Exciting news for Criminal Element. Jason drops in from time to time, and I'm as excited about the story he and I did, as I am about the one Russell and I did.
Everything is coming along well enough. I approved the proof for Criminal Element (well, I made one fix), so that's now out of my hands.
I'm just lettering the last story of Terra #1, but otherwise all the production for the book is done. Proofs might take a while, as the publisher and I haven't decided on the exact format of the book, but that's mostly out of my hands, too.
First three chapters of bucket of Glass have now been coloured, and they look killer. I want to adjust the lettering still, but it's really high time we pitched this puppy. I think we have forty pages fully inked now and Luke, the colourist will catch up soon. (Jose is drawing chater 6 now).
Left Hand Path has hit another bump as Paul has been interrupted, again, with more page rate work. Colouring isn't going as smoothly for this book, but we're getting there.
Haven't drawn anything for a couple of weeks, I've been so swamped with production.
I recently wrote my first superhero script. Just a short piece, looking at a former supervillain who has found a smarter way to profit from capes and cowls fighting. It's called Mr Ex and it's in the CRIMINAL ELEMENT anthology I recently put together.
I've never seriously considered writing superheros, but this was a lot of fun and I think it's a pretty good angle. I know there are lots of 'villain books' out there now, and I admit to some ignorance about them, but from what I have seen the approach I took for this is a bit different. They're sort of humorous but they're not actually parodies.
A local artist who is really good at superhero stuff has been bugging me to get him some scripts and, while I just don't have time right now to produce something big and pitchable--I'm not even sure he wants something big--I've come up with a couple more ideas for some supercrime stories. I'll probably write one of these for an anthology that my publisher is putting together; maybe even both if things go well.
The first idea is to show a freelance henchman trying to work out his taxes with his accountant. He's contracting now, because villain workplaces are unstable and the bosses are awful. Contractors get paid better and they have a a built-in exit clause--it's just too expensive to kill them indiscriminately when you need to prove to some punk-ass cape that you're Truly Evil. Our hero's problem is that his wife is divorcing him and if he can't demonstrate his income to the courts he's gonna lose his kids.
The second idea comes from these advice columns and essays for wannabe writers and artists that you're always seeing around. How to Write a Blockbuster Movie. How to draw Superheros the Marvel Comics Way.
In this case it's advice from One Up, the winner of the Solo Supervillain of the Year about the three Ps of successful supercrime: Powers, Passion, and Preparation.
The dream had pages, panels, captions, dialogue, and shabby colouring. I THINK I was Constantine, sometimes, but it was into a first person immersion. Moved through the story in a progression of static images, complete with page turn reveals.
McBlack Two Shot is taking shape nicely and I hope to have this ready in June. I've just announced the full art team: me, with inks by Dave Gutierrez; Luke Pickett; Rhys James; John Stewart... and Bruce Mutard, who is one of the biggest names in Comics Lit in Australia and entirely a surprise appearing in a dirty little metafictional cross-genre action strip like this McBlack. I'm really stoked about this team and the diversity of art styles, which I think I have put to good use.
The McBlack One Shot has been probably my most popular Australia-published piece of work and I'm following on directly from that. In the One Shot, McBlack's mission pushes him through different levels, each of which corresponds to a different type of video game--which let me talk about games and adaptations and the mechanics of narrator's captions. I selected the artists to match the game genres and it came off pretty well, although I regretted inking my own pages.
Two Shot is about the layering of dreams, so I have once again used a different artist to show the different layers of the dreamscape. I'm also exploring the agency of the dreamer and having a bit of a play with the mechanics of the thought balloon. This one is pretty ambitious and I hope even funnier and more shocking than the One Shot. I've picked up my game on the pencils and I brought back my usual inker for my pages. I dunno how much this book will be available overseas but I am expecting some good sales here in Oz.
A local artist who is really good at superhero stuff has been bugging me to get him some scripts and, while I just don't have time right now to produce something big and pitchable--I'm not even sure he wants something big--I've come up with a couple more ideas for some supercrime stories. I'll probably write one of these for an anthology that my publisher is putting together; maybe even both if things go well.
I don't suppose you'd be willing to share his name? I have two superhero-ish things I'd like to pitch but three of the four artists I've contacted to date have said they don't want to do superhero (which is good in one way just not for me) and the fourth hasn't responded.
I was on the radio last weekend, talking about comics. I think. Actually recorded this interview back in February. I have no idea how it sounds; I can't stand to listen to my own voice.
Well, I'm back, all married and respectable and shit. Time to get back to work.
Terra #2 is behind schedule. McBlack Two Shot is coming together nicely now and I need to keep an eye on that as well.
Paul Abstruse has copped a WFH gig--a one shot--and so Left Hand Path has been deferred... again... with only 3 pags left to do of issue #1. Still, this gives us a chance for the new colourist to catch up. Also, Paul's rising profile can only
But my two priorities for May are to get Bucket of Glass ready to pitch (needs a cover and lettering) and to write The Sixsmiths volume 2.
So I've said that I would write the whole of Sixsmiths vol.02 this month. I had a full outline going in, plus the first chapter was already written. That leaves fourteen outlined chapters, which are intended to be about 8 pages each.
It's not an unrealistic for me to pull this off, but it's a bit unusual. I can certainly write 112 good script pages in a month; I've done it before--but the difference is that I usually spread my attention across multiple projects; I rarely concentrate on just one for an extended period. Switching it up helps me stay fresh on what I'm doing. I have been doing that, but with the crunched time period I'm finding it a bit of a drain. I haven't fallen behind yet, but it's a loomig possibility.
I've written 2 new chapters so far and I'm finding that I need two sessions each--usually with a sleep in between to help me consolidate the ideas. The first session usually yields 2 or 3 pages and the second 5 or 6. Although I know what needs to happen and where, these chapters aren't especially easy to write--each one is effectively a short story, and for me, an 3x8 page stories are more difficult to write than one 24 page issue. (I think I can produce an issue in similar circumstances in 3 sessions, not six).
There are several reasons for this--firstly, there's less room for slack in the smaller chapters, and secondly, each one has a different artist. Some chapters I know who the artist will be going in; some I haven't made up my mind. All of this takes a toll.
Course the chapters don't HAVE to be 8 pages each. Some will probably be less and I'm sure a couple will run over--but int he interests for fairness to the artists I'm trying to hit that number when they can. Number of pages will of course determine the workload I put on each guy and also the share of profits they'll receive.
So... I'm struggling a little. I have 25 days to write 12 chapters, and that's probably 24 days' work--I have one day's leeway, if nothing goes wrong. Certainly doable, but I hope I can find a way to get ahead a bit. I tend not to require a lot of redrafting but I do want to have the space to do anther pass to clean up typos, tighten up dialog and storytelling, and to make sure there are no continuity errors.
I don't feel like I can stop working on other stuff in and around this--like I said, it keeps me fresh and I think if anything that will curtail my productivