Hope everyone who's into Jesus is having a good Easter. If you're into Raptor Jesus, you might want to think twice about eating any colourful eggs, though.
A
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Quotes of the Day: All-Blasphemy Edition
Was up to four in the morning last night, helping Tiina stress about getting the lettering on the intro to the TOKEN GOBLIN fill-in for the HOLIDAY MEN on the Chemistry Set yesterday. IN addition to that, about an hour ago, my enhanced weather changing sense kicked in (read as, I got a nasty sinus headache.) So nothing Andrew-original's getting posted this evening. Here's a couple of things that made me laugh today, though.
'Don't let people give you a bad time about being a worshipper of Raptor Jesus. If people give you a bad time about accepting Raptor Jesus as your Personal Savior, say to them: "Oh yeah, how would you like it if there was a another Hitler and he came over to kill you!" That will shut people up.' One of the many tips on worshipping the first deity to make me seriously reconsider my devoting my life to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, RAPTOR JESUS. Much more info on the son of God who was hatched into this world to save humankind, and how to worship him, at the link.
"Thank you for taking time out from feeding the poor to complain about comic strips. I know Jesus would have played it the same way." DILBERT creator Scott Adams, responding to a pastor who took offense to his including a character named Jesus (pronounced Hay-Soos) in the strip. Also noteworthy, his defence of the decision not to make fun of Mohammed: "Well, aside from the blindingly obvious reason that I prefer life over death, I didn’t realize I was making fun of Christianity..."
Foley
'Don't let people give you a bad time about being a worshipper of Raptor Jesus. If people give you a bad time about accepting Raptor Jesus as your Personal Savior, say to them: "Oh yeah, how would you like it if there was a another Hitler and he came over to kill you!" That will shut people up.' One of the many tips on worshipping the first deity to make me seriously reconsider my devoting my life to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, RAPTOR JESUS. Much more info on the son of God who was hatched into this world to save humankind, and how to worship him, at the link.
"Thank you for taking time out from feeding the poor to complain about comic strips. I know Jesus would have played it the same way." DILBERT creator Scott Adams, responding to a pastor who took offense to his including a character named Jesus (pronounced Hay-Soos) in the strip. Also noteworthy, his defence of the decision not to make fun of Mohammed: "Well, aside from the blindingly obvious reason that I prefer life over death, I didn’t realize I was making fun of Christianity..."
Foley
THE HOLIDAY MEN are on vacation...
...substituting for them this week at The Chemistry Set is THE TOKEN GOBLIN in his first and, to date, only comic story, The Art of The Matter.
Those without broadband should probably give this one a pass...
A
Those without broadband should probably give this one a pass...
A
Friday, March 14, 2008
Where the wind blows.
Weather is changing. After a week and a half of above zero temperatures, snow has started to fall. I feel like someone has kicked me in the brain.
***
SELF-REFERENTIAL LINKBLOGGING
As you may recall, a couple days ago I referenced the recent practice of many small press comic publishers of creating comic projects that are intended less to be successful comics than they are cheap back-door pitches for movie and television properties.
The very next day, Dirk Deppey, the guy behind my favourite comics blog, The Comic Journal's !journalista!, ran a good portion of an interview with Barry Levine, the guy behind a new comics publisher with that very business plan, Radical Comics, accompanied by the occasional snarky comment. You know you're in for an entertaining time when the intro to a story begins with an intro like this one: "The Hollywood connection continues to attract parasites to comics publishing..."
Or maybe you just know *I'm* in for a good time when that happens.
***
SELF-REFERENTIAL LINKBLOGGING #2
Over at the Andrew Foley Writes Things blog, Scott O. Brown, the guy responsible for my March 11 Quote of the Day left the following comment in response to it:
"Expect a package."
Oh yeah. When it comes to giving notes, I've still got it.
***
SELF-REFERENTIAL LINKBLOGGING #3
Happy Harbor Comics has put up photos from the Make-A-Wish event on Monday featuring Udon Studios artist and all-round good guy Joe Ng, including one of me, Jayce Morrow, and the sketch of the Decepticon BARRICADE I did for him. That hour and a half at HH was the highlight of my week in a lot of ways. Certainly it put me in as good a mood as I've been in for too long awhile.
***
SELF-REFERENTIAL LINKBLOGGING #4
After a number of false starts at other small press comic publishers, George Singley has decided it'd be less of a hassle to publish Chimaera Studios comics himself.
I did some writing work on the Chimaera RPG, as well as the upcoming TITUS: HEROIC FAILURE miniseries--a book I put a lot into and will be happy to finally see published. T:HF is pretty much the direct creative forerunner of THE HOLIDAY MEN, so if you like that, you'll probably like Titus. On the other hand, if you like pretty much everything else Chimaera's doing (which tends to be in much more of a straight superhero vein), this is something you'll probably want to avoid.
I'm also informed that T:HF now has an artist, one I'm very happy with, but I don't think I'm supposed to talk about it yet.
***
THE TO-DO LIST (weekend edition)
-Finish first 20 comic pages of script of MASTER OF THE HOUSE, so Fiona's got everything she needs when she starts drawing it in May.
