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An amusing YouTube promotional video for the New York Comic Con (click here). Also, the redesign of Will Eisner's official website is now online. Lovely. Teaser for an upcoming Eisner documentary.
As of June 1st, Melissa and I will have been married for five years. We haven't done much on past anniversaries. With mortgage and a daughter, it can be difficult to find the time or the money to do "something big". Normally, we go to Fort Worth and eat at Lucille's. It's a nice tradition, but we decided to actually go somewhere this year. We've booked a weekend stay at the Prince Solms Inn in New Braunfels, oldest hotel in town. And of course, there's a cool ghost story (click here). We're staying in Sophie's Suite, where most of the sightings take place. Oooohhh... a haunted room...
In unrelated ghost-free news, my copies of Webslinger arrived in the mail today. The book looks great.
A few days ago, I finished a detailed outline (third draft) for the wonderland fantasy I'm writing, to be illustrated by the imaginative and talented Diana Nock...
 It'll be the longest story I've ever written, and the fantasy genre poses such a huge creative challenge. You have to offer something no one's seen before. I've been working on Bolivar for half a year. After watching Pan's Labyrinth, I was deeply encouraged. I feel like I'm on the right path without being an imitation of someone else's work.
If you miss Emily and want some more Hop-on-Brock action, make sure to pre-order a copy of THE TICK'S 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION #1. Look for it in the February Previews catalog (FEB073669). Brock and I contributed a page to this anthology. It's lovely goodness.
Also, in the February Previews, you must order JOSH HOWARD PRESENTS: SASQUATCH (FEB073830). My two cohorts Tom Kurzanski and Brock Rizy have stories in it. Plus, the freakin' Sasquatch? How fun is that? At 250 pages, full color, this trade paperback will be Viper's largest yet.  Tom, Brock, and I confirmed our table for this year's MoCCA Art Festival. Which is good, because they sold out! There's no more exhibitor space left. Thankful, we've got our space and I've got my plane ticket to New York.
YALSA's 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens has been announced. And to my excitement, EMILY EDISON is on that final list.
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest growing division of the American Library Association (ALA), has announced its 2007 recommended list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens. The list, to be prepared annually, was released for the first time during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, Washington, held January 19-23, 2007.It's a real honor to be included on the list, and especially with another Viper book, MIDDLEMAN by Javi and Les. I love libraries. I love the idea that any kid could walk into a library; and regardless of how much money is in his or her pocket, they could pick up EMILY EDISON, read it, and enjoy it. Brock and I created a hero/adventure story that would be fun and exciting for all-ages. YASLA's recognition our efforts (and by way of commitee too!) is very, very encouraging. In other good news, KARMA INCORPORATED (2nd series) will be featured in this year's Viper Comics Presents for Free Comic Book Day, as mentioned at Newsarama. VIPER COMICS PRESENTS: JOSH HOWARD'S SASQUATCH AND MORE-FCBD EDITION  One last thing, my friend Jeff Elden has a new blog and art site, THE MIDDLE CHILD. Great stuff, so check it out!
Fanboy Radio's January Indie Show is now available (click here). Scott Hinze and I talk with Gene Yang, creator of the highly acclaimed AMERICAN BORN CHINESE, and Molly Crabapple, the author and illustrator of the inventive and wonderfully entertaining DR. SKETCHY'S OFFICIAL RAINY DAY COLOURING BOOK.
 This might be one of my favorite indie shows. The interviews went well. Both Gene and Molly are so intelligent and well-spoken. It's clear they love what they do, and that's always encouraging.
La Reunion is hosting an art exhibit at the Belmont Hotel in North Oak Cliff (through March 13th). The reception is this Wednesday from 7 to 10 PM. My friend Wim Bens was selected as one of the artists on display. Congrats!
 Also, much rejoicing for Josh and Laura Howard. Their daughter London Lynn Howard was born this past Saturday, January 20 at 5:35 pm. She's 6.6 lbs and 18.5 in. long.
MySpace is in trouble. There are a lot of similar sites popping up all over the place. Most of them are better designed without the prostitutes, spam, and teenagers. ComicSpace hit big, and people are hungry for the site to add more features. Christian Beranek sent me a link for Uber. Have to say, I'm impressed with the clean setup, hip design, and functionality. After only ten minutes or so, here's my profile.
 Two things are saving MySpace... barely: (1) Everybody's there. It may be a mad trainwreck waiting to happen, but at least I can find anybody I'm looking for. (2) It takes too much energy to invest in another freakin' social networking site. Sure Uber is spiffy (...except for their name. "Uber" is very two years ago. The word is dead.) but do I really want to take the time to network with the same people I already met over at MySpace? I'm not the first to say this: MySpace is like a bad relationship that you've been in for so long it's just easier to suffer than break-up. A social site's greatest commodity is its ability to make you look cooler and more acceptable than you actually are. We don't look as pretty on MySpace, do we? Especially with those evil, evil, evil design-it-yourself templates. No one needs a profile page to rain little pink hearts. Say no.
