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01.28.09 - AN ABRIDGED WHITE ALBUM
Some non-comic talk for a moment. I'm a huge fan of the Beatles. On my iTunes, I decided to create a playlist for an "abridged White Album." One could argue it's their best release with the exception of a few weaker songs. The argument goes something like this (quoting Wikipedia) --
Producer George Martin has said that he was against the idea of a double album at the time and suggested to the group that they reduce the number of songs in order to form a single album featuring their stronger work, but that the band decided against this.Ultimately, I agree with McCartney, but I couldn't resist. Let the debate begin. Here's my abridged White Album: 1. Dear Prudence 2. Glass Onion 3. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da 4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps 5. Martha My Dear 6. Blackbird 7. Piggies 8. I Will 9. Julia 10. Mother Nature's Son 11. Helter Skelter 12. Revolution 1 13. Honey Pie 14. Savoy Truffle 15. Cry Baby Cry If you want to play along at home, your list can't have more than 15 songs. Fewer, if you feel so bold, but no more.
Evan posted some photos from the weekend on his Flickr account. They look much better than the photos I took. Plus, there are two pictures of me with the mythic fedora. Yes or no?
It was a good show. I especially enjoyed hanging out with Paul and Evan. And just when I think there is no one left in Dallas who will buy my books, I sell a few more. I was inspired to start work on a new idea (more info soon), never mind my already mounting list of projects-in-progress. Paul and I worked on a cover concept for HOW TO LOSE BIG. It's going to look good. Food was an issue on Saturday. Usually, they have a vendor who serves hot dogs, cheeseburgers, frito pie, etc. No such luck. My lunch came from a vending machine. It kinda felt like being at school. I picked up THE TOURIST (Brian Wood/Toby Cypress) and MAINTENANCE, Vol. 1 (Jim Massey/Robbi Rodriguez ) for $2 each. The hit of the show was Nick Derington's Spacemen cards. Then we found out each pack had the same seven cards. We were hoping, unrealistically, that there'd be 128 cards we could collect and trade. However, the seven available were still very, very cool. More, Nick! We need more! Also, this weekend, I got in touch with Tim Rogers at D Magazine. SOUVENIR OF DALLAS has been delayed for a few months, but we should be in the April issue. Then last night, went and saw THE WRESTLER, which was an amazing film. I can't stop thinking about it. I see it as a story about three people stuck on "playing their roles" regardless of better judgment -- the daughter Stephanie who cannot forgive her father, because she has been cast into the part of the victim (probably at the urging of her girlfriend), the stripper Cassidy, who cannot move beyond referring to Randy as her "customer" and relate to him as a romantic possibility, and Randy who must appease his fans everywhere and anywhere despite the cruel consequences.
I was featured in this week's Quick, Dallas magazine-format newspaper, on page 9 (pdf). You can see the online version of the interview here.
 In addition, Quick's blog asked for my opinion on comic book film adaptations. It's particularly topical considering today's Oscar snubbing of Dark Knight (in case you didn't hear).
My favorite local band The Happy Bullets is shooting a video with Hal Samples for their song ""F' Yeah, I'm in Love With You!" The video will attempt to break the world record for the most people making out in one place at one time. Too good to pass up. (read here)
Bring someone you love (Jason's suggestion) or just bring someone you think is cute (Andrea's suggestion). It'd be a great first date, right?
I'm not usually in the habit of re-posting press releases, but I'll be at STAPLE! as well. It's one of my favorite shows, and I'm excited about this year's guest line-up. If you've never been to Austin before, this event is a great excuse to make the drive and/or flight.
We are pleased to announce the appearance of indie comics icon Jeffrey Brown at STAPLE! The Independent Media Expo!
April went to Austin. Apparently, in her absence, this is what I do...
* Went to Zeus Comics. Jason Janik took my picture for an upcoming profile in Quick, a local weekly newspaper. While there, I also bought JAMILTI & OTHER STORIES by Rutu Modan. * Played kickball. Josh McKibben organized the Kickball Club. They play every Saturday at Glencoe Park in Dallas, very friendly and welcoming group. I realized just how pathetic I am at sports. In one of the more memorable moments, I ran to grab the fly ball. It bounced out of my hands. I dashed forward to grab it a second time, but my forward momentum was such that I lost my balance, hit the ground while rolling head over heels. Not that I was surrounded by athletes, it was quite common to see a person kicking the ball while holding a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other. * Talk comics. Paul Milligan came over, and we caught up on all the recent comic/geek stuff. * Went to Lone Star Comics. Obviously, one comic shop in an afternoon isn't enough. I showed Paul the new Lone Star on Cooper Street. It's a nice place. We wandered around, browsing. I survived without buying anything. * Ate at Mega Chinese Buffet (actual name). Without April around, health and common sense go out the window. Final damage: Two trips to fill my plate and finishing with a bowl of jello. * Work. What Paul actually came over for. We finished plotting the story HOW TO LOSE BIG. I'm happy with it. Paul's a good co-writer. He had most of the good ideas. * Watched WANTED. I enjoyed the movie. It had all the goofy SPEEDRACER physics, but with violence. Lots of violence. And now, it's Sunday morning, and I'm about to play some AGE OF EMPIRES III. Thus, April is gone for a day, and my life spirals into video games, comics, movies, food, and kickball.