-Talk to editor about the shape (or lack thereof) of GONE.
-Dig up projects a prospective new collaborator might like to work on.
-Work on the textras for THE HOLIDAY MEN print version.
-Do Not Panic.
A
***
SELF-REFERENTIAL LINKBLOGGING
As you may recall, a couple days ago I referenced the recent practice of many small press comic publishers of creating comic projects that are intended less to be successful comics than they are cheap back-door pitches for movie and television properties.
The very next day, Dirk Deppey, the guy behind my favourite comics blog, The Comic Journal's !journalista!, ran a good portion of an interview with Barry Levine, the guy behind a new comics publisher with that very business plan, Radical Comics, accompanied by the occasional snarky comment. You know you're in for an entertaining time when the intro to a story begins with an intro like this one: "The Hollywood connection continues to attract parasites to comics publishing..."
Or maybe you just know *I'm* in for a good time when that happens.
***
SELF-REFERENTIAL LINKBLOGGING #2
Over at the Andrew Foley Writes Things blog, Scott O. Brown, the guy responsible for my March 11 Quote of the Day left the following comment in response to it:
"Expect a package."
Oh yeah. When it comes to giving notes, I've still got it.
***
SELF-REFERENTIAL LINKBLOGGING #3
Happy Harbor Comics has put up photos from the Make-A-Wish event on Monday featuring Udon Studios artist and all-round good guy Joe Ng, including one of me, Jayce Morrow, and the sketch of the Decepticon BARRICADE I did for him. That hour and a half at HH was the highlight of my week in a lot of ways. Certainly it put me in as good a mood as I've been in for too long awhile.
***
SELF-REFERENTIAL LINKBLOGGING #4
After a number of false starts at other small press comic publishers, George Singley has decided it'd be less of a hassle to publish Chimaera Studios comics himself.
I did some writing work on the Chimaera RPG, as well as the upcoming TITUS: HEROIC FAILURE miniseries--a book I put a lot into and will be happy to finally see published. T:HF is pretty much the direct creative forerunner of THE HOLIDAY MEN, so if you like that, you'll probably like Titus. On the other hand, if you like pretty much everything else Chimaera's doing (which tends to be in much more of a straight superhero vein), this is something you'll probably want to avoid.
I'm also informed that T:HF now has an artist, one I'm very happy with, but I don't think I'm supposed to talk about it yet.
***
THE TO-DO LIST (weekend edition)
-Finish first 20 comic pages of script of MASTER OF THE HOUSE, so Fiona's got everything she needs when she starts drawing it in May.
-Talk to editor about the shape (or lack thereof) of GONE.
-Dig up projects a prospective new collaborator might like to work on.
-Work on the textras for THE HOLIDAY MEN print version.
-Do Not Panic.
A
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Things that aren't going to appear in the limited print run version of THE HOLIDAY MEN, Episode One
(DAN VAN COOL - I'd love to make it out to a Drink and Draw or three, but living in Edmonton kinda hampers my ability to do so. One of these days I'll be back in Calgary at the right time...
And now, the actual post:)
As you may or may not know, and may or may not care, one of the more common business plans for small press comics publishers these days is to put out comics that are intended less as comics than as movie pitches. What these people seem to be doing is pinning their hopes on some rich producer sweeping in and saving their bottom line from the savage indifference of the direct market by giving the publisher and possibly even the creators,a lot of money for the right to turn the comic into a film or television show.
I'm not opposed to the idea of creators, or even publishers, making money by licensing rights out this way, but I sometimes wish that they weren't quite so blatantly convinced there's no way publishing comics and JUST publishing comics could possibly be worthwhile, from a business standpoint. It's hard to be a pie-in-the-sky idealist when a substantial number of comic publishers are more interested in their "intellectual property" than their "comics/graphic novels/books" or even their comics' "characters and stories."
Anyway, it seemed to me that it'd be funny if, in the print version of THE HOLIDAY MEN Episode One we're planning to do, Nick and I took on the role of exaggeratedly shameless hucksters looking to make some of that long Hollywood green, in a full-page ad supposedly aimed at prospective producers and publishers of a HOLIDAY MEN-based project that'd involve more than a couple hundred copies, if that. I even asked my managers if I could use their logos and contact information as part of the ad, to add to the sense of realism.
My publishing manager was OK with the idea, until he read what I wanted to put in the ads. Then he strongly advised me not to do it.
STRONGLY advised.
I figure there's not much point having managers if you aren't going to listen to them, so the bit's been cut and will be replaced by something else (hopefully an ad for something "real"--we'll see.)
But I think, and Nick and even my manager agree, that what I wrote was funny. So of course I'm going to post the text here, so you can judge for yourself.
Here's the one aimed at Hollywood producers:
"As Funny as V FOR VENDETTA, more senselessly violent than GHOST WORLD, and slightly less homoerotic than 300, THE HOLIDAY MEN has all the elements needed to become a breakout summer blockbuster, but one: YOU, an established, respected, and, if you don't mind my saying, quite handsome for your age Executive Producer with the foresight, good taste, and gross overabundance of wealth and power to get it greenlit."
