite put my finger on why, possibly because I've repressed all memory of anything in my life that ever involved pink balloons and/or a corsage.
Meanwhile, Nick's started his new, month-long gig at the Telus World of Science Creative Kids Museum, where he'll be publicly working on transforming NO MORE PARENTS from the ramblings of a demented sufferer of CRIPPLING FACEPAIN!(tm) into a wonderfully entertaining adventure comic for children of all ages except three and a half, because 3 1/2 year olds are vile little creatures who must be systematically and mercilessly punished until they reach the age of four, at which point they transform from despicable little rotters into something that's at least tolerable. It's the circle of life.
So, if you're in Calgary, or you're really bored and have enough disposable cash to go to Calgary, and you're a child of all ages other than 3 1/2, you should go pay Nick a visit and throw grapes at him while demanding that he sing obscure Neil Diamond songs for your entertainment. He'll do it if you've got enough grapes, you know.
As it happens, I've also spent a portion of today working on a small comic strip-style advertisement with the Future of Comics (II) John Keane, and now that it's done, I estimate he'll be willing to talk to me again without wanting to kick my teeth down my throat sometime in the next four to six months. E-mail is perhaps not the best way to communicate nitpicking-level ideas, but I'm not convinced things would've gone smoother on the phone, and in any event CRIPPLING FACEPAIN!(tm) works very much against my (at the best of times dodgy) ability to present half-baked ideas as coherent statements of intent while talking in realtime.
So, yeah. NORTH 4o #1 (and WEDNESDAY COMICS #1, which I'm also looking forward to) on Wednesday. Nick and NO MORE PARENTS at the Telus Science Centre all month. Good stuff being created by good people, reported by a good-for-nothing.
***
ALSO GOOD:
TALES DESIGNED TO THRIZZLE Volume One, by Michael Kupperman. For someone who's been really quite miserable for the last couple weeks, I've been laughing out loud an awful lot every time I take a minute or two to read a page or two of TDTT.
A
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
GAAAAAH! MOTHER#**&ERS!
THE LAST COPIES I HAD, YOU LOUSY $%!#s! MY LAST GODDAMN COPIES!
hatehatehatehatehatehatehatehate
OK, OK. Calm down, Foley. It's not the end of the world. It's just another HAAAAATE!
The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples' first Wildstorm work, a tie-in to the film TRICK 'R TREAT, is finally being released this October. That's a good thing. Yes. And then there's this...
...
Nope. Happy for Fiona and Dan, but still foaming at the mouth pissed at Canada Post.
A
hatehatehatehatehatehatehatehate
OK, OK. Calm down, Foley. It's not the end of the world. It's just another HAAAAATE!
The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples' first Wildstorm work, a tie-in to the film TRICK 'R TREAT, is finally being released this October. That's a good thing. Yes. And then there's this...
...
Nope. Happy for Fiona and Dan, but still foaming at the mouth pissed at Canada Post.
A
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Because Mom Worries
Not a whole lot happening the last few days. Finished the latest revision of a script for the managers and Big Hollywood Producer (I) Sunday night, spent most of Monday decompressing, reading, and feeling like I should be working on the next thing (the next thing's almost certainly going to be a script revision for Somewhat Smaller but Still Well-Established Hollywood Producer that's several million light years in tone and subject matter from the just-finished one.)
Tuesday I decompressed some more, read, and wrote a 1600 word ramble on a project I'm hoping to work with The Future of Comics (III) Nick Johnson on. It originated with Nick and about half of it was me making an argument in favour of doing something with the project he'd already established he'd rather not do, so we'll see how that goes.
Today I read and started puttering around with something I've tentatively called The Monster Matrix. It's not a story or even an idea for a story. I'm not sure exactly what it is, actually. I came across an interesting piece of speculative trivia a few months back and I know there's a story there, but I'm having a hell of a time finding it. In the meantime, the research for this hypothetical story is filling my brain with all sorts of interesting stuff, but nothing's gelling in a way that's useful just yet. Which is probably just as well, as I've got at least three things I ought to be working on before developing something else entirely.
Why yes, that was a clumsily obvious attempt to passive-aggressively cajole the cosmos into giving me a lightning bolt of inspiration. Do you think the cosmos noticed?
***
In other Future of Comics News, Fiona Staples has an interview on Newsarama. Readsies!
A
Tuesday I decompressed some more, read, and wrote a 1600 word ramble on a project I'm hoping to work with The Future of Comics (III) Nick Johnson on. It originated with Nick and about half of it was me making an argument in favour of doing something with the project he'd already established he'd rather not do, so we'll see how that goes.
Today I read and started puttering around with something I've tentatively called The Monster Matrix. It's not a story or even an idea for a story. I'm not sure exactly what it is, actually. I came across an interesting piece of speculative trivia a few months back and I know there's a story there, but I'm having a hell of a time finding it. In the meantime, the research for this hypothetical story is filling my brain with all sorts of interesting stuff, but nothing's gelling in a way that's useful just yet. Which is probably just as well, as I've got at least three things I ought to be working on before developing something else entirely.
Why yes, that was a clumsily obvious attempt to passive-aggressively cajole the cosmos into giving me a lightning bolt of inspiration. Do you think the cosmos noticed?
***
In other Future of Comics News, Fiona Staples has an interview on Newsarama. Readsies!
A
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Andrew Gets Overly Excited, Sometimes
Over at LiveJournal, Mad Creative Genius Dan Schaffer teased the release of a DOGWITCH: THE WHOLE SHEBANG book collecting his entire supernatural goth punk sex farce in one volume. This is great news.
Also great news: the first issue of Aaron Williams and the Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples' new Wildstorm miniseries NORTH 40 is in the current PREVIEWS magazine. And it's being promoted with some actual oomph--I don't know what DC pays for the privilege, but last time I checked, two solid pages of Previews cost more than I generally make in a year. And I have no idea what the Diamond Order Code is! But you should still order it from your local comics retailer!
Especially if your local retailer is Happy Harbor Comics. HH frequently goes the extra mile for the works of local friends of the store, and NORTH 40 is no exception. People who order the miniseries will receive it at 50% HH's fair price (based on the exchange rate the day HH acquires the non-returnable issues.) This ought to mean a lot of orders for North 40 from the Harbor, but bugger-all return for selling them to Jay and Shawna. That's just the kind of people they are.
I'm going to go do a little dance around my office now. Ta!
