So they called him Lord Vader, but I wonder if any peon within the ranks of the Empire was ever dimwitted enough, or perhaps actually had the cojones to refer to Darth Vader as Master Vader…Think about it…Okay, so maybe I am the only one that finds humor in this.
All last week I had been fighting a head cold, which has sucked the energy from me. I think I am finally beating it though as this is the first day all week where I haven’t felt like a stepped on turd.
I was up at the IA/MN football game on Saturday evening and had a great time. It was great fun getting to hangout with friends that I do not get to see very often, and even better because the Hawks stomped the ever living piss out of the Gophers.
Though I had fun, I clearly did not have as much fun as these two geniuses, but you can read their story here: www.kcci.com/news/18150815/detail.html
So Iowa fans may be drunken sluts with a penchant for bathroom exhibitionism, but what’s up with Gopher fans? Before the end of the third quarter they had tucked their tails between their legs (I don’t know if gophers even have tails, but it serves its purpose for dramatic effect) and slid back into their holes…no pun intended towards our spotlighted Iowa fans.
I am not one to judge the above-mentioned Hawkeye fans, the last Iowa game I attended I ended up more drunk than I had ever been in my entire life, and felt as though I wanted to die for the two days that followed. Though I don’t remember driving from the train station to my hotel ten miles away, I am pretty sure I didn’t get laid in a stadium bathroom, and if I had I sure as hell wouldn’t be embarrassed by it.
This time around for me was a different story: I had a couple of beers before the game and only one during the game. Charging “state fair” prices it would have cost me my soul to get drunk at the game…though that may not actually be saying much. After the game we visited a couple of Minneapolis’ local watering holes, though I spent most of the evening trying to navigate my way from Matty B’s to Brothers, which I was instructed was near 4th and 1st. At one point in my journey I found myself at the intersection of 4th Avenue and 4th Street, with a 25% chance of going in the right direction. Luckily I found it, just in time to leave.
I stayed in the small, quaint town of Jordan, and was introduced to Rock Band by my gracious hosts. Rock Band was a lot of fun, and though I sucked hard at the guitar, bass, and vocals, it was a great time. I didn’t even attempt the drums.
I want to thank my friend Jubal for accompanying me to the game in lieu of my wife, and also thank my friends Andy and Kindra for their hospitality.
Last week I began scripting Bloods Own issue three. The full four-issue story arc has been plotted since July of 07, and issue two was written back around that same time (it was actually the second full script I had ever written with Black Jack issue 1 being the first). I had to go back and reread the second script to remember what the hell I was even doing with it. I should have the script finished by next week (taking into account the busy holiday/shopping weekend), and am planning on immediately starting on the fourth issue.
Though Bloods Own is now planned as a four-issue story arc, I am leaving the door open to the possibility of telling other stories, and even have an outline for a total of twelve issues. That decision ultimately rests on Anthony’s shoulders as well as how well the story is received by the general public.
That’s it for now. I guess I do want to mention one other thing and I do not mean to end on a somber note, but I want to mention that this week marks the 1st anniversary of my cousin David’s passing. I want to give thanks to all the friends and family for their prayers and support of David’s family in their time of grieving. David is not only special to all those who had the good fortune of meeting him, but is irreplaceable as well. One thing I am thankful for this year is that David will continue to live on forever in our hearts and memories and in music, which was his passion. I hope everyone is able to find one or many things that he or she are thankful for this holiday season, whether it be friends and family, their freedom, their success, or even bathroom sex. Please have a safe Thanksgiving, and a great weekend!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Life is good
It's Sunday, which means the weekend is half over. Well, I do have Monday off from work so technically it's only a third of the way over. This weekend had potential to be one of the best of it's kind in a very long time for the simple fact that I had absolutely nothing planned, and that's just the way I like it. But did it live up to those expectations? Read on and find out.
Some people's weekend begins at 5:00 pm Friday evening, or even earlier for lucky others. However, I typically work about thirteen hours any given Friday, so my weekend does not begin until Saturday morning about 8:00.
Yesterday I rolled out of bed a little after 8:00, and fixed my daughter and I each a bowl of Coco Crunch for breakfast. I offered to take her to breakfast, but she insisted on cereal. After breakfast we watched back to back episodes of Sponge Bob Squarepants, and I stoked up the a fire in the stove.
10:00 am hit and I had an errand to run: There was a comic I missed earlier in the week, and had to go pick it up. My daughter and I headed up to Jay's CD and Hobby, where I browsed the racks of comic books for anything else of interest that I may have previously missed. My daughter picked out a couple of Star Wars toys. From there we headed back home where we resumed watching Sponge Bob, I read some comics and my daughter played with her new action figures.
My wife returned home from getting her hair done a little after noon; I had just fixed Macaroni and Cheese for lunch, but she wanted Subway. When I returned with lunch in tow it was time for my baby girl to lay down for a nap while my wife and I ate lunch. She wanted to watch John Carpenters The Thing, which is one of my all time favorite horror movies.
After lunch and the movie had ended, I was ready for a nap as well. I woke up an hour later refreshed and ready to complete the second half of the day. We had talked about going to the theatre; I wanted to check out the new Bond film while the wife and daughter were going to see the Madagascar sequel.
On our way to the movie, we stopped at Target for some snacks, and I picked up the new DVD release of Sukiyaki Western Django.
The new Bond movie rocked. I had some reservations after reading a number of reviews that berated the film for Daniel Craig's portrayal as characterization as less like Bond. In my opinion, Daniel Craig deftly added new layers of personality that had been missing from the character since...well, ever. The Bond girls were their usual one-note selves, and the action was intense, and kinetic. This is the first true sequel to a Bond movie, and is worthy of it's Predecessor, Casino Royale, which I still insist is the best Bond movie ever. I can't wait for Quantum of Solace to be released on BluRay to watch with Casino Royale back-to-back.