And for non-small press publishers:
"With art that could be considered to be in the incredibly popular manga style if you were half-blind and had never seen a manga before, and a writer who's been compared to Stephen King (in that he also got run over by a truck), THE HOLIDAY MEN would make an invaluable addition to any publishing house's catalogue, especially the catalogue of a publishing house that's willing to give the creators an extremely reasonable five figure advance."
In retrospect, I guess I can see why people who are actually seriously engaged in trying to generate income from the intellectual property that is THE HOLIDAY MEN might not want those blurbs to appear in what will hopefully be a decent sales tool. But the lesson I take away from this?
Next time, print first and ask the managers what they think later.
A
And now, the actual post:)
As you may or may not know, and may or may not care, one of the more common business plans for small press comics publishers these days is to put out comics that are intended less as comics than as movie pitches. What these people seem to be doing is pinning their hopes on some rich producer sweeping in and saving their bottom line from the savage indifference of the direct market by giving the publisher and possibly even the creators,a lot of money for the right to turn the comic into a film or television show.
I'm not opposed to the idea of creators, or even publishers, making money by licensing rights out this way, but I sometimes wish that they weren't quite so blatantly convinced there's no way publishing comics and JUST publishing comics could possibly be worthwhile, from a business standpoint. It's hard to be a pie-in-the-sky idealist when a substantial number of comic publishers are more interested in their "intellectual property" than their "comics/graphic novels/books" or even their comics' "characters and stories."
Anyway, it seemed to me that it'd be funny if, in the print version of THE HOLIDAY MEN Episode One we're planning to do, Nick and I took on the role of exaggeratedly shameless hucksters looking to make some of that long Hollywood green, in a full-page ad supposedly aimed at prospective producers and publishers of a HOLIDAY MEN-based project that'd involve more than a couple hundred copies, if that. I even asked my managers if I could use their logos and contact information as part of the ad, to add to the sense of realism.
My publishing manager was OK with the idea, until he read what I wanted to put in the ads. Then he strongly advised me not to do it.
STRONGLY advised.
I figure there's not much point having managers if you aren't going to listen to them, so the bit's been cut and will be replaced by something else (hopefully an ad for something "real"--we'll see.)
But I think, and Nick and even my manager agree, that what I wrote was funny. So of course I'm going to post the text here, so you can judge for yourself.
Here's the one aimed at Hollywood producers:
"As Funny as V FOR VENDETTA, more senselessly violent than GHOST WORLD, and slightly less homoerotic than 300, THE HOLIDAY MEN has all the elements needed to become a breakout summer blockbuster, but one: YOU, an established, respected, and, if you don't mind my saying, quite handsome for your age Executive Producer with the foresight, good taste, and gross overabundance of wealth and power to get it greenlit."
And for non-small press publishers:
"With art that could be considered to be in the incredibly popular manga style if you were half-blind and had never seen a manga before, and a writer who's been compared to Stephen King (in that he also got run over by a truck), THE HOLIDAY MEN would make an invaluable addition to any publishing house's catalogue, especially the catalogue of a publishing house that's willing to give the creators an extremely reasonable five figure advance."
In retrospect, I guess I can see why people who are actually seriously engaged in trying to generate income from the intellectual property that is THE HOLIDAY MEN might not want those blurbs to appear in what will hopefully be a decent sales tool. But the lesson I take away from this?
Next time, print first and ask the managers what they think later.
A
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Quote of the Day
From Scott O. Brown, regarding my upcoming critique a script of his:
"Be honest, and live with your decision, whether it involves success, failure, or my mailing you my head in a box with a printout of your notes shoved in my mouth and the words BLAME ANDREW written on my forehead."
I don't think SOB intended this to be read as a challenge, but I do now feel like I've got something to strive for...
A
"Be honest, and live with your decision, whether it involves success, failure, or my mailing you my head in a box with a printout of your notes shoved in my mouth and the words BLAME ANDREW written on my forehead."
I don't think SOB intended this to be read as a challenge, but I do now feel like I've got something to strive for...
A
Above and Beyond (Happy Harbor earns its name)
From today's Edmonton Journal:
"A stop at the Manning Crossing store of Happy Harbor Comics was the highlight of a whirlwind day of media interviews and shopping sprees for Jayce, a nice break from the needles, intravenous treatments, radiation and that general sick feeling that have been his life for the past 15 months.
The Hinton boy suffers from T-cell leukemia, a particularly aggressive form of blood cancer...
On Monday, thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Happy Harbor owner Jay Bardyla and Joe Ng, the illustrator of Transformers who made a special trip from Toronto just to meet Jayce, the youngster had the best day he could remember..."
"A stop at the Manning Crossing store of Happy Harbor Comics was the highlight of a whirlwind day of media interviews and shopping sprees for Jayce, a nice break from the needles, intravenous treatments, radiation and that general sick feeling that have been his life for the past 15 months.
The Hinton boy suffers from T-cell leukemia, a particularly aggressive form of blood cancer...
On Monday, thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Happy Harbor owner Jay Bardyla and Joe Ng, the illustrator of Transformers who made a special trip from Toronto just to meet Jayce, the youngster had the best day he could remember..."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