A
Also great news: the first issue of Aaron Williams and the Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples' new Wildstorm miniseries NORTH 40 is in the current PREVIEWS magazine. And it's being promoted with some actual oomph--I don't know what DC pays for the privilege, but last time I checked, two solid pages of Previews cost more than I generally make in a year. And I have no idea what the Diamond Order Code is! But you should still order it from your local comics retailer!
Especially if your local retailer is Happy Harbor Comics. HH frequently goes the extra mile for the works of local friends of the store, and NORTH 40 is no exception. People who order the miniseries will receive it at 50% HH's fair price (based on the exchange rate the day HH acquires the non-returnable issues.) This ought to mean a lot of orders for North 40 from the Harbor, but bugger-all return for selling them to Jay and Shawna. That's just the kind of people they are.
I'm going to go do a little dance around my office now. Ta!
A
Friday, March 27, 2009
Comics Stuff that gives me hope
-The first volume of DRAMACON creator Svetlana Chmakova's NIGHTSCHOOL is being released by Yen Press in April. She and I did a couple readings together a year or three back, and she had a lasting impression on me as being just a really, legitimately nice person. To the best of my knowledge, she's also the only person on earth to have a copy of PARTING WAYS signed by both the artists and the writer, which I think is really neat, though I can't really articulate why.
-The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples' new WildStorm series, NORTH 40, written by PS238's Aaron Williams, was recently announced as part of the imprint's new "creator-driven" comics line. And, if I'm not mistaken, her first Wildstorm work, SECRET HISTORY OF THE AUTHORITY, written by Michael Costa, is on sale...actually, now, I think*. You should all rush out and buy three copies immediately: one to read, one to give other people to read, and one to save as a collectible that will someday pay your childrens' college tuition.
OK. maybe you should only buy two copies.
-Boom! Studios has struck a deal to get their Muppets and Disney comics on the newsstands. If they're put on a level where kids can actually see/reach them (unlike, say, the Archie digests in Safeway checkout stations), this is fantastic news for Boom! and quite possibly the wider North American comics industry as well, helping hook a new generation of comics readers at a young age. Mind you, that presumes the Muppets are still recognizable to younger readers as the slice of awesome they are (or at least once were--haven't watched any new Muppets stuff in years...), but at least The Incredibles should be able to find traction, both with kids and parents who'll be able to recognize a "safe" property for kids to read.
-After the commercial success of 52 and the less successful COUNTDOWN and TRINITY series, DC's trying something different with its upcoming weekly series, WEDNESDAY COMICS. Even if it didn't have a pretty good-looking creative roster, I'd be seriously tempted to buy it for its oversized newspaper "unfold it to read" format. While the content's obviously going to be a big deal in making or breaking the thing, I'm in love with the idea of this thing. Nice to see a major comic company breaking away from the floppy/hardcover/trade format, giving creators a different kind of canvas to work on and readers a new (or at least uncommon) comic-reading experience.
-In addition to WEDNESDAY COMICS, DC's also bringing backup stories into some of its titles as value-added material to go along with a price rise. Steven Grant did a fantastic job explaining why the backup story thing is a great idea on almost all fronts, as well as why it probably won't work, in this week's Permanent Damage column.
Even if it doesn't work, between a creator-driven line, WC and the backups, these are looking like non-curse interesting times for DC creators at least. If there's an element of "let's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" to it, well, at least they are trying to find new stuff to stick. Hopefully some of it will and the perception of what mainstream comics can be expands a little.
A
(*I checked, and yes it is on sale now.)
-The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples' new WildStorm series, NORTH 40, written by PS238's Aaron Williams, was recently announced as part of the imprint's new "creator-driven" comics line. And, if I'm not mistaken, her first Wildstorm work, SECRET HISTORY OF THE AUTHORITY, written by Michael Costa, is on sale...actually, now, I think*. You should all rush out and buy three copies immediately: one to read, one to give other people to read, and one to save as a collectible that will someday pay your childrens' college tuition.
OK. maybe you should only buy two copies.
-Boom! Studios has struck a deal to get their Muppets and Disney comics on the newsstands. If they're put on a level where kids can actually see/reach them (unlike, say, the Archie digests in Safeway checkout stations), this is fantastic news for Boom! and quite possibly the wider North American comics industry as well, helping hook a new generation of comics readers at a young age. Mind you, that presumes the Muppets are still recognizable to younger readers as the slice of awesome they are (or at least once were--haven't watched any new Muppets stuff in years...), but at least The Incredibles should be able to find traction, both with kids and parents who'll be able to recognize a "safe" property for kids to read.
-After the commercial success of 52 and the less successful COUNTDOWN and TRINITY series, DC's trying something different with its upcoming weekly series, WEDNESDAY COMICS. Even if it didn't have a pretty good-looking creative roster, I'd be seriously tempted to buy it for its oversized newspaper "unfold it to read" format. While the content's obviously going to be a big deal in making or breaking the thing, I'm in love with the idea of this thing. Nice to see a major comic company breaking away from the floppy/hardcover/trade format, giving creators a different kind of canvas to work on and readers a new (or at least uncommon) comic-reading experience.
-In addition to WEDNESDAY COMICS, DC's also bringing backup stories into some of its titles as value-added material to go along with a price rise. Steven Grant did a fantastic job explaining why the backup story thing is a great idea on almost all fronts, as well as why it probably won't work, in this week's Permanent Damage column.
Even if it doesn't work, between a creator-driven line, WC and the backups, these are looking like non-curse interesting times for DC creators at least. If there's an element of "let's throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" to it, well, at least they are trying to find new stuff to stick. Hopefully some of it will and the perception of what mainstream comics can be expands a little.
A
(*I checked, and yes it is on sale now.)
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Torn.
I've never been a big fan of variant covers, or anything that promotes the idea of comics as collectibles, as opposed to stories. These damn things are supposed to be READ, damn it, not sealed in plastic carbonite in the hopes that someday they'll be enough to pay for the kids' college fund (note to everyone who bought a copy of the Obama Spider-Man: I hope you think you bought a souvenir rather than made an investment. If you didn't, you're going to be disappointed, and if I catch wind of your disappointment I will laugh and laugh.)
So I was delighted to read Tucker Stone's post The Little Things, and How to Punch Them, which described his feelings on variant covers in terms that really spoke to me. An example: "I hate them, and my hate is pure, and it's thick, and it's so incredibly delectable that I can barely wrap my fist around my quill to scrawl out this column, so tempted am I to take this hate and put it in a bowl so that I can eat it with a knife like a Viking." I looked forward to linking to it and quoting it and generally ranting on about how variant covers are Evils That Must Be Destroyed.