After the movies had ended we stopped by my In-laws place to visit. I hadn't seen my father-in-law since before he had an operation on his shoulder and wrist, and it was nice to catch up. My brother-in-law stopped by as well along with his wife and two kids. While the women chatted it up in the house, the guys sat outside in a large outdoor kitchen (plywood walls were added as a means of winterizing the area) smoking cigars, drinking beer and watching World Series of Poker on television. It was cold as hell outside, but a large gal/electric heater quickly warmed the outdoor kitchen. A few hours later it was time to go home.
Upon arriving home it was time to put my daughter to bed, and I read a bed time story before tucking her in. I stoked up the stove again, threw in a Party Pizza and sat down to watch Sukiyaki Western Django. My wife gave up on the movie less than half way threw and headed up to bed letting me know how stupid I was for wasting my money on that terrible movie. to each their own I guess because I really enjoyed the movie. It was corny, over-the-top, and exploitative, but very enjoyable non-the-less.
After the movie ended I crawled into bed. It was only 11:00 pm, but being old now, I was tried. And as you could tell I had a very full day!
So that was my Saturday, and Sunday is shaping up to be just as good. I woke up this morning, played with my rabbit...that's not code for anything perverse; I really do have a bunny rabbit! My daughter and I sat in the hot tub for a bit having a cup of coffee (or Apple Juice in her case), and discussed our favorite parts to the movies we had seen the previous day.
After I finish with this post it will be time to head back over to the in-laws house for homemade chicken and noodles and mashed potatoes.
Hanging out with nothing to do, but still spending time with ones I love. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Life is good!
Some people's weekend begins at 5:00 pm Friday evening, or even earlier for lucky others. However, I typically work about thirteen hours any given Friday, so my weekend does not begin until Saturday morning about 8:00.
Yesterday I rolled out of bed a little after 8:00, and fixed my daughter and I each a bowl of Coco Crunch for breakfast. I offered to take her to breakfast, but she insisted on cereal. After breakfast we watched back to back episodes of Sponge Bob Squarepants, and I stoked up the a fire in the stove.
10:00 am hit and I had an errand to run: There was a comic I missed earlier in the week, and had to go pick it up. My daughter and I headed up to Jay's CD and Hobby, where I browsed the racks of comic books for anything else of interest that I may have previously missed. My daughter picked out a couple of Star Wars toys. From there we headed back home where we resumed watching Sponge Bob, I read some comics and my daughter played with her new action figures.
My wife returned home from getting her hair done a little after noon; I had just fixed Macaroni and Cheese for lunch, but she wanted Subway. When I returned with lunch in tow it was time for my baby girl to lay down for a nap while my wife and I ate lunch. She wanted to watch John Carpenters The Thing, which is one of my all time favorite horror movies.
After lunch and the movie had ended, I was ready for a nap as well. I woke up an hour later refreshed and ready to complete the second half of the day. We had talked about going to the theatre; I wanted to check out the new Bond film while the wife and daughter were going to see the Madagascar sequel.
On our way to the movie, we stopped at Target for some snacks, and I picked up the new DVD release of Sukiyaki Western Django.
The new Bond movie rocked. I had some reservations after reading a number of reviews that berated the film for Daniel Craig's portrayal as characterization as less like Bond. In my opinion, Daniel Craig deftly added new layers of personality that had been missing from the character since...well, ever. The Bond girls were their usual one-note selves, and the action was intense, and kinetic. This is the first true sequel to a Bond movie, and is worthy of it's Predecessor, Casino Royale, which I still insist is the best Bond movie ever. I can't wait for Quantum of Solace to be released on BluRay to watch with Casino Royale back-to-back.
After the movies had ended we stopped by my In-laws place to visit. I hadn't seen my father-in-law since before he had an operation on his shoulder and wrist, and it was nice to catch up. My brother-in-law stopped by as well along with his wife and two kids. While the women chatted it up in the house, the guys sat outside in a large outdoor kitchen (plywood walls were added as a means of winterizing the area) smoking cigars, drinking beer and watching World Series of Poker on television. It was cold as hell outside, but a large gal/electric heater quickly warmed the outdoor kitchen. A few hours later it was time to go home.
Upon arriving home it was time to put my daughter to bed, and I read a bed time story before tucking her in. I stoked up the stove again, threw in a Party Pizza and sat down to watch Sukiyaki Western Django. My wife gave up on the movie less than half way threw and headed up to bed letting me know how stupid I was for wasting my money on that terrible movie. to each their own I guess because I really enjoyed the movie. It was corny, over-the-top, and exploitative, but very enjoyable non-the-less.
After the movie ended I crawled into bed. It was only 11:00 pm, but being old now, I was tried. And as you could tell I had a very full day!
So that was my Saturday, and Sunday is shaping up to be just as good. I woke up this morning, played with my rabbit...that's not code for anything perverse; I really do have a bunny rabbit! My daughter and I sat in the hot tub for a bit having a cup of coffee (or Apple Juice in her case), and discussed our favorite parts to the movies we had seen the previous day.
After I finish with this post it will be time to head back over to the in-laws house for homemade chicken and noodles and mashed potatoes.
Hanging out with nothing to do, but still spending time with ones I love. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Life is good!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Reading Material
Today I want to talk about two books in particular. Neither of them mine. One is a book on my Christmas wish list, and the other is one that everyone should be reading. I’ll start with the latter…
Scalped vol. 3: Dead Mothers is available now from Vertigo (a DC Comics imprint). Scalped is written by Jason Aaron with art by RM Guera. Both John Paul Leon and Davide Furno contribute to this volume as well.