It's amusing to see the shame that Nunzio and Christina exude over this post. Clearly, they are not proud of themselves for stooping so low. They even blame it on their "friend" Jeffrey. Yeah right. They each list the top 10 people they find most attractive or sexiest, complete with commentary. What? Are you in training for VH1? And of course, their list included people from Dr. Who, Star Wars, Buffy, Stargate, Gilmore Girls, and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. Christina, Nunzio, we know what you're watching. In contrast, I have little shame. I'm more than happy to jump into this cesspool you've created of objectifying famous people. (Because really, who has ever done that?) And I invite others to jump in. The water is always warm.
Caveat: I wondered if comic book writers and artists could be counted as "celebrities." It's probably safer to leave them off. Also, no honorable mentions. April is my always my #1. 10. Jenna Elfman. Last month, April and I watched season one of Dharma & Greg. She really steals every scene -- funny and quirky without being dumb. Kudos to you. 9. Felicia Day. The girl from Dr. Horrible. She is adorable and has geek cred. I can't wait to see whatever she works on next. 8. Rosario Dawson. She also has geek cred (loves comic books). She was very cool in Josie and the Pussycats and Clerks II. She seems approachable and friendly, great smile. 7. Natalie Portman. Harvard girl. She remains the best thing about terrible movies, the Star Wars prequels and the Other Boleyn Girl. 6. Bettie Page. I had to sneak in one classic. She's Bettie. What else to say? 5. Scarlett Johansson. She's Woody Allen's new "go to" girl. Scarlett does not have the humor or presence of Diane Keaton, but Scarlett was beautiful in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. 4. Drew Barrymore. If anyone fit the concept of beauty on the inside and the outside, it has to be Drew. I saw her interview on Inside The Actor's Studio, and it really moved me. She's all heart. 3. Anne Hathaway. Not Shakespeare's wife, the other one. 2. Lisa Loeb. I actually met Lisa. Her music is overly sentimental, but I don't care. Bonus points because she's from Dallas. 1. Zooey Deschanel. April gives me such a hard time for my crush on Zooey. I think, April's secretly in love with her too. And why not? Zooey is the epitome offbeat and beautiful, indie girl with a heart of gold.
PopGun Vol. 3 is available for pre-order (as mentioned). I wrote "50 Miles to Marfa" for this anthology, illustrated by Daniel Warner. I'm also fortunate to be working on Vol. 4 -- a self-contained prequel to 50 Miles called "The Heist and the Heart Attack." Artist Evan Bryce posted the character designs on his blog, and said some nice things about me. Thanks!
 These short stories were so much fun to write. Warner and Bryce are incredibly skillful. I'm drooling at the opportunity to work with them again. If there's a PopGun Vol. 5, I have a third and final short story in mind to complete my West Text Caper. Also, Evan and I will be sharing a table at Dallas Comic Con next weekend, January 24th and 25th.
My friend Jeff Elden created a blog for his epic Traveling Comic (click here). What is the Traveling Comic? A lovely creation of Jeff's, a collaborative sketchbook containing one progressive comic book story. Each new artist to receive the sketchbook in the mail continues the story by drawing the next page. When they have completed their page, they mail it to the next artist so the story may continue.
I'm not much of an artist, but Jeff still entrusted me with page eight. He also shares an amusing true story of when I visited St. Louis... and punched a moving car to represent Dallas. I don't know. It made sense at the time.
It looks like Wizard World Texas has been canceled (click here or here or here).
Oh well. While in theory it should be disappointing that Wizard World Texas couldn't continue, I'm not really that concerned. It's hardly the only convention in town or even the best. Also, try explaining the name "Wizard World" to someone outside the comic book industry. I feel like a loser trying. It's a dumb and confusing name. Dallas Comic Con has run a great show for several years now. Well before WWTX invaded. DCC is locally owned and operated. They are friendlier to small time comic book creators. Where a booth at WWTX might cost $300, I've always been an honored guest at DCC without having to pay for a table. No matter how insignificant I may be, they promote me. Wizard World Texas charged $50(?) for a weekend pass. DCC charges only $10. Not to mention, DCC has consistently better media guests -- Bruce Campbell, Carrie Fischer, Billy Dee Williams, Jake Lloyd, Sean Astin, Michael Keaton, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Ron Glass, Robia LaMorte, and Iyari Limon. There are more. I just can't remember them off the top of my head. Who does WWTX bring every year without fail? Lou Ferrigno. The problem with Wizard World Texas, from what I've heard, is that it looks like every other Wizard World convention. It doesn't change. I feel like I'm in a time warp attending the exact same event over and over again, but with fewer people each year. I haven't even mentioned CAPE yet. Free booths for anyone and everyone (!), free admission, and consistently much better comic book guests than WWTX -- Mark Waid, Gail Simone, David Mack, Robert Kirkman, Bryan Hitch, Chynna Clugston, Jamie S. Rich, Marc Andreyko, Dave Crosland, Jim Mahfood, Scott Kurtz, and on. It's a more family friendly event. So between these two events (or the awesomeness that is STAPLE), how does Wizard World even compete? Because it's Wizard, I guess. Because Wizard has this odd monopoly on the hearts and minds of comic fans. With WWTX gone, I would make two suggestions: (1) Comic book fans, creators, and retailers need to stand behind the Dallas Comic Con. It benefits everyone locally to have a strong convention that will bring in people from around the area, even better if we can get people to drive down and stay the weekend at a nearby hotel. (2) Online sources like CBR, Newsarama, and The Beat need to cover this event. Somehow, Dallas Comic Con gets lost. We exist, dammit! The real thing that everyone wants to know: Will the annual cook-out and house party live on? But of course.
I was listening to the Diane Rehm Show on KERA. Topic was the role of libraries in economic hard times. It got me thinking, and I wanted to bounce an idea off some people.
Problem: I'm running out of shelf space for my graphic novels, and every week I keep buying more. In class, we're reading Thoreau, and his admonition to "simplify, simplify" led me to a possible solution. Donate all my graphic novels to the nearby library. I've heard some people put their massive comic book collection in public storage. The library is certainly cheaper, and it would give me the opportunity to share my books with others. I could visit my books whenever I want. Bonus: If I could convince others to do it, I expand the number of graphic novels I have access to. Possible drawbacks: (1) Library may not take all my books. Sometimes they get diverted to a book sale, and now they're gone. (2) I will have to assume a few will get lost, stolen, and damaged. (3) The library may take my books, but they may not keep them for as long as I would. I'm afraid they might throw them away to make way for other books. (4) I can't access the books on a whim. It's 2 AM. I'm bored, and I want to flip through chapter 10 of FROM HELL. (5) If I move, I've lost my books. I don't think it would work unless I went all in. To some degree, I need to get over my sentimental attachment. I read them. I keep them. And now, I have no room for anything else. How often do I re-read comics anyways? Sometimes, sure, but enough to justify permanent archival? This way, I'm just moving them down the street. The moving issue wouldn't affect me for a few years. With Kennedy and Melissa in Arlington, I'm locked into this zip code. I have about 14 years before Kennedy is college bound. What are your thoughts? Am I crazy? Is it just crazy enough to work? I don't know. If any of you have a library background or experience, I would love your thoughts.
I like New Year's Resolutions. They can be hokey, but there's nothing wrong with figuring out what you want to accomplish in next year. To keep me honest, here are mine:
* Lose weight. Get healthy. Oh god. Isn't that terribly predictable? Me and every other American. I'm 5'6" and roughly 175 lbs. I wouldn't say I'm incredibly overweight, but I certainly cannot let it get any worse. My days of drinking six sodas and having a bowl o' meat for dinner are over. * Redesign Nunzio and Christina's website. For those who don't know, I'm responsible for their site. (click here) The blog itself is beautiful. They have much to say. The site, however, needs an update. Every year I tend to update my own site, I'm holding off to refocus my nitpicking on Nunzio and Christina's. * Get something published. This resolution might be the number one priority. I've mentioned this before, but 2008 was a slow year -- not including my work with D Magazine. I have the upcoming PopGun Vol. 3, but beyond that, I need to get some more material in print. * Read. Last year's resolution was to read every play written by Shakespeare. I wasn't able to complete the task in one year, but it's still a goal. There's so much to learn from Shakespeare. It would be absurd to ignore him. This year, my resolution is more general: keep reading. April and I have a two person book club. So far, we've read Lord Vishnu's Love Handles, No One Belongs Here More Than You, The Gum Thief, and Slam. We went on hiatus for me to read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, while April read Eat Pray Love. However, the book club returns with The Sportswriter by Richard Ford, followed by Chip Kidd's The Learners. This year, I also want to read The Corner and get in the habit of reading more scripts. * Pay off some bills. Last year was all about survival. After the divorce, money was tight on both sides. Reality: I will never make much money as a high school teacher and comic book writer. The best I can hope for is to live comfortably within my ability. That means, I need to get rid of my debt. Fortunately, my car payment is over and done with by November. Let's all hope my VW Jetta lives a long time before I need to purchase another car. I tried to consolidate my bills through Frost Bank, but my credit rating was deplorable after not paying Dish Network for a few months. (It's all paid off now.) If I had $8650, I could pay off everything. Anyone in Hollywood want to option KARMA INCORPORATED or ASTRONAUT DAD? I have a very specific number in my head. There you go. My resolutions. In the comments section, please share your own. I'd love to read them.
(via Newsarama blog and Gaiman's journal)
"...I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you’ll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you’ll make something that didn’t exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind." - Neil Gaiman
Happy New Year!
I wanted to post something short and sweet to say congratulations to Wes Molebash on his finale to You'll Have That. Well done, Wes. I know it was hard to end the comic after four years, but I look forward to your next online creation to debut in February. Thank you for sharing your friendship and your talent. In other news: April and I just got back from our trip to Wisconsin. Photos posted on Flickr.
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