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08.27.08 - MINE ALL MINE, FOR EVERYONE
The mini-comic I released at this year's CAPE is now online. (http://antiherocomics.com/mineallmine_1.htm)
A big thank you to the artists who made this collection of stories possible -- Samax Amen, Josh Boulet, Ryan Cody, David DeGrand, Joe Eisma, Jake Ekiss, Derrick Fish, Michael Lagocki, Jim Lujan, Paul Milligan, Wes Molebash, Chad Sell, Cal Slayton, Justin Stewart, ZeeS, and Scott Zirkel. I'm awfully busy right now. But when things slow down a bit, I might send out a call for any artists interested in doing more MINE ALL MINE. I would post all the new content online as a weekly webcomic. Thoughts?
Paul Milligan and I are working on a new project. I'm excited about this one. It's currently untitled -- takes place in Lawrence Kansas and involves some small press/indie comic book creators.
 Also, Paul posted pages from Souvenir of Dallas, our semi-monthly comic for D Magazine. It's available on Paul's deviant art site. #0 - Tour of Dallas #1 - Loath and Fearing at the Ritz-Carlton #2 - The Next Round #3 - Water Slides & Magic Wands #4 - The Mighty, Mighty Hands of Mayor Tom Leppert #5 - Stadium Death Star Enjoy. Our next installment will be featured in D Magazine's October issue.
I've been wanting to see LARS AND THE REAL GIRL for awhile. April and I finally watched it tonight. I really loved this movie. It's a surprisingly sweet script -- one of those rare stories without any cruel or vicious characters, and yet there's still an intriguing conflict and plot. Good people struggling to do the right thing. Screenwriter Nancy Oliver, you rock.
One scene in particular (without spoiling anything) which I thought was very well constructed, Gus talks with Karin about the regrets he has for abandoning his brother to their father. He then gets up and goes over to Karin for comfort. It was a honest moment that did not rely on the tired stereotypes of how a man would react, i.e. men treated as being emotionally constipated -- nor was the scene overdone with some dramatic meltdown. Nice, subtle, and perfect. It broke my heart.
Yesterday, local comic book creator Jake Ekiss sent me an e-mail:
Robert Kirkman just posted a video on CBR that I think is a topic a lot of us should be making some noise about. You might not agree entirely with what he says, but the point of it all is something to consider. Since most of us are at least semi-indie if not totally indie comic creators, we should be talking about the future of comics and how that future can be adapted to us and our game plan. How do we get the returns we expect and deserve for our hard work? How do we as a community make comics the kind of landscape we want to live and work in?My own thoughts? Ever so often, we have a prominent creator step out with their manifesto on "saving the industry." I'm not saying that in a demeaning or sarcastic way. It's a good thing. We have a lot of people concerned and invested in the success of comics. And I completely agree with Kirkman. If the top writers/artists did more creator-owned work, it would help grow our industry. Marvel and DC could still be top dogs even with (for lack of a better term) upper mid-level talent. Yet, with the money that Marvel and DC have at their disposal, why would they settle for that? They want the best names on their titles. A writer or artist, with a mortgage and a family to feed, would want a steady paycheck and insurance benefits, which, in theory, Marvel and DC offer. Yes, creator-owned work has the potential to be more lucrative, but it's also riskier. Most of us are not Robert Kirkman. Maybe in an ideal future, the industry would grow, and there would be 10,000+ to buy my books. That's not the reality I'm dealing with. Instead, for me, it's more viable to consider The Long Tail, i.e. treating what I do as a niche business. I can't find 10,000 readers, but can I find a smaller more dedicated readership? Can I find my audience? Then that smaller group acts as ambassadors for my work. It's a nice problem to consider, but I'm still just trying to get books published. My problems aren't at the scale of Kirkman's. Kirkman suggested a conference to discuss the state of the industry. However, any creative entertainment industry is such a complex system. It would be hard to faithfully represent all facets at a conference -- creators, publishers (small, independent, mainstream, manga, international, web comics), distributors, journalists, printers, retailers (direct and book market), fans, readers, critics, agents, and more. The loudest voices would dominate. What you'd probably want is to enlist some brainy Harvard/MIT level economists to do an audit of the comic book industry. They'd look at it from all perspectives: historical, social, financial. Then they could write a detailed response to that favorite at-the-bar-after-a-convention topic: "How do you save the industry?" Although, when I said "I can't find 10,000 readers" that's not completely true. I write a semi-monthly comic for D Magazine that gets easily 30,000 readers in the Dallas area. I might be one of the few comic book writers who has those kind of numbers and hardly any one has heard of me. My comics do fairly well locally and in Norman, Oklahoma. Publishers take note. I don't know. For the most part, I optimistically believe in the free market's ability to self correct. Problems in the industry won't stay problems for long. Also, throughout the history of art, I realize what is commercial and what is critically acclaimed hasn't been one in the same. That is the world we live in. The market needs to grow/expand if we want there to be more room at the top for people to make a good living in comics. We need a market that allows for better stories. We know this stuff. I agree with Kirkman. He's a smart man. The top writers and artists should be telling their own stories, not revisiting and doing variations on established standards. It's a conversation that needs to be had, and I'm glad Kirkman is taking the initiative. Now, I have some creator-owned comic book proposals in need of a publisher.
Ange Fitzgerald posted photos from the "I WANNA BE A ROBOT" event (click here).