I picked up a copy this weekend, and I simply cannot praise this book enough. Here’s a brief synopsis: Scalped follows Dashiell Bad Horse, an ex-con that reluctantly returns to his Native American reservation working undercover for the FBI in order to build a case against organized crime kingpin and tribal chief, Red Crow.
Month in and month out this is by far the best comic book being published, and always at the top of my read pile. Scalped started strong and each arc is better than the previous. Scalped is filled with panels that make you chuckle (or maybe you are a giggler, I am not one to judge) immediately followed by a page that kicks you in the emotional scrotum (I love that word).
Creator, Jason Aaron hasn’t just filled the book with an eccentric ensemble cast of wholly original characters, but has instilled each one with several layers of depth and complexity rarely found in a medium filled with cookie-cutter heroes and villains. And just who are the heroes, and who are the villains? Just as in the real world, with Scalped it isn’t that simple. Over the course of the run you develop an emotional attachment to these characters no matter how bad, badass, or down right despicable they may first appear. Each character is infused with his or her own unique persona as well as a motivation, or drive that the reader can easily identify with even though the Rez is far from our own suburbanite environment. Through tight natural dialogue and smooth narration, Jason does a superb job getting us inside the characters heads.
Jason Aaron continuously weaves a tight crime drama, intricately balancing a number of ongoing sub-plots while not losing focus of the books main premise.
I simply cannot praise the book on writing alone. I must commend RM Guera whose morose artwork brilliantly, and brutally brings to life the gritty atmosphere of the tough life on the Rez for its Denizens. The artwork is not pretty, but that’s the point as it perfectly fits the tone of the book. A true cohesiveness between Aaron and Guera is unmistakable as each one’s skill perfectly complements the other resulting in a seamless fusion of storytelling.
Jason Aaron has quickly become one of my favorite writers, with excellent work on Marvel’s Ghost Rider and Wolverine, but Scalped is his one book that I recommend to everyone…friends, family, and even complete strangers.
Shame on you if you are not reading this book, ladies and gentlemen…shame on you.
On the completely opposite end of the spectrum is a book rife with controversy, but still worth mentioning…
The Youngblood Hardcover Vol. 1 hits stands next week, and this is one of the few items on my Christmas wish list. Yes, even though I am a grown man I still make out a Christmas wish list, except this gets e-mailed to my wife as opposed to mailed to Santa Claus. The new Hardcover will feature new script by Joe Casey, new colors, lettering and even layout changes. The intention is to improve upon some of the original series’ shortcomings, and attempt to tell a more cohesive story with the hope of revitalizing old fans and new readers alike.
This isn’t a review of the book itself since I have yet to read it, this is just a quick jaunt down memory lane as to why I am looking forward to it.
Say what you will creator Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood series, whether you bash its overall execution, tear apart Rob’s perception of anatomy (tiny heads and even smaller feet), ridicule the layouts, or curse the expository filled dialogue. When the first issue of Youngblood hit the stands back in 1992 it sold over a million copies…A million copies!! It also set a trend (for better or worse) that would shape the look of the comic medium for the next decade.
As a youngster who would visit the local comic book shop with my dad, I was one of millions of people snatching up anything with the Image label. Spawn, Maxx, Pitt, Wild CATs, Cyber Force…I couldn’t get enough. However, my favorite of the bunch was Youngblood. The basic premise was about a team of government-sponsored superheroes dealing with enemies both at home and abroad as well as sensationalism by the media. The latter of which was rarely if ever showcased. As a twelve year old, I didn’t pay much attention to the actual structure of the story itself or even the dialogue; instead the larger than life characters, dynamic action poses and stylish splash pages blew me away. Rob’s artwork possessed a kinetic, in-your-face style that was frequently imitated for years after.
After I graduated high school, and lost an interest in collecting comics, most of my comics were lost, or left behind for my younger brother to pawn off or roll up and smoke. This included a large portion of my Image collection including Youngblood. After getting back into comics and forming Antidote Comics LLC, I sought out those old Image comics, and was lucky enough to find most of them for a dollar or less in various bargain bins at the local shops. Even to this day I love to rummage through my box of Image comics, flipping though each issue to admire the exuberant artwork that made comics fun…and admittedly still do.
Rob Liefeld is a polarizing figure in the comic book world, and takes a lot of flak from fan-boys the world over, but he impressively takes it in stride. Even to the harshest critics Rob remains courteous, and respectful. He also possesses an interminable sense of optimism and indomitable spirit, which is inspiring. As someone looking to “break in” to the business, these are traits that I not only respect Rob Liefeld for, but hope to emulate as well.
Well, that is it for today. It is late (for an old timer like me anyway), and I am tired. I did not make it to the comic shop today, so it looks like tomorrow is 'New Comic Thursday', which is the best day of the week. If you would like to learn more about Jason Aaron visit http://www.standardattrition.com/, and http://jasoneaaron.blogspot.com/. To learn more about Rob Liefeld visit http://robliefeld.net/.
Good Night!
Scalped vol. 3: Dead Mothers is available now from Vertigo (a DC Comics imprint). Scalped is written by Jason Aaron with art by RM Guera. Both John Paul Leon and Davide Furno contribute to this volume as well.
I picked up a copy this weekend, and I simply cannot praise this book enough. Here’s a brief synopsis: Scalped follows Dashiell Bad Horse, an ex-con that reluctantly returns to his Native American reservation working undercover for the FBI in order to build a case against organized crime kingpin and tribal chief, Red Crow.