Okay. So last night, Dennis Rodman. You know the guy, tattoo'd NBA basketball star and beloved media personality. Dennis Rodman saw my wife get hauled off on a stretcher and into an ambulance.
Let me explain. First, it should be said that Melissa is okay. She's sleeping right now, under the influence of pain killers and muscle relaxers. Nothing is broken, and it turns out the ambulance was a necessary precaution, but ultimately unnecessary. As many of you know, Melissa skates for the Dallas Derby Devils. She loves roller derby, and is quite good. For the past month, the Derby Devils have been involved in a new reality show, exclusive to HD television, called "From Geek to Freak with Dennis Rodman" (promo). Basic premise: This girl, a geek, is transformed into a freak. Hence, the name of the show. In one episode, the girl joins the Dallas Derby Devils, trains with them and plays in one of their bouts, which is this Saturday (flier). They had practice last night. The geek-girl got hurt during the scrimmage. The camera crew jumped in, getting every angle. They took reaction shots, well after the fact, to be edited in later. They even gave the Derby Devils scripted lines, such as "That's derby." Which the derby girls refused to deliver. Turns out the geek-girl was fine, nothing major, suck it up and move on. However, later in the practice, unintentionally, Melissa upstaged the geek-girl. During Melissa's jam, that means she was the point-scorer, she was fouled from behind. While the details are a little sketchy, she went head first into the track. Thank god for helmets. Melissa felt a sharp pain in her neck. One of the girls was a licensed EMT, and didn't want her to move. An ambulance was called. I was called. And Melissa was taken to the emergency room. The whole time the cameras were rolling. When I arrived at the hospital, Melissa was there in one of the rooms with a lovely neck brace, and staring at the ceiling. She got a CAT scan. The doctor determined nothing was broken or fractured. The official report: NECK INJURY (CERVICAL STRAIN): You have a neck strain. This is an injury to the muscles and ligaments in the neck. There is no evidence of a fracture of the neck bones. Also, no injury to the spinal cord or nerve roots was detected.Melissa was given a prescription, and was able to walk out of the emergency room. We were home at around midnight. Melissa's friend Aimee stayed at our house with Kennedy, so I could go to the hospital. Aimee can probably relate to the situation, since her husband is a pro skate boarder. I'm sure he's had a fair share of emergency room injuries. While we were in the room, waiting for the CAT scan, I asked Melissa about the girl who fouled her. There's no ill will, no hard feelings. A friend of Melissa's, who she just loves, and still does. Melissa was very matter-of-fact. "These things happen." The girl felt bad, and Melissa felt bad that she felt bad. It was an accident. Mostly, Melissa was most disappointed she won't be able to skate on Saturday. We then pondered what would be done with the ambulance footage in regards to the reality show. Certainly, it wouldn't be discarded? Melissa predicts, and I agree, that it'll probably be edited to imply the ambulance was called for the geek-girl and not Melissa. Figures. A year ago, when Melissa first considered roller derby try-outs, she was wondering whether or not she should do it. My answer was, "You won't know until your first big injury, when you get hurt real bad. If at that moment you still want to skate, then you were meant to do it." Congratulations Melissa. There are a lot of girls who like the idea of roller derby, until they get hurt or they have to sacrifice their own time, energy, resources, or sanity to make it happen. Heck, that's the way it is with almost any meaningful endevour -- being a parent, a husband or wife, an artist, a writer, a skater, a protestor, a patriot. If it were easy, it wouldn't hurt. I'm proud of Melissa. In a week, geek-girl will be on to other extreme challenges and calculated drama to simulate human experience for entertainment value and Melissa will still be skating for the Dallas Derby Devils. So there's the story. Dennis Rodman. Geeks. Freaks. Derby. CAT scan. And Melissa's doing fine.
I downloaded Google Earth and was playing with it today. Such a fascinating bit of software. In case anyone is curious, the desk in my office is located at... 32° 43'17.99"N, 97° 8'22.86"W
Also, I've added more links to the site. In particular, I'm very excited about the new Lunchbox Funnies, an all-ages web comic collective.
Starting reading Script Partners by Claudia Johnson and Matt Stevens -- all in anticipation of writing with Jamar Nicholas on Bulletproof West. We e-mail each other all the time, but I haven't ever called him on the phone. I'm going to call him sometime this week, just for the hell of it. It's hard to collaborate with someone without a few good phone conversations. I discovered this working with Brent Schoonover on Astronaut Dad (finished page six, by the way). I enjoy bugging him. He hasn't learned yet to just let voice mail take care of me. I'll stop calling eventually.