 Leah and I are disguised to survive the inevitable global robot uprising. Video: When Robots Attack
When I was a kid, my parents had a book of famous paintings. One day, I turned the page and discovered a painting that absolutely terrified me -- I mean, nightmares for years and years. I had no clue who the painter was, and never saw the painting again. Then tonight, I was watching the movie IN BRUGES (great film by the way) and there it was: The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. And if you'd assume that age would somehow dull my reaction to his work, nope. Still absolutely terrifying. In particular, I remember the "Tree-Man" of the right panel with the hollowed out cavity in his torso.
It's not a bad thing to be disturbed by art. Clearly, this painting made an impact. And as a writer, if I were to ever depict hell or suffering in some fantastical sense, I'd probably pull from Bosch. However, now, I need to see some Norman Rockwall paintings to clear my head of the freakin' Tree Man. Rockwall is the Bosch antidote. They won't teach you that in art class, but you know it's true.
Friend and fellow writer Aaron Thomas Nelson has a comic book coming soon called MARLOW (JUL083655) published by the fine folks at Arcana.
In Aaron's own words: Marlow is a zombie comic that’s not about zombies. Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”, I set out to write a comic that dealt with issues like the War on Terror, Globalization, and Human Experimentation. In Marlow, the zombie is simply a trope for the loss of choice and freedom—a mutilated free will—something that should concern us all in an age where terror dominates our political and social landscape.I read an advance copy, and MARLOW is incredible. As a writer, Aaron always presents something layered, intelligent, and thoroughly engaging. Also, the art is unlike anything I've seen in a comic before. Almost entirely done in shaded silhouettes -- it absolutely works. I can't describe it. You'll just have to see it yourself.
I went to Lee Harvey's last night for our comic book creators meet-up. It was a good night. Recap: I picked up Kristian at Firestone Tire on Greenville Avenue. He parked his car right below a sign that said "TOW AWAY ZONE" and left a message on his windshield: "PLEASE DON'T TOW." I'm curious to see which sign won. Lee Harvey's is a tricky place to find, but after a few twists and turns we arrived. I had a chance to chat with Mark Murphy a bit more about his TIKI JOE MYSTERIES graphic novel, which I love. Mike Lagocki gave me a flier for the PLAYLIST event, which I mentioned in a previous post, and I got a copy of his 24(36) hour comic, "In Dreams" -- incredibly imaginative, creatively stylized. Mike, I would love to write for you someday, but I'm pretty sure I'd just get in your way. Do more stuff like that comic. I also met two web cartoonists Grant Sutherland and Nate Bramble. More impressive Dallas talent. Fear us. Kerry Gammill arrived a little later that night. Kerry and John Gonzales were talking for quite awhile about classic Universal Studio monsters. A few other people were supposed to show (Paul overslept his power nap), but will be there next time. Josh Rose? The people at Lee Harvey's were glad to have us, and very nice. Next month: Thursday, September 4th. I'll probably get there at 7 PM to eat dinner. Apparently, they have amazing food, award-winning onion rings and cheeseburgers, so I need a taste.
If you haven't seen his site yet, I'd recommend checking out Seth Kushner's photography (click here). He's working on a portrait series featuring NYC comic book creators. I can't wait to purchase the completed book. His photo of Art Spiegelman is my new desktop background image.
I'm back from my family reunion. (Photos will be loaded on Flickr soon.) After a year working on BOLIVAR, which has characters based off my extended family, it was a little surreal spending time with the older real life Hope, Jesse, and Linda. I had to remind myself they never actually visited the spirit world of Campeche. Yes, sometimes, reality is an issue for me.
The August issue of D Magazine is now available. Paul Milligan and I have our "Souvenir of Dallas" comic featured on page 22. It's about the Dallas Cowboys and the Death Star. Yes, you heard correct. It's the "Best Of" issue. So, did I happen to miss the "Best Of D" party? I went last year and had a great time. If so, I'm sorry I missed it. One thing that no one should miss (note the transition) is our comic book creator gathering at Lee Harvey's this Thursday from 8 PM to 10 PM. Our event was mentioned in their weekly newsletter: "We are also proud to host Dallas area comic book writers, artists, and fans for their monthly get togethers starting next Thursday, August 7. It's absolutely informal, and everyone is invited." There. We made them proud. It would be rude not to attend. I've donated some signed graphic novels to "I Wanna Be A Robot" at Club Dada. Some of my favorite local bands will be performing: Laura Palmer, Lovie, Happy Bullets, and The Tah-Dahs. I will certainly be there. (more info) In other events, you need to mark your calendar for August 21st at Zubar on Greenville Avenue. The show PLAYLIST boasts "classic, old, new, true, and all real hip-hop" and will feature art by Khalid Robertson, Samax Randolph, and Michael Lagocki. On October 23rd, I will be participating in the "Writers as Readers and Readers as Writers" panel at the North Branch Mesquite Library, hosted by The Writer's Garret. It's part of a month long look at Ray Bradbury's FAHRENHEIT 451. Or at least, I hope I'll still be participating. The organizer sent me this nice email, and then I sent this lengthy response clarifying that while I am a "comic book" writer that does not mean that I write "comic" material, i.e. humor. I haven't heard back from her. Anyways, if I didn't come across as a complete jerk, I'll be at the library on October 23rd. What else? I'm working on re-write for the BULLETPROOF WEST synopsis. And I'm waiting to hear back from Paul Milligan about a new project, possibly.
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