Month in and month out this is by far the best comic book being published, and always at the top of my read pile. Scalped started strong and each arc is better than the previous. Scalped is filled with panels that make you chuckle (or maybe you are a giggler, I am not one to judge) immediately followed by a page that kicks you in the emotional scrotum (I love that word).
Creator, Jason Aaron hasn’t just filled the book with an eccentric ensemble cast of wholly original characters, but has instilled each one with several layers of depth and complexity rarely found in a medium filled with cookie-cutter heroes and villains. And just who are the heroes, and who are the villains? Just as in the real world, with Scalped it isn’t that simple. Over the course of the run you develop an emotional attachment to these characters no matter how bad, badass, or down right despicable they may first appear. Each character is infused with his or her own unique persona as well as a motivation, or drive that the reader can easily identify with even though the Rez is far from our own suburbanite environment. Through tight natural dialogue and smooth narration, Jason does a superb job getting us inside the characters heads.
Jason Aaron continuously weaves a tight crime drama, intricately balancing a number of ongoing sub-plots while not losing focus of the books main premise.
I simply cannot praise the book on writing alone. I must commend RM Guera whose morose artwork brilliantly, and brutally brings to life the gritty atmosphere of the tough life on the Rez for its Denizens. The artwork is not pretty, but that’s the point as it perfectly fits the tone of the book. A true cohesiveness between Aaron and Guera is unmistakable as each one’s skill perfectly complements the other resulting in a seamless fusion of storytelling.
Jason Aaron has quickly become one of my favorite writers, with excellent work on Marvel’s Ghost Rider and Wolverine, but Scalped is his one book that I recommend to everyone…friends, family, and even complete strangers.
Shame on you if you are not reading this book, ladies and gentlemen…shame on you.
On the completely opposite end of the spectrum is a book rife with controversy, but still worth mentioning…
The Youngblood Hardcover Vol. 1 hits stands next week, and this is one of the few items on my Christmas wish list. Yes, even though I am a grown man I still make out a Christmas wish list, except this gets e-mailed to my wife as opposed to mailed to Santa Claus. The new Hardcover will feature new script by Joe Casey, new colors, lettering and even layout changes. The intention is to improve upon some of the original series’ shortcomings, and attempt to tell a more cohesive story with the hope of revitalizing old fans and new readers alike.
This isn’t a review of the book itself since I have yet to read it, this is just a quick jaunt down memory lane as to why I am looking forward to it.
Say what you will creator Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood series, whether you bash its overall execution, tear apart Rob’s perception of anatomy (tiny heads and even smaller feet), ridicule the layouts, or curse the expository filled dialogue. When the first issue of Youngblood hit the stands back in 1992 it sold over a million copies…A million copies!! It also set a trend (for better or worse) that would shape the look of the comic medium for the next decade.
As a youngster who would visit the local comic book shop with my dad, I was one of millions of people snatching up anything with the Image label. Spawn, Maxx, Pitt, Wild CATs, Cyber Force…I couldn’t get enough. However, my favorite of the bunch was Youngblood. The basic premise was about a team of government-sponsored superheroes dealing with enemies both at home and abroad as well as sensationalism by the media. The latter of which was rarely if ever showcased. As a twelve year old, I didn’t pay much attention to the actual structure of the story itself or even the dialogue; instead the larger than life characters, dynamic action poses and stylish splash pages blew me away. Rob’s artwork possessed a kinetic, in-your-face style that was frequently imitated for years after.
After I graduated high school, and lost an interest in collecting comics, most of my comics were lost, or left behind for my younger brother to pawn off or roll up and smoke. This included a large portion of my Image collection including Youngblood. After getting back into comics and forming Antidote Comics LLC, I sought out those old Image comics, and was lucky enough to find most of them for a dollar or less in various bargain bins at the local shops. Even to this day I love to rummage through my box of Image comics, flipping though each issue to admire the exuberant artwork that made comics fun…and admittedly still do.
Rob Liefeld is a polarizing figure in the comic book world, and takes a lot of flak from fan-boys the world over, but he impressively takes it in stride. Even to the harshest critics Rob remains courteous, and respectful. He also possesses an interminable sense of optimism and indomitable spirit, which is inspiring. As someone looking to “break in” to the business, these are traits that I not only respect Rob Liefeld for, but hope to emulate as well.
Well, that is it for today. It is late (for an old timer like me anyway), and I am tired. I did not make it to the comic shop today, so it looks like tomorrow is 'New Comic Thursday', which is the best day of the week. If you would like to learn more about Jason Aaron visit http://www.standardattrition.com/, and http://jasoneaaron.blogspot.com/. To learn more about Rob Liefeld visit http://robliefeld.net/.
Good Night!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Election Fallout and Antidote Update
So the election is finally over, the American people have spoken, and Barack Obama is going to be the next President of the United States. I wonder if Microsoft Word will finally recognize his name and not insist it’s a typo…Fuck you Paperclip man, I know how to spell!
But I digress. I am both astonished and proud at the record turn out for voting this year. I don’t care whom you voted for; all I care is that you actually voted. And I can’t speak for anyone else when I exclaim how glad I am that the entire process is behind us for at least another two years. I have become so sick and tired of being inundated with political ad campaigns besieging all facets of the media from radio and television, to magazines and even comic books for Christ sakes…Needless to say I am ready for a break from it.
Enough about that shit, on to more important matters ;-)
Here are some fall updates for you:
Last Sunday the Iowa Comic Book Collectors Club was having their mini-con out the Stoney Creek Point in Johnston. Anthony had a table, where he was hocking some new prints he has been working on. The prints are of scantily clad hotties posing with famous Hollywood monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and even King Kong. Anthony sold all of our copies of Black Jack issue one, which means we are officially sold-out! He also had a chance to establish some networking relationships with other artists/creators, which is more important to me at this point than sales.
Chris and I visited the Mini-con for a few hours chatting with other local creators, and rummaging through the bargain bins. I did score a few cheap Transformers Comics from the ill-dated Dreamwave era, as well as set of Marvel Masterpiece Trading Cards that my collection was missing.
As I mentioned above, (unless Chris or Anthony have a couple stuffed under their mattresses) we are currently sold out of copies of Black Jack issue one this past weekend! Our initial print run was only about 200 copies, and that was primarily for selling on the convention circuit. A couple of local retailers had a few copies for sale; one of which may still have copies available. I know the other shop sold out rather quickly, which was exciting. So far the reaction from both fans and fellow creators alike has been very positive. During some of the conventions I had attended, I received several questions on the $5.00 price point on Black Jack compared to only $3.00 for Bloods Own issue one. The truth is that we only 200 copies of Black Jack were printed as opposed to 4000 copies of Bloods Own. Printing significantly less came at a higher cost per issue, which if I recall correctly was about $5.25. So even by selling copies at $5.00 apiece the cost of printing was not recovered; there was no profit made. Compared to $5.25, I felt that $5.00 a copy was not an unreasonable threshold, which has been corroborated by the book selling out.
So what’s the next step? We are currently pricing various printers around the world for the most competitive rate. As of now we have found a good rate based on a 32-page book, and currently Black Jack is only 28-pages. Talks are underway in deciding how to quickly fill those four additional pages with ideas ranging from new ad-space (which could help cover some cost of printing as well) to original concept art/sketches. Anthony and I also discussed penciling the cover to Black Jack issue 2 to be added as well.
Along with beefing the book up to 32 pages, we are once again discussing plans on submitting Black Jack to Diamond for national distribution. We have gone back and forth the past several months on when and if we were going to submit to Diamond. I initially wanted to submit to a company such as Image (www.imagecomics.com), but decided it’d be best to wait since I do not know when the second issue will ever see print. At our current speed it could be at least a year before the second issue sees print, and it did not seem beneficial to either Image or ourselves to have issue one solicited for sale without a second, third, and fourth issue read to go. At least if we submit to Diamond ourselves we are not tying up resources or funds from an interested third party that will obviously have their own expectations. It is kind of a double-edged sword, however, in that by submitting the book ourselves we will be lacking the promotional/marketing services of a company like Image who possess a very visible presence in the market. Not just some, but all the promoting of the book would rest solely in our inexperienced hands. The response Black Jack receives via Diamond orders will more than likely not just dictate when, but if we see an issue 2. I am currently in the process of putting together a comprehensive marketing plan to enact once Black Jack is submitted and approved by Diamond for solicitation. I am going to do everything in my power to ensure that the book becomes both a critical and financial success.
What else is in the works? Chris is hard at work on his own title called Children of Circus, referred to in print by me as COC, or also called “Cock” for short. COC is a creepy little tale about a group of circus freaks endowed with freakish abilities that they use to hunt down evil. What I have seen of the art is creepily moody. I believe I will be assisting with the script, but have not yet received an outline. Look for COC next spring.
A number of people are anticipating the second installment of Bloods Own, and I do wish that it were available right now, but unfortunately it is not. Anthony is working on it and we are also shooting for a spring release date. You can blame me for its tardiness; I persuaded Anthony to pencil and design Black Jack issue 1, following the completion of Bloods Own issue 1. But I digress; rest assured that I am on the case to ensure that Bloods Own issue two will be ready for a spring release.
As for myself, I am working on a bevy of projects as usual. Most are in their very early stages, and I am going to refrain from going into details about them. One project I would like to tout is a comic titled, Torque. Torque is a throwback to the exploitation films of the 60’s and 70’s, and is chock full of gratuitous obscenities, nudity, and senseless violence. Based on the subject matter I understand that this comic will not be for everyone, and am not expecting to win any Eisner Awards for it, but as a fan of those craptacular exploitation films it is something I’ve always wanted to do. I expect people to find Torque violent, distasteful, and maybe even offensive…but that’s kind of the point. Consider yourself warned.
I have been really digging DC’s epic Final Crisis written by Grant Morrison. It is touted as a “big event” and actually reads like one. Morrison is a very polarizing figure in the comic book community, but his skill and talent are without question. It was back in 1996 when I first heard his name as the one revamping the Justice League of America, which was a team book featuring all of DC’s A-list, heavy-hitters. I never actually read his JLA run till very recently, when I picked up the first couple of volumes at a recent convention. I really enjoyed the solid, consistent characterizations, and epic scope of the story arcs, which should be a given in a book featuring the likes of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The only aspect of the run I have not been sold on was the Red and Blue electric Supermen.
In the late 90’s and early 2000’s I had gotten out of comics all together to focus on my constant drinking and womanizing, so I missed his controversial run on Marvel’s X-men, which was renamed New X-men. As with his Justice League series I picked up his entire New X-men run via trade paperback a couple of years ago. The New X-men was my introduction into the mind and imagination of Grant Morrison, and I was immediately hooked. I sought out more of his work picking up DC’s Seven Soldiers of Victory “megaseries” and the entire run of DC’s first weekly series, 52 (Grant was one of four writers on that book). Both of those series failed to disappoint. Most recently my neighbor, who coincidentally owns a comic book shop loaned me Grant’s Animal Man run. I have not yet completed the read, but am really enjoying it so far. I am also looking forward to checking out his other works including Doom Patrol and the Invisibles.
I’ve heard mixed reviews on Grant’s currently running Batman R.I.P. arc, and have yet to read any of the single issues. As with most of his work, I will probably end up picking it up in Trades. Let me know if there are any other Grant Morrison Titles that you would recommend, I would be more than happy to check them out.
But I digress. I am both astonished and proud at the record turn out for voting this year. I don’t care whom you voted for; all I care is that you actually voted. And I can’t speak for anyone else when I exclaim how glad I am that the entire process is behind us for at least another two years. I have become so sick and tired of being inundated with political ad campaigns besieging all facets of the media from radio and television, to magazines and even comic books for Christ sakes…Needless to say I am ready for a break from it.
Enough about that shit, on to more important matters ;-)
Here are some fall updates for you:
Last Sunday the Iowa Comic Book Collectors Club was having their mini-con out the Stoney Creek Point in Johnston. Anthony had a table, where he was hocking some new prints he has been working on. The prints are of scantily clad hotties posing with famous Hollywood monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and even King Kong. Anthony sold all of our copies of Black Jack issue one, which means we are officially sold-out! He also had a chance to establish some networking relationships with other artists/creators, which is more important to me at this point than sales.
Chris and I visited the Mini-con for a few hours chatting with other local creators, and rummaging through the bargain bins. I did score a few cheap Transformers Comics from the ill-dated Dreamwave era, as well as set of Marvel Masterpiece Trading Cards that my collection was missing.
As I mentioned above, (unless Chris or Anthony have a couple stuffed under their mattresses) we are currently sold out of copies of Black Jack issue one this past weekend! Our initial print run was only about 200 copies, and that was primarily for selling on the convention circuit. A couple of local retailers had a few copies for sale; one of which may still have copies available. I know the other shop sold out rather quickly, which was exciting. So far the reaction from both fans and fellow creators alike has been very positive. During some of the conventions I had attended, I received several questions on the $5.00 price point on Black Jack compared to only $3.00 for Bloods Own issue one. The truth is that we only 200 copies of Black Jack were printed as opposed to 4000 copies of Bloods Own. Printing significantly less came at a higher cost per issue, which if I recall correctly was about $5.25. So even by selling copies at $5.00 apiece the cost of printing was not recovered; there was no profit made. Compared to $5.25, I felt that $5.00 a copy was not an unreasonable threshold, which has been corroborated by the book selling out.
So what’s the next step? We are currently pricing various printers around the world for the most competitive rate. As of now we have found a good rate based on a 32-page book, and currently Black Jack is only 28-pages. Talks are underway in deciding how to quickly fill those four additional pages with ideas ranging from new ad-space (which could help cover some cost of printing as well) to original concept art/sketches. Anthony and I also discussed penciling the cover to Black Jack issue 2 to be added as well.
Along with beefing the book up to 32 pages, we are once again discussing plans on submitting Black Jack to Diamond for national distribution. We have gone back and forth the past several months on when and if we were going to submit to Diamond. I initially wanted to submit to a company such as Image (www.imagecomics.com), but decided it’d be best to wait since I do not know when the second issue will ever see print. At our current speed it could be at least a year before the second issue sees print, and it did not seem beneficial to either Image or ourselves to have issue one solicited for sale without a second, third, and fourth issue read to go. At least if we submit to Diamond ourselves we are not tying up resources or funds from an interested third party that will obviously have their own expectations. It is kind of a double-edged sword, however, in that by submitting the book ourselves we will be lacking the promotional/marketing services of a company like Image who possess a very visible presence in the market. Not just some, but all the promoting of the book would rest solely in our inexperienced hands. The response Black Jack receives via Diamond orders will more than likely not just dictate when, but if we see an issue 2. I am currently in the process of putting together a comprehensive marketing plan to enact once Black Jack is submitted and approved by Diamond for solicitation. I am going to do everything in my power to ensure that the book becomes both a critical and financial success.
What else is in the works? Chris is hard at work on his own title called Children of Circus, referred to in print by me as COC, or also called “Cock” for short. COC is a creepy little tale about a group of circus freaks endowed with freakish abilities that they use to hunt down evil. What I have seen of the art is creepily moody. I believe I will be assisting with the script, but have not yet received an outline. Look for COC next spring.
A number of people are anticipating the second installment of Bloods Own, and I do wish that it were available right now, but unfortunately it is not. Anthony is working on it and we are also shooting for a spring release date. You can blame me for its tardiness; I persuaded Anthony to pencil and design Black Jack issue 1, following the completion of Bloods Own issue 1. But I digress; rest assured that I am on the case to ensure that Bloods Own issue two will be ready for a spring release.
As for myself, I am working on a bevy of projects as usual. Most are in their very early stages, and I am going to refrain from going into details about them. One project I would like to tout is a comic titled, Torque. Torque is a throwback to the exploitation films of the 60’s and 70’s, and is chock full of gratuitous obscenities, nudity, and senseless violence. Based on the subject matter I understand that this comic will not be for everyone, and am not expecting to win any Eisner Awards for it, but as a fan of those craptacular exploitation films it is something I’ve always wanted to do. I expect people to find Torque violent, distasteful, and maybe even offensive…but that’s kind of the point. Consider yourself warned.
I have been really digging DC’s epic Final Crisis written by Grant Morrison. It is touted as a “big event” and actually reads like one. Morrison is a very polarizing figure in the comic book community, but his skill and talent are without question. It was back in 1996 when I first heard his name as the one revamping the Justice League of America, which was a team book featuring all of DC’s A-list, heavy-hitters. I never actually read his JLA run till very recently, when I picked up the first couple of volumes at a recent convention. I really enjoyed the solid, consistent characterizations, and epic scope of the story arcs, which should be a given in a book featuring the likes of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. The only aspect of the run I have not been sold on was the Red and Blue electric Supermen.
In the late 90’s and early 2000’s I had gotten out of comics all together to focus on my constant drinking and womanizing, so I missed his controversial run on Marvel’s X-men, which was renamed New X-men. As with his Justice League series I picked up his entire New X-men run via trade paperback a couple of years ago. The New X-men was my introduction into the mind and imagination of Grant Morrison, and I was immediately hooked. I sought out more of his work picking up DC’s Seven Soldiers of Victory “megaseries” and the entire run of DC’s first weekly series, 52 (Grant was one of four writers on that book). Both of those series failed to disappoint. Most recently my neighbor, who coincidentally owns a comic book shop loaned me Grant’s Animal Man run. I have not yet completed the read, but am really enjoying it so far. I am also looking forward to checking out his other works including Doom Patrol and the Invisibles.
I’ve heard mixed reviews on Grant’s currently running Batman R.I.P. arc, and have yet to read any of the single issues. As with most of his work, I will probably end up picking it up in Trades. Let me know if there are any other Grant Morrison Titles that you would recommend, I would be more than happy to check them out.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Intro: Finding the Cure
“Because I Care” is a creative outlet for sharing my own personal thoughts and ideas, as well as updates on progress from the publishing side. This column was originally only accessible through Myspace.com, and for about month I consistently tried to provide weekly updates. Unfortunately, between the busy summer and the sad fact that on average only three people read what I was writing the column unfortunately fell by the wayside. I once again want to thank my good friend, Sarah Mentele for helping me coin the title “Because I Care”. Her actual suggestion was “Jonah Talks About Shit No One Cares About”, I felt the title would flow better if shortened.
By Utilizing this site, I will be able to provide links to this blog from both Myspace and facebook, as well as various message boards and forums I belong to such as www.comicbookresources.com, www.newsarama.com, www.pulpsecret.com, and my new favorite www.standardattrition.com. I will hopefully have a link to this blog available through our own site, http://www.antidotecomics.com/ as well. The idea is to increase traffic, which would in turn increase awareness. This column will be a key tool in marketing and promoting our own products, which will be vital when our first book is available for mass distribution in the very near future...At least this is its intention. I also encourage anyone reading this to leave any questions or comments they may have as well.
For the first of many installments, I decided to open with an excerpt from a personal project of mine in the works, which chronicles behind the scenes details of our venture into self-publishing. Though subject to change, my working title for this series of recollections is Antidote Comics: Finding the Cure.
Enjoy…
“You want to write a comic book?” Chris Pruisner, my brother in-law and best friend asked me, grinning as if he already knew my answer.
Immediately intrigued, I asked about the terms of his proposal. Chris informed me that Anthony Lucia, a friend of his from college, whom I had met a few times before, was seriously interested in delving into the world of self publishing and that Chris was going to help him do it. Anthony was already busy at work on his title, Bloods Own, and had completed a rough outline of the first issue using thumbnail sketches. Chris assisted Anthony by providing photo references from which to draw from, as well as layouts. Everything was going according to plan for the dynamic duo until they attempted to incorporate words with the pictures. I am fairly certain that, to this day, Anthony Lucia has never actually “read” a comic book before. Sure he has a large collection of comic books sitting in his basement, but unlike myself, he buys them strictly for the pictures without regards to the actual story…not that there is anything wrong with that; to each his own I guess. It is something I constantly give Anthony flak about and has become a running joke to this day that I insist that Anthony can’t actually read. However, we’ll save that topic for an another installment.
Upon realizing that adding the text was not going to be a simple task, they decided to enlist the aid of a professional. Unfortunately for them, they had to settle for me instead. As I pondered Chris’s question dozens of ideas for my own stories flooded my head, and I knew this might be my only opportunity to share those stories with the world…and by “world”, I am referring to those few people that actually pick up and read a copy of the book. I countered Chris’ offer with one of my own: Knowing they had no capital or ability to pay my posh page rate, I offered my services to them for free as a partner. I knew that Chris would not be able to accept my proposal without first concurring with Anthony, and in the meantime all I could do was wait. While I waited I dug through old folders and notebooks reacquainting myself with some old characters, and ideas that I had created as far back as junior high school.
I eagerly anticipated the response from Chris, and luckily didn’t have to wait long. Within a few days I received an answer indicating that Anthony was okay with offering me a position as a partner in this new endeavor, and needless to say, I didn’t hesitate to accept the terms.
I immediately started brewing ideas for a company name in my head. I admit that I underestimated Anthony in Chris in their preparedness. They informed me that they had already decided on a name, and that name was Antidote Comics. Antidote Comics? At first I was not to keen on the name, but that may have just been because I hadn’t thought of it first.
“What about Anecdote comics?” I proposed.
“What’s an anecdote?”
“It’s kind of like a story…you know, like a story you tell.” I explained, educating my new partners.
“Ohhh…No, we like Antidote,” they insisted.
“Well, what’s it mean?” I asked waiting for a vacant look, or an impulsive excuse.
“Antidote is like a cure. See?” clearly, it was my turn to be educated. “Antidote Comics: Finding the Cure.”
It took a moment to wrap my feeble brain around such a bold claim. It is certainly audacious to believe that three men with no experience creating comic books let alone have any experience in the field of publishing could possibly put out a product to rival those of the infamous “Big Two”. As the meaning behind our company name began to penetrate my thick skull, a number of questions arose: What are we trying to cure? Does anything need cured? Are we the cure for fans of small press books looking for the highest in production quality, art and storytelling? Are we the cure for disenfranchised fans of the “Big Two” seeking a new universe not convoluted down by half a century of continuity? And more importantly, is it pompous of us to assume that we even are that cure? The answer is that there are no answers to these questions (except maybe the last one), and that the cure Antidote Comics can provide will be different for everyone involved.
I can’t speak for my esteemed colleagues, but I found a cure in Antidote Comics: As work progressed (albeit slowly) on our first title I began to truly realize why the name Antidote Comics was so appropriate, and why our unofficial tagline was so clever. All my life I have wanted to tell stories, and Antidote Comics has cured me of that life long passion. I felt that cure holding that first copy of the first issue of Bloods Own in my woman-like hands. So finding “the cure” do I have to stop working for it? Absolutely false! I found it in Bloods Own, and again in Black Jack. The simple fact is that it has become an unquenchable thirst.
By Utilizing this site, I will be able to provide links to this blog from both Myspace and facebook, as well as various message boards and forums I belong to such as www.comicbookresources.com, www.newsarama.com, www.pulpsecret.com, and my new favorite www.standardattrition.com. I will hopefully have a link to this blog available through our own site, http://www.antidotecomics.com/ as well. The idea is to increase traffic, which would in turn increase awareness. This column will be a key tool in marketing and promoting our own products, which will be vital when our first book is available for mass distribution in the very near future...At least this is its intention. I also encourage anyone reading this to leave any questions or comments they may have as well.
For the first of many installments, I decided to open with an excerpt from a personal project of mine in the works, which chronicles behind the scenes details of our venture into self-publishing. Though subject to change, my working title for this series of recollections is Antidote Comics: Finding the Cure.
Enjoy…
“You want to write a comic book?” Chris Pruisner, my brother in-law and best friend asked me, grinning as if he already knew my answer.
Immediately intrigued, I asked about the terms of his proposal. Chris informed me that Anthony Lucia, a friend of his from college, whom I had met a few times before, was seriously interested in delving into the world of self publishing and that Chris was going to help him do it. Anthony was already busy at work on his title, Bloods Own, and had completed a rough outline of the first issue using thumbnail sketches. Chris assisted Anthony by providing photo references from which to draw from, as well as layouts. Everything was going according to plan for the dynamic duo until they attempted to incorporate words with the pictures. I am fairly certain that, to this day, Anthony Lucia has never actually “read” a comic book before. Sure he has a large collection of comic books sitting in his basement, but unlike myself, he buys them strictly for the pictures without regards to the actual story…not that there is anything wrong with that; to each his own I guess. It is something I constantly give Anthony flak about and has become a running joke to this day that I insist that Anthony can’t actually read. However, we’ll save that topic for an another installment.
Upon realizing that adding the text was not going to be a simple task, they decided to enlist the aid of a professional. Unfortunately for them, they had to settle for me instead. As I pondered Chris’s question dozens of ideas for my own stories flooded my head, and I knew this might be my only opportunity to share those stories with the world…and by “world”, I am referring to those few people that actually pick up and read a copy of the book. I countered Chris’ offer with one of my own: Knowing they had no capital or ability to pay my posh page rate, I offered my services to them for free as a partner. I knew that Chris would not be able to accept my proposal without first concurring with Anthony, and in the meantime all I could do was wait. While I waited I dug through old folders and notebooks reacquainting myself with some old characters, and ideas that I had created as far back as junior high school.
I eagerly anticipated the response from Chris, and luckily didn’t have to wait long. Within a few days I received an answer indicating that Anthony was okay with offering me a position as a partner in this new endeavor, and needless to say, I didn’t hesitate to accept the terms.
I immediately started brewing ideas for a company name in my head. I admit that I underestimated Anthony in Chris in their preparedness. They informed me that they had already decided on a name, and that name was Antidote Comics. Antidote Comics? At first I was not to keen on the name, but that may have just been because I hadn’t thought of it first.
“What about Anecdote comics?” I proposed.
“What’s an anecdote?”
“It’s kind of like a story…you know, like a story you tell.” I explained, educating my new partners.
“Ohhh…No, we like Antidote,” they insisted.
“Well, what’s it mean?” I asked waiting for a vacant look, or an impulsive excuse.
“Antidote is like a cure. See?” clearly, it was my turn to be educated. “Antidote Comics: Finding the Cure.”
It took a moment to wrap my feeble brain around such a bold claim. It is certainly audacious to believe that three men with no experience creating comic books let alone have any experience in the field of publishing could possibly put out a product to rival those of the infamous “Big Two”. As the meaning behind our company name began to penetrate my thick skull, a number of questions arose: What are we trying to cure? Does anything need cured? Are we the cure for fans of small press books looking for the highest in production quality, art and storytelling? Are we the cure for disenfranchised fans of the “Big Two” seeking a new universe not convoluted down by half a century of continuity? And more importantly, is it pompous of us to assume that we even are that cure? The answer is that there are no answers to these questions (except maybe the last one), and that the cure Antidote Comics can provide will be different for everyone involved.
I can’t speak for my esteemed colleagues, but I found a cure in Antidote Comics: As work progressed (albeit slowly) on our first title I began to truly realize why the name Antidote Comics was so appropriate, and why our unofficial tagline was so clever. All my life I have wanted to tell stories, and Antidote Comics has cured me of that life long passion. I felt that cure holding that first copy of the first issue of Bloods Own in my woman-like hands. So finding “the cure” do I have to stop working for it? Absolutely false! I found it in Bloods Own, and again in Black Jack. The simple fact is that it has become an unquenchable thirst.
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