Also, I've been thinking about taking one of my story ideas and doing it as a serialized web comic instead. Just a thought. Probably wouldn't even start work on that until May or so. You'll Have That, Vol. 2 (by Wes Molebash) is now available in stores. Allegedly, Tom Kurzanski and I have a guest strip in that book. I haven't picked up my copy yet.
Finished reading Scott McCloud's Making Comics. Really enjoyed it, and the timing's perfect... Zeus Comics is hosting a signing with Scott on Saturday, February 10th from 5 to 7 as part of his 50 State Tour. For my dear friends in the Austin area, he'll be at Austin Books on February 17th. Any other tour dates, you'd have to check Scott's website. He should be somewhere near you, sometime this year.
 I liked this book, because it felt like a synthesis of his previous two books, Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics, with new ideas and some older ideas clarified and elaborated. I will admit the writer/artist section was a little empty. I don't know what I was expecting, but obviously, the book's more for those who draw the pictures than those who write for the people who draw. And understandably so, they are the ones making the comics. That's not to say a writer/non-artist wouldn't benefit from Scott McCloud. Hardly. Making Comics is required reading for any comic book writer, because it's vital to get a thorough grasp of the entire process. Specifically, this book will help you be more comfortable and capable with your panel descriptions. I'll be honest. I have a problem with comic book writers who don't work in full script with page and panel breakdowns. It's difficult to confess, because I'm probably pointing the finger at some of my own friends, and people who are (in truth) better writers than me. I understand the collaborative effort may take a different shape, depending on who you work with. However, to me, there's a drastic difference between writing comic book scripts and telling stories which you want the artist to adapt to the comic book form. If you're just feeding plot points and dialogue, I feel like you're standing on the edge of the medium, peering in, instead of really learning the craft. I'm not saying you enslave the artist with the demands of your script. Comic book writers need to show enough confidence in their creative vision to earn the trust of the artists they work with. On page 149, "Writing comics scripts is an art unto itself." I guess the quibble I had with Scott McCloud's writer/artist section was the ever-so-slight implication that writers are in charge of words, while artists are in charge of pictures. It's a little more complicated than that, and the book attempted to elaborate, but it came back to a words vs. pictures dichotomy, i.e. in the writer-versus-artist syndrome, the writers are yearning to win the reader over with "evocative prose". Really? If I wanted to write prose, I would write prose. I want to write comics. Even the most arrogant writers yearn for something visually compelling. Maybe I'm being naive? It's not uncommon. On page 255: "Learn from Everyone. Follow No One. Watch for Patterns. Work like Hell." Probably the best advice you could give any writer. For awhile, I've been thinking about listing some of the storytellers I've learned from. These are the people who I observe while taking careful mental notes. Or sometimes, like in the case of Joss Whedon or Akira Kurosawa, literally watching their work with a notepad on my lap. Since I mentioned Woody Allen in my previous blogpost, why not throw down a few more names? (In no particular order) Wes Anderson, Charlie Kaufman, Brian Michael Bendis, Akira Kurosawa, Joss Whedon, Alan Moore, Walt Disney, Mark Millar, Scott McCloud, Will Eisner, Billy Wilder, Alfred Hitchcock, Mark Waid, Paul Feig, Warren Ellis, Ricky Gervais and Stephan Merchant, Greg Rucka, Woody Allen, Sophia Coppola, Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir, Antony Johnston, Douglas Coupland, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, David Sedaris, Ira Glass, Sarah Vowell, Craig Thompson, Hayao MiyazakiThere's more, but I'll add to it later.
Jim Lujan penciled the last page of our short story "THE HENCHMAN" a few days ago. Now, it's off to Phillip Ginn and Justin Stewart for inks, colors, and letters. Hopefully, we'll have it in print and ready for mass consumption before Staple? Admittedly, Jim dragged me into this project kicking and screaming. I was already knee deep into a several other endevours, and didn't want to add one more. However, I admit I'm rather fond of this story. Jim, you are a good man. The art looks perfect. For my part, I was trying to channel Woody Allen. Modern day absurdity, the long-suffering passive protagonist.
 Here's a taste of the dialogue. Special thanks to Jim, Justin, and Phillip for coming up with the acronyms. (standing in the Social Security line) NINJA: So, you in the henching business? JON: Yeah, D.E.A.D.B.E.A.T. You? NINJA: S.P.I.T.F.A.C.E. JON: Spitface? NINJA: Super Powered Individual Terrorists Facilitating and Contemplating Evil. JON: Really? I've never heard of your group before. NINJA: We used to be called B.O.I.L.C.O.R.E., Brotherhood of the Illicit Legion Carrying Out Righteous Evil, but we went through a huge re-branding phase last quarter. Big mess.
My Pop Syndicate column for this week is: The Lonely Genius
For me, a genius is someone who approaches his or her art with a sophistication and perspective, far above and beyond our ability to fully understand. They don't think the way we do. They forever shape the way we approach subsequent art in their field. They create on an entirely different level. Listen closely: Alan Moore is the only genius in comics. There are some intelligent crazy bastards in comics, many of them also British. That does not make them genius material. Heck, have we ever had a genius before Alan Moore? Joann Sfar and R. Crumb operate on some creepy savant-level. Jack Kirby was so innovative; it would make you cry. Will Eisner was the master craftsman, the Patriarch of American Comics. Paul Hornschemeier is clearly functioning with a different set of rules. Linda Barry is subtle and sly. It's discordant visual poetry. Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware, and Charles Burns are our convenient uber-literary examples. The Comics Journal thanks you. My opinion? Alan Moore stands alone as a genius. (read more)
Yesterday, I was elected to the advisory board for La Reunion. I'm excited to be associated with such a great not-for-profit organization. It offers a much needed positive vision for Oak Cliff -- and for local artists throughout the DFW area.
 Also, La Reunion approved our "Scriptwriting for Graphic Novels" workshop. Mark your calendar -- Saturday, April 14th from 11 AM to 5 PM. We've got a lot of work ahead of us, but it's going to be pretty freakin' cool. Already, Creative Screenwriting and Write Now magazine have offered their support.
I'm applying for a summer writing program at University of Texas at Arlington (just a mile from our house). If accepted, I receive a scholarship for six graduate hours tuition in Literacy Studies and books. "To examine the theory, research, practice, and challenges of teaching writing, while at the same time honing their own writing skills and developing their leadership abilities." Not a bad deal, eh? My five year Texas educator's license expires May 2008, so I need to get some more hours in order to renew it through 2013. The writing program runs from July 9th to August 9th, Monday through Thursday from 9 to 3.
My Pop Syndicate column for this week is: The Cover Price, Part Two of Two
When retailers and publishers have had trouble selling their small press/independent/alternative comics, I have overheard the occasional gripe about the quality of these comics. I don't want to name names, but I've taken in a fair share of the old "how-do-they-expect-me-to-sell-this-crap" diatribe. It's the very nature of any independent venture that the quality will vary drastically from one title to the next. It's a risk. Sure, there's a lot of crap out there. And any reader of indie comics will understand (and be a little bit forgiving) when they try something out, because occasionally, it's exciting when you discover something like Temporary, Living with Zombies, or In My Lifetime. What? You haven't read these books? Well, maybe you should take a few chances on the books you buy! Just like indie films differ from their Hollywood brethen, so do indie comics. Are we really suggesting that quality is the only thing separating a film like Brick from Peter Jackson's King Kong, when it comes to ticket sales and the box office? (read more)
I saw CHILDREN OF MEN last night with A.C. and Paul. Finally! A Christmas movie. Literally. Kazu's take on the film. I thought it was incredible.
Check out this flickr set of the FAMOUS FICTIONAL art exhibit. If you live in St. Louis, it's being shown at the Mad Art Gallery through January 28th. 
Brent Schoonover (artist for HORRORWOOD) has a newly re-designed website. Very cool. Make sure to check it out... NOW! GO! RIGHT NOW!
I just got off the phone with Brent. He's finished the first page of ASTRONAUT DAD, and is sending it to me soon. [UPDATE: Got it, and the page looks incredible. However, I'm not showing anyone any page previews until this summer. Deal with it. The release date is still a long way off.] Richard Neal (owner of ZEUS COMICS) has been featured in Instinct Magazine.  Also, recently posted YouTube video of Zeus. In other news: Man vs. Bees
Brian Denham at Zeus!
This Thursday, January 4 at 11am, Zeus Comics is hosting Brian Denham all day for a comic book signing for his new premier Marvel mini-series, Iron Man: Hypervelocity. As a special incentive the first 25 copies of Iron Man: Hypervelocity #1 will be free to the first 25 folks and half-off the rest of the day! Brian will also have limited edition prints of the work available.  Brian's other work includes Bit Torment, Darkness, Elsinore and Kill Box. Zeus proudly displays his Wonder Woman art piece and "Spider-Mannequin" from the CAPE live art shows behind their counter. Come get a signed copy of Iron Man: Hypervelocity. Zeus Toys and Comics is located at 3878 Oaklawn Dallas Texas, 75219 near dowtown. For information and directions contact 214-219-8697. A great interview with Dan Koller at Quick DFW.
Brock Rizy and Sarah Jane Semrad at the Yaris Works live art show way back in August. I really like this photo (flickr).
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