(Did I ever discuss my one attempt to get variant covers for one of my books? I was hoping to get 17 different variants for Done to Death #4, which would be billed as an average issue after which the entire Done to Death universe would remain entirely unchanged. I planned on doing one of the covers myself: I forget what the image was, but the words "I hate Variant Covers" were going to feature prominently. This plan was shot down as being financially untenable--by the time we reached #4, 17 covers would've amounted to roughly one for each reader {I kid, I kid}. But someday...someday I will get my utterly unnecessary, stupidly high number of variant covers for something...)
Where was I? Oh, right. So, there I was, getting ready for an F-5 level diatribe on variant covers and how much they suck...
...When I read the latest Marvel Previews catalogue from Diamond. The first thing that caught my attention was that The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples illustrated a Spider-Woman story for ASTONISHING TALES #3 (order code: FEB092524), As much as I looked forward to mentioning Stone's diatribe on variant covers, I looked forward to noting a former collaborator and friend's star continuing its well-deserved rise. I wrote her to congratulate her, and was surprised when she informed me that she actually had TWO credits in the current Marvel Previews--one for Astonishing Tales, and another, for--
--.you can see where this is going, can't you?--
--a 1-in-10 "Wolverine Appreciation" variant cover for WAR MACHINE #5.
Emotions in a cuisinart time. On the one hand, variant covers are a pox on comics. On the other, if War Machine #5 sells a stupid number of copies and it's determined (as it would be, in a just world) that that's because of Fiona's cover, then the odds of Fiona getting to do more covers and getting rich and famous increase. And that is something I would very much like to see.
So now I don't know what to say. As far as I can tell, the order code for Fiona's War Machine cover is FEB092514. I leave it to you to follow your own conscience and do what you think is right.
A
So I was delighted to read Tucker Stone's post The Little Things, and How to Punch Them, which described his feelings on variant covers in terms that really spoke to me. An example: "I hate them, and my hate is pure, and it's thick, and it's so incredibly delectable that I can barely wrap my fist around my quill to scrawl out this column, so tempted am I to take this hate and put it in a bowl so that I can eat it with a knife like a Viking." I looked forward to linking to it and quoting it and generally ranting on about how variant covers are Evils That Must Be Destroyed.
(Did I ever discuss my one attempt to get variant covers for one of my books? I was hoping to get 17 different variants for Done to Death #4, which would be billed as an average issue after which the entire Done to Death universe would remain entirely unchanged. I planned on doing one of the covers myself: I forget what the image was, but the words "I hate Variant Covers" were going to feature prominently. This plan was shot down as being financially untenable--by the time we reached #4, 17 covers would've amounted to roughly one for each reader {I kid, I kid}. But someday...someday I will get my utterly unnecessary, stupidly high number of variant covers for something...)
Where was I? Oh, right. So, there I was, getting ready for an F-5 level diatribe on variant covers and how much they suck...
...When I read the latest Marvel Previews catalogue from Diamond. The first thing that caught my attention was that The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples illustrated a Spider-Woman story for ASTONISHING TALES #3 (order code: FEB092524), As much as I looked forward to mentioning Stone's diatribe on variant covers, I looked forward to noting a former collaborator and friend's star continuing its well-deserved rise. I wrote her to congratulate her, and was surprised when she informed me that she actually had TWO credits in the current Marvel Previews--one for Astonishing Tales, and another, for--
--.you can see where this is going, can't you?--
--a 1-in-10 "Wolverine Appreciation" variant cover for WAR MACHINE #5.
Emotions in a cuisinart time. On the one hand, variant covers are a pox on comics. On the other, if War Machine #5 sells a stupid number of copies and it's determined (as it would be, in a just world) that that's because of Fiona's cover, then the odds of Fiona getting to do more covers and getting rich and famous increase. And that is something I would very much like to see.
So now I don't know what to say. As far as I can tell, the order code for Fiona's War Machine cover is FEB092514. I leave it to you to follow your own conscience and do what you think is right.
A
Monday, January 12, 2009
Quantum Sleep
If there's one sure way I know it's been too long since I posted last, it's when my mother calls up to make sure everything's still all right. So here's the update:
I lost most of last week to insomnia. I've never had it go several consecutive days like that before, and flying spaghetti monster willing, I hope never to have to go through it again. My brain melted into a toxic sludge, I had to concentrate to not see double, and, while I have slept a lot better the last few nights, I'm still recovering, physically, mentally, and work-wise.
***
WORK IT ON OUT
On the work front:
-the paperwork for the agreement with Hollywood Producer 1, Scott O. Brown, and me is almost finalized. We're literally three words away from having it nailed down, after which there will be nine months of seeing what happens next, if anything.
-the spec screenplay for Hollywood Producer 2 was what really took the hit last week. I'm at least a couple polishes away from being comfortable calling what I've got a first draft; it's still forty pages too long; and in a fit of optimism, I told Hollywood Managers I'd have them a first draft by Sunday, which I'm fudging to mean first thing Monday morning.
-I just realized I was going to follow up with Comic Editor today and didn't yet. Bugger.
-there's now a Hollywood Producer 3 in the picture, who's interested enough in a spec pilot script I wrote that we're going to be talking about it on Wednesday. This will be preceded tomorrow by what's looking to turn into a traditional pep talk phone call from Hollywood Managers tomorrow, to tell me what to expect when I talk to HP3. So far, the only thing I know is that he thinks the spec needs to be darker in order for him to sell it. This is probably the first time in the history of the universe anyone's ever looked at something I wrote and though it needed to be darker. Naturally, my first instinct is to not want to go that direction, but I will, because he's a Hollywood Producer and Money is Nice.
-The Future of Comics (II) John Keane has finished his wholesale revision of the initial Spooky Kids storyline up to page 7.
-The newest Future of Comics (III) Nick Johnson has penciled the first two pages of the second Holiday Men storyline. This one's forcing him to stretch a bit as an artist, which is probably good for him as an artist but lousy for the schedule.
-I want to go to the New York Con.
-I'm not going to go to the New York Con.
-I want to go to the San Diego Con.
-No, seriously. I do.
-Might...MIGHT be able to pull that one off. Mmmmmmaybe...
-Really feeling the desire to produce some comics work. Screenplays are fun and likely more lucrative, but I miss doing comics.
-By "doing" I mean writing them. Looks like there'll be more editing work coming my way from Zeros2Heroes soonish. Which I'm really happy about, because getting paid rocks. But I could be happier, if I was getting paid to write, and happier still if I was getting paid to write comics.
***
MORTALLY WOUND YOUR TELEVISION
TVtropolis is rerunning ONCE A THIEF Monday mornings at 10:00! This is truly awesome.
Showcase has started running the sequel to the British LIFE ON MARS television series, ASHES TO ASHES, Sundays at...1:00, I think. I discovered that in time to catch the first episode entirely by happy accident.
SCRUBS is back on Tuesday nights. And it's been gone just long enough for me to miss it enough to start enjoying the stuff that used to grate a little again.
New BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and SUPERNATURAL later on in the week.
LEVERAGE is a lot of fun.
What does this all mean? Mostly that I'll be able to keep track of what day it is again...
There. Happy now, Mom?
A
I lost most of last week to insomnia. I've never had it go several consecutive days like that before, and flying spaghetti monster willing, I hope never to have to go through it again. My brain melted into a toxic sludge, I had to concentrate to not see double, and, while I have slept a lot better the last few nights, I'm still recovering, physically, mentally, and work-wise.
***
WORK IT ON OUT
On the work front:
-the paperwork for the agreement with Hollywood Producer 1, Scott O. Brown, and me is almost finalized. We're literally three words away from having it nailed down, after which there will be nine months of seeing what happens next, if anything.
-the spec screenplay for Hollywood Producer 2 was what really took the hit last week. I'm at least a couple polishes away from being comfortable calling what I've got a first draft; it's still forty pages too long; and in a fit of optimism, I told Hollywood Managers I'd have them a first draft by Sunday, which I'm fudging to mean first thing Monday morning.
-I just realized I was going to follow up with Comic Editor today and didn't yet. Bugger.
-there's now a Hollywood Producer 3 in the picture, who's interested enough in a spec pilot script I wrote that we're going to be talking about it on Wednesday. This will be preceded tomorrow by what's looking to turn into a traditional pep talk phone call from Hollywood Managers tomorrow, to tell me what to expect when I talk to HP3. So far, the only thing I know is that he thinks the spec needs to be darker in order for him to sell it. This is probably the first time in the history of the universe anyone's ever looked at something I wrote and though it needed to be darker. Naturally, my first instinct is to not want to go that direction, but I will, because he's a Hollywood Producer and Money is Nice.
-The Future of Comics (II) John Keane has finished his wholesale revision of the initial Spooky Kids storyline up to page 7.
-The newest Future of Comics (III) Nick Johnson has penciled the first two pages of the second Holiday Men storyline. This one's forcing him to stretch a bit as an artist, which is probably good for him as an artist but lousy for the schedule.
-I want to go to the New York Con.
-I'm not going to go to the New York Con.
-I want to go to the San Diego Con.
-No, seriously. I do.
-Might...MIGHT be able to pull that one off. Mmmmmmaybe...
-Really feeling the desire to produce some comics work. Screenplays are fun and likely more lucrative, but I miss doing comics.
-By "doing" I mean writing them. Looks like there'll be more editing work coming my way from Zeros2Heroes soonish. Which I'm really happy about, because getting paid rocks. But I could be happier, if I was getting paid to write, and happier still if I was getting paid to write comics.
***
MORTALLY WOUND YOUR TELEVISION
TVtropolis is rerunning ONCE A THIEF Monday mornings at 10:00! This is truly awesome.
Showcase has started running the sequel to the British LIFE ON MARS television series, ASHES TO ASHES, Sundays at...1:00, I think. I discovered that in time to catch the first episode entirely by happy accident.
SCRUBS is back on Tuesday nights. And it's been gone just long enough for me to miss it enough to start enjoying the stuff that used to grate a little again.
New BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and SUPERNATURAL later on in the week.
LEVERAGE is a lot of fun.
What does this all mean? Mostly that I'll be able to keep track of what day it is again...
There. Happy now, Mom?
A
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
I do not want to go outside and you can't make me.
Not going to develop this year's holiday-inspired idea. Because everyone's in a bad enough mood without seeing Santa portrayed as the leader of a cult of elf-slaves who exiles Milton, one of his most devoted followers, and then tells Milt he'll only be allowed back at the North Pole if he hunts down and kills Santa's illegitimate daughter, who's a thief preparing to steal the Real Mona Lisa from an arms dealer art collector.
***
REBOOT TO THE HEAD
The ReBoot webcomic is done. As the writer put it, "Thank the User."
***
FOLEY'S BRIEF REVIEW OFWILL EISNER'S FRANK MILLER'S THE SPIRIT
If I had to use a single word to describe the film, it would be "excessive."
Some of the funny bits were actually reasonably funny.
The dialogue was stunningly awful.
The visuals were exactly what you'd expect, which is unfortunate, as I think many of the recycled Sin City visual tricks could be used to great effect if they were used in something other than a completely random fashion.
Pretty much every place and character name that wasn't established in Eisner's strip was a comic reference, to the point where those of us who know who Iger and Donenfeld refer to in the real world would inevitably be distracted from the film's barely-there story.
Terrible, terrible dialogue.
There were at least two Hot Dames that absolutely did not need to be in the film. Probably more like four, but at least two.
Eva Mendes has a nice butt, but I don't think it contributed as much to the film as Miller did, at least not judging by the screen time it got.
Gabriel Macht did what he could with what he had; Samuel L. Jackson was Samuel L. Jackson on a crack/steroids cocktail; the women all looked good and while none of them were overtly whores (at this point, having women who aren't prostitutes qualifies as restraint on Miller's part), none of them could resist The Spirit's machismo.
Miller's Spirit has the bizarre superpower of glowing-soled hightops.
At one point, completely out of the blue, The Spirit breaks the fourth wall to talk directly to the audience. Why this was deemed necessary when half the film's dialogue (which was god-awful) was in voice-over to begin with, I have no idea.
It was better than I expected, but that's not saying much, as I expected it to be pure, tortuous awfulness from beginning to end. Instead, the pure, tortuous awfulness was interspersed with humour, a lot of it extremely broad physical comedy, that worked in the context of the film. But, as Jay said after the film was over, "It's not Will Eisner's Spirit."
***
THE FUTURE OF COMICS (I)
In addition to being THe Future of Comics (I), Fiona Staples is just an all-around awesome person whose package arrived yesterday. Tiina loves the print.
A
***
REBOOT TO THE HEAD
The ReBoot webcomic is done. As the writer put it, "Thank the User."
***
FOLEY'S BRIEF REVIEW OF
If I had to use a single word to describe the film, it would be "excessive."
Some of the funny bits were actually reasonably funny.
The dialogue was stunningly awful.
The visuals were exactly what you'd expect, which is unfortunate, as I think many of the recycled Sin City visual tricks could be used to great effect if they were used in something other than a completely random fashion.
Pretty much every place and character name that wasn't established in Eisner's strip was a comic reference, to the point where those of us who know who Iger and Donenfeld refer to in the real world would inevitably be distracted from the film's barely-there story.
Terrible, terrible dialogue.
There were at least two Hot Dames that absolutely did not need to be in the film. Probably more like four, but at least two.
Eva Mendes has a nice butt, but I don't think it contributed as much to the film as Miller did, at least not judging by the screen time it got.
Gabriel Macht did what he could with what he had; Samuel L. Jackson was Samuel L. Jackson on a crack/steroids cocktail; the women all looked good and while none of them were overtly whores (at this point, having women who aren't prostitutes qualifies as restraint on Miller's part), none of them could resist The Spirit's machismo.
Miller's Spirit has the bizarre superpower of glowing-soled hightops.
At one point, completely out of the blue, The Spirit breaks the fourth wall to talk directly to the audience. Why this was deemed necessary when half the film's dialogue (which was god-awful) was in voice-over to begin with, I have no idea.
It was better than I expected, but that's not saying much, as I expected it to be pure, tortuous awfulness from beginning to end. Instead, the pure, tortuous awfulness was interspersed with humour, a lot of it extremely broad physical comedy, that worked in the context of the film. But, as Jay said after the film was over, "It's not Will Eisner's Spirit."
***
THE FUTURE OF COMICS (I)
In addition to being THe Future of Comics (I), Fiona Staples is just an all-around awesome person whose package arrived yesterday. Tiina loves the print.
A
Sunday, December 14, 2008
"Might be time to lay off the pills a little, Foley..."
A few minutes ago Diego Simone, long-suffering ReBoot
artist sent me pencils for three of the last four pages for the weekly webcomic, which got him a reply of "This is great, but I really need the inks/colours for page 39 like, RIGHT NOW, because the letterer needs to have them done, like, RIGHT NOW."
Which got me the reply of "I sent you that page, but here it is again."
I figured we were facing a repeat of Tuesday, when a page had been lost between his sending it and my gmail account, and was seriously considering looking at alternate e-mail otions, until I looked at my Sent Mail list...and discovered I actually had gotten the page, looked at it, and forwarded it to equally long-suffering letterer Ed Brisson and the comic's writer. And I had and have no memory of doing that. Looking at the timeline, I realize all of this happened sometime after me taking a SleepMD pill last night, which I can only hope at least contributed to this piece of lost time.
Mind you, I do keep seeing images of grey aliens every time I close my eyes. Maybe that's related...
Anyway, the important thing is, we've got five pages to go and then my part on the ReBoot project is basically done. And that'll be me unemployed in any creative capacity, and just in time for Christmas, from the looks of it.
***
On the upside, I'm feeling more energized about writing right now than I have in some time. The screenplay's ticking along at a regrettably glacial pace, but I'm also working on a new proposal for a project with Nick Johnson, and I've been thinking of taking another shot at finding a story to go along with the characters from OLD DOGS. When writing up the idea to show Hollywood Manager, I came up with a new twist to the scenario I hadn't considered before that might just pull the thing into a workable shape.
***
I had an idea a bit like this one a couple years back. It was called SAME SH*T, DIFFERENT GALAXY, and was a workplace sitcom about the janitorial staff on a starship, the bridge crew of which were the stars of a reality television show. I even got the Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples to do some character designs for a possible animated version. I don't know why I never went much of anywhere with the idea, but it just...never happened. Which is for the best, apparently. One FOOL'S ERRAND in this life is enough for me.
A
artist sent me pencils for three of the last four pages for the weekly webcomic, which got him a reply of "This is great, but I really need the inks/colours for page 39 like, RIGHT NOW, because the letterer needs to have them done, like, RIGHT NOW."Which got me the reply of "I sent you that page, but here it is again."
I figured we were facing a repeat of Tuesday, when a page had been lost between his sending it and my gmail account, and was seriously considering looking at alternate e-mail otions, until I looked at my Sent Mail list...and discovered I actually had gotten the page, looked at it, and forwarded it to equally long-suffering letterer Ed Brisson
and the comic's writer. And I had and have no memory of doing that. Looking at the timeline, I realize all of this happened sometime after me taking a SleepMD pill last night, which I can only hope at least contributed to this piece of lost time.Mind you, I do keep seeing images of grey aliens every time I close my eyes. Maybe that's related...
Anyway, the important thing is, we've got five pages to go and then my part on the ReBoot project is basically done. And that'll be me unemployed in any creative capacity, and just in time for Christmas, from the looks of it.
***
On the upside, I'm feeling more energized about writing right now than I have in some time. The screenplay's ticking along at a regrettably glacial pace, but I'm also working on a new proposal for a project with Nick Johnson, and I've been thinking of taking another shot at finding a story to go along with the characters from OLD DOGS. When writing up the idea to show Hollywood Manager, I came up with a new twist to the scenario I hadn't considered before that might just pull the thing into a workable shape.
***
I had an idea a bit like this one
a couple years back. It was called SAME SH*T, DIFFERENT GALAXY, and was a workplace sitcom about the janitorial staff on a starship, the bridge crew of which were the stars of a reality television show. I even got the Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples to do some character designs for a possible animated version. I don't know why I never went much of anywhere with the idea, but it just...never happened. Which is for the best, apparently. One FOOL'S ERRAND in this life is enough for me.A
Sunday, November 30, 2008
The Comics' Biggest Blight
thread on Canadian Geek has transformed into a more general discussion about the state of the industry between a frustrated, successful comics retailer (Happy Harbor's Jay Bardyla), an equally frustrated, not nearly as successful comics creator (me), with occasional interjections from other people trying to get a word in edgewise.
***
Andrew Sullivan on why he blogs. I've only read a page and a half, but it includes some interesting historical bits, including the origin of the term "log", which make it worth mentioning right there.
(via Chad Gervich's Script Notes blog)
***
NO QUARTERLY ASKED
The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples has a variant cover on VAMPIRELLA QUARTERLY, and I either just noticed or noticed earlier and forgot. Probably the latter, that sounds like something I'd do.
Anyway. Now she just needs to do something (official) for Red Sonja and she'll have worked on the Pre-1990s Scantily-Clad Ass-Kicking Babe Trifecta, which also includes Sheena. Then she could go back to drawing MY stuff*...
If anyone out there is in touch with someone in a position of authority at Dynamite Comics, please tell them they should hire Fiona for an RS book. End the insanity, before it's too late.
***
DON'T WANNA, NOT GONNA. MAYBE
I don't want to write a zombie story.
I DON'T.
***
I JUST DON'T SEE IT
OK, yeah, there was a communications error and we did the wrong strip.
I still don't understand how you didn't notice that the jet plane was missing, or that there was a robot completely unrelated to the strip in practically all the panels until we were done lettering.
Argh.
thread on Canadian Geek has transformed into a more general discussion about the state of the industry between a frustrated, successful comics retailer (Happy Harbor's Jay Bardyla), an equally frustrated, not nearly as successful comics creator (me), with occasional interjections from other people trying to get a word in edgewise.***
Andrew Sullivan on why he blogs.
I've only read a page and a half, but it includes some interesting historical bits, including the origin of the term "log", which make it worth mentioning right there.(via Chad Gervich
's Script Notes blog)***
NO QUARTERLY ASKED
The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples has a variant cover
on VAMPIRELLA QUARTERLY, and I either just noticed or noticed earlier and forgot. Probably the latter, that sounds like something I'd do.Anyway. Now she just needs to do something (official) for Red Sonja
and she'll have worked on the Pre-1990s Scantily-Clad Ass-Kicking Babe Trifecta, which also includes Sheena. Then she could go back to drawing MY stuff*...If anyone out there is in touch with someone in a position of authority at Dynamite Comics, please tell them they should hire Fiona for an RS book. End the insanity, before it's too late.
***
DON'T WANNA, NOT GONNA. MAYBE
I don't want to write a zombie story.
I DON'T.
***
I JUST DON'T SEE IT
OK, yeah, there was a communications error and we did the wrong strip.
I still don't understand how you didn't notice that the jet plane was missing, or that there was a robot completely unrelated to the strip in practically all the panels until we were done lettering.
Argh.
***
DEAR GOD, WHY?
I have an idea for a reality-TV show.
Please, shoot me.
***
SCREW YOU, BRITISH COLUMBIA
You know what you did.
A
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Why not finish off with a blog post?
Wow, I'm actually getting stuff done this weekend - first a revised outline of The Thing for That Emmy Guy, then a new version of THE HOLIDAY MEN pitch that better reflects the actual comic (the only official proposal I ever did for the project was written up as an animated series. When the ChemSet asked if I had anything I'd be interested in doing and Nick got on-board, it became a comic - refreshingly, without my having to go through a "It's A Christmas Carol meets Die Hard, by way of Looney Toons" type of sales pitch to get someone, artist, publisher, whoever, interested in it. Which was great till I actually decided to start seriously trying to find a publisher and realized I didn't have a proposal written in a suitable format...), even got a decent start on a short essay on something that's been eating at me. And this after finishing four new comic reviews on Friday. What--what's happening to me...?
***
SHE'S A (COGNO)MANIAC, (COGNO)MAAAANIAC, I KNOW-OH
The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples returned to blogging recently to make a post noting on her blog Vicious Ambitious member Cognoman's started a daily webcomic, COGNOMANIA. While Nick Johnson's got the most polished, commercial art style of all the VAers, Cog's is by far the most idiosyncratic - in a way I can't quite put my finger on, it reminds me of Sergio Aragones, though his images are much less detailed, more open and relaxed. These done-in-one surreal comedy strips are a great showcase for an artist I've long believed had a lot of potential. From what I've read, each installment seems to be set in its own weird little world, but that variety of set-ups and settings produces some genuine laughs on a surprisingly consistent basis, at least so far.
***
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"It is clear that superrich people should be punished, because they didn't get where they are today without having eaten a live human baby at some point in their career..." Cintra Wilson, in her book A Massive Swelling: Celebrity Reexamined as a Grotesque Crippling Disease and other cultural revelations.
A
***
SHE'S A (COGNO)MANIAC, (COGNO)MAAAANIAC, I KNOW-OH
The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples returned to blogging recently to make a post noting on her blog Vicious Ambitious member Cognoman's started a daily webcomic, COGNOMANIA. While Nick Johnson's got the most polished, commercial art style of all the VAers, Cog's is by far the most idiosyncratic - in a way I can't quite put my finger on, it reminds me of Sergio Aragones, though his images are much less detailed, more open and relaxed. These done-in-one surreal comedy strips are a great showcase for an artist I've long believed had a lot of potential. From what I've read, each installment seems to be set in its own weird little world, but that variety of set-ups and settings produces some genuine laughs on a surprisingly consistent basis, at least so far.
***
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"It is clear that superrich people should be punished, because they didn't get where they are today without having eaten a live human baby at some point in their career..." Cintra Wilson, in her book A Massive Swelling: Celebrity Reexamined as a Grotesque Crippling Disease and other cultural revelations.
A
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples has let her previous online home, Good-Lucky.net, fall by the wayside. Now she can be found at the aptly named FionaStaples.com. Update your bookmarks accordingly.
***
THE ODDEST THING I WILL DO TODAY IN THE ROLE OF COMICS EDITOR
Spend thirty seconds tracking down the linguistic derivation of the term "props" (it comes from "propers", which itself is a short form of "proper respect".)
This would make some kind of sense if it actually appeared in a script, pitch, outline, or really had anything at all to do with the creation of a comic.
But it didn't.
***
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"...the new (HULK film) overdelivered, relative to its underpromise." David Davis, managing partner and entertainment analyst at Arpeggio Partners in Los Angeles.
I have a new goal in life: to make only underpromises, and then overdeliver on them.
A
***
THE ODDEST THING I WILL DO TODAY IN THE ROLE OF COMICS EDITOR
Spend thirty seconds tracking down the linguistic derivation of the term "props" (it comes from "propers", which itself is a short form of "proper respect".)
This would make some kind of sense if it actually appeared in a script, pitch, outline, or really had anything at all to do with the creation of a comic.
But it didn't.
***
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"...the new (HULK film) overdelivered, relative to its underpromise." David Davis, managing partner and entertainment analyst at Arpeggio Partners in Los Angeles.
I have a new goal in life: to make only underpromises, and then overdeliver on them.
A
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
I've got blisters on the inside of my nose
Having a cold sucks.
Still, got to start catching up with the blogging sometime. So, some bullet points:
-the Vicious Ambitious launch party at Tubby Dog was a lot of fun. Tubby Dog makes insane hot dogs (including a peanut butter and jam hot dog and a wasabi-covered hot dog), but the really frightening thing they produce is their onion rings, which feature a thread of onion wrapped in a pillow-sized chunk of fried dough. I'm convinced I'm still breaking out because of those things.
-setting up a small but essentially functional comic shop at a remote location is a pain in the butt.
-Went to bed early the Friday before the Calgary Comic Expo. Note to self: going to bed early isn't an effective strategy if you're going to wake up at 5 in the morning. I wouldn't make that mistake again. The next night I didn't go to bed till 2 in the morning. And I still woke up at 5. This is one of the major reasons I don't like traveling.
-The Calgary show was good. For the first time I can recall, people brought stuff they'd bought earlier to a convention specifically to have me and Fiona sign it. That was very cool.
-The third or fourth last thing Darick Robertson did in Calgary the Saturday night/early Sunday morning of the show was draw me drawing him (a scan will be forthcoming). The fourth or third last thing Darick Robertson did in Calgary late Saturday night/early Sunday morning of the show was chug down two pints of guinness at frightening speed. He claimed this ability was not unrelated to his getting the job drawing Garth Ennis' THE BOYS. The second last thing Darick Robertson did that night was draw someone else who was also drawing him. The last thing he did that night was catch a plane out of town. Somewhat later that morning, I was told he'd left town early, skipping the Sunday part of the show. I didn't really believe it, at the time. However, as no word of his alcohol-poisoned corpse surfacing in Calgary has been forthcoming, I guess he really did just leave town.
-About three hours into the show on Sunday my hand gave out. I was doing sketches of myself (the only thing I can draw semi-consistently) in the Charity Art Book I didn't have any other art in, and suddenly I'm coming out looking less like a neanderthal and more like late-era Charlie Brown. My hand was trembling uncontrollably. I was pretty punchy after getting maybe eight hours of sleep over the previous three nights, so I found this hysterical, rather than terrifying.
-Fiona Staples is the Future of Comics. She's also pretty cool to hang around with for eight hours a day on the weekend.
-There was this guy named Tom who was the coordinator for the volunteers looking after the CCEE guests. My enjoyment of the show had a huge amount to do with him and his colleagues. Judging by the way they treated me, I might as well have been Mark Waid or Greg Rucka or one of the other creators who people who aren't personal friends had heard of who attended the show.
More later. All this typing has devastated my currently pathetically fragile constitution. Hopefully Tiina will return home soon with some of the Good Cold Medicine.
A
Still, got to start catching up with the blogging sometime. So, some bullet points:
-the Vicious Ambitious launch party at Tubby Dog was a lot of fun. Tubby Dog makes insane hot dogs (including a peanut butter and jam hot dog and a wasabi-covered hot dog), but the really frightening thing they produce is their onion rings, which feature a thread of onion wrapped in a pillow-sized chunk of fried dough. I'm convinced I'm still breaking out because of those things.
-setting up a small but essentially functional comic shop at a remote location is a pain in the butt.
-Went to bed early the Friday before the Calgary Comic Expo. Note to self: going to bed early isn't an effective strategy if you're going to wake up at 5 in the morning. I wouldn't make that mistake again. The next night I didn't go to bed till 2 in the morning. And I still woke up at 5. This is one of the major reasons I don't like traveling.
-The Calgary show was good. For the first time I can recall, people brought stuff they'd bought earlier to a convention specifically to have me and Fiona sign it. That was very cool.
-The third or fourth last thing Darick Robertson did in Calgary the Saturday night/early Sunday morning of the show was draw me drawing him (a scan will be forthcoming). The fourth or third last thing Darick Robertson did in Calgary late Saturday night/early Sunday morning of the show was chug down two pints of guinness at frightening speed. He claimed this ability was not unrelated to his getting the job drawing Garth Ennis' THE BOYS. The second last thing Darick Robertson did that night was draw someone else who was also drawing him. The last thing he did that night was catch a plane out of town. Somewhat later that morning, I was told he'd left town early, skipping the Sunday part of the show. I didn't really believe it, at the time. However, as no word of his alcohol-poisoned corpse surfacing in Calgary has been forthcoming, I guess he really did just leave town.
-About three hours into the show on Sunday my hand gave out. I was doing sketches of myself (the only thing I can draw semi-consistently) in the Charity Art Book I didn't have any other art in, and suddenly I'm coming out looking less like a neanderthal and more like late-era Charlie Brown. My hand was trembling uncontrollably. I was pretty punchy after getting maybe eight hours of sleep over the previous three nights, so I found this hysterical, rather than terrifying.
-Fiona Staples is the Future of Comics. She's also pretty cool to hang around with for eight hours a day on the weekend.
-There was this guy named Tom who was the coordinator for the volunteers looking after the CCEE guests. My enjoyment of the show had a huge amount to do with him and his colleagues. Judging by the way they treated me, I might as well have been Mark Waid or Greg Rucka or one of the other creators who people who aren't personal friends had heard of who attended the show.
More later. All this typing has devastated my currently pathetically fragile constitution. Hopefully Tiina will return home soon with some of the Good Cold Medicine.
A
Monday, April 21, 2008
Prepare to Bow Down Before Your Lizard Masters...
"Italian wall lizards introduced to a tiny island off the coast of Croatia are evolving in ways that would normally take millions of years to play out, new research shows.
In just a few decades the 5-inch-long (13-centimeter-long) lizards have developed a completely new gut structure, larger heads, and a harder bite, researchers say..."
I wonder how long it'll be before some religious wingnut declares this to be evidence the world's only 6000 years old...
In other news, I'm going to be a guest at this weekend's Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. I mean, I guess I'm a guest, my table's in the guest section rather than Artist's Alley, which is where it's traditionally been located. But come to think of it, I technically was a guest for those shows, while I haven't been announced or anything official at this one. Neither has SECRET HISTORY OF THE AUTHORITY: JACK HAWKSMOOR artist and The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples, who has the table next to me--apparently there is no escape for her from me at CCEE--which is a greater omission from the PR than me...
Anyway. If you're going, come say hi, listen to me try and come up with a decent sales pitch for THE HOLIDAY MEN EXTRA SPECIAL COLLECTIBLE BLACK AND WHITE PRINT VARIANT EDITION #1. Hell, just come listen to me try and *say* "THE HOLIDAY MEN EXTRA-SPECIAL COLLECTIBLE BLACK AND WHITE PRINT VARIANT EDITION #1." It oughta be good for a laugh (for you--by the end of the weekend Fiona will probably be ready to burst into tears at the very thought of it). You'll recognize me as the guy who doesn't play Lex Luthor on SMALLVILLE. I'm at table G29.
A
In just a few decades the 5-inch-long (13-centimeter-long) lizards have developed a completely new gut structure, larger heads, and a harder bite, researchers say..."
I wonder how long it'll be before some religious wingnut declares this to be evidence the world's only 6000 years old...
In other news, I'm going to be a guest at this weekend's Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo. I mean, I guess I'm a guest, my table's in the guest section rather than Artist's Alley, which is where it's traditionally been located. But come to think of it, I technically was a guest for those shows, while I haven't been announced or anything official at this one. Neither has SECRET HISTORY OF THE AUTHORITY: JACK HAWKSMOOR artist and The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples, who has the table next to me--apparently there is no escape for her from me at CCEE--which is a greater omission from the PR than me...
Anyway. If you're going, come say hi, listen to me try and come up with a decent sales pitch for THE HOLIDAY MEN EXTRA SPECIAL COLLECTIBLE BLACK AND WHITE PRINT VARIANT EDITION #1. Hell, just come listen to me try and *say* "THE HOLIDAY MEN EXTRA-SPECIAL COLLECTIBLE BLACK AND WHITE PRINT VARIANT EDITION #1." It oughta be good for a laugh (for you--by the end of the weekend Fiona will probably be ready to burst into tears at the very thought of it). You'll recognize me as the guy who doesn't play Lex Luthor on SMALLVILLE. I'm at table G29.
A
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
A Friendly Reminder
The Future of Comics (I) Fiona Staples-illustrated THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE AUTHORITY: JACK HAWKSMOOR #1 hit comic store shelves today. Buy several copies and give them to all your friends. You'll be glad you did. Even if you aren't, I'll be glad you did, and that's what really matters, isn't it?
A
A
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Fiona Staples is the Future of Comics
DC has a PDF preview of the first five pages of THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE AUTHORITY: JACK HAWKSMOOR #1, with art by Fiona Staples, up on its site.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Fiona's going to be a HUGE STAR, and rightfully so.
A
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Fiona's going to be a HUGE STAR, and rightfully so.
A
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Three Good Things and One Wash
The WGA Strike is officially over. And while the membership still has to vote over whether to accept the new deal, given that the vote to end the strike passed with something like 92%, it's going to get accepted.
CHUCK's season is over (boo), as is HEROES (probably best to give everyone a few months to get the taste of "Volume 2: Generations" out of their mouths.) LOST might manage an additional five episodes to add to the six that are already in the can; SUPERNATURAL is supposed to get a few more, too. Haven't heard anything about REAPER; BIONIC WOMAN is apparently dead, and I'm guessing LIFE is, too, though I haven't heard about it, either.
I heard a rumour that reality television shows' ratings in general are going down, possibly thanks to overexposure during the strike. If this isn't true, I don't want to hear it, because it makes me feel warm inside believing it is.
For myself, I can go back to having an infinitesimally microscopic chance to make some money out of H'wood, selling a spec, rather than none at all.
So that's good.
***
HAVE I MENTIONED RECENTLY THAT FIONA STAPLES IS GOING TO BE A HUGE STAR?
From Rich Johnston's February 11, 2008 LYING IN THE GUTTERS column:
COMIC NEEDS EMERGENCY STAPLES
[Green Light]The first issue of Wildstorm's "Secret History of the Authority: Jack Hawksmoor" was solicited in last month's Previews; the second in this month's. Both name Koi Turnbull as the interior artist.
The actual interior artist for all six issues will be Fiona Staples (cover artist for several issues of Devil's Due's "Sheena"). Even though she got the job well after the first issue was solicited, the plan is to release the issues on the previously established schedule.
***
"IT'S NOT A TUMOUR."
Which means a friend of mine gets to live a few years longer, albeit possibly with a mystery headache of some sort.
***
SPEAKING OF MYSTERY HEADACHES
The CT-Scan of my sinuses showed some mucus and a cyst, but nothing to account for the 16-month-long headache I've had. So it's getting referred back to my family doctor, who'll either send me to a neurologist or a headache specialist. On the one hand, we're back to square one, and on the other, I don't need to have any surgical procedures performed in my sinus cavity.
Sure FEELS like a sinus headache...
A
CHUCK's season is over (boo), as is HEROES (probably best to give everyone a few months to get the taste of "Volume 2: Generations" out of their mouths.) LOST might manage an additional five episodes to add to the six that are already in the can; SUPERNATURAL is supposed to get a few more, too. Haven't heard anything about REAPER; BIONIC WOMAN is apparently dead, and I'm guessing LIFE is, too, though I haven't heard about it, either.
I heard a rumour that reality television shows' ratings in general are going down, possibly thanks to overexposure during the strike. If this isn't true, I don't want to hear it, because it makes me feel warm inside believing it is.
For myself, I can go back to having an infinitesimally microscopic chance to make some money out of H'wood, selling a spec, rather than none at all.
So that's good.
***
HAVE I MENTIONED RECENTLY THAT FIONA STAPLES IS GOING TO BE A HUGE STAR?
From Rich Johnston's February 11, 2008 LYING IN THE GUTTERS column:
COMIC NEEDS EMERGENCY STAPLES
[Green Light]The first issue of Wildstorm's "Secret History of the Authority: Jack Hawksmoor" was solicited in last month's Previews; the second in this month's. Both name Koi Turnbull as the interior artist.
The actual interior artist for all six issues will be Fiona Staples (cover artist for several issues of Devil's Due's "Sheena"). Even though she got the job well after the first issue was solicited, the plan is to release the issues on the previously established schedule.
***
"IT'S NOT A TUMOUR."
Which means a friend of mine gets to live a few years longer, albeit possibly with a mystery headache of some sort.
***
SPEAKING OF MYSTERY HEADACHES
The CT-Scan of my sinuses showed some mucus and a cyst, but nothing to account for the 16-month-long headache I've had. So it's getting referred back to my family doctor, who'll either send me to a neurologist or a headache specialist. On the one hand, we're back to square one, and on the other, I don't need to have any surgical procedures performed in my sinus cavity.
Sure FEELS like a sinus headache...
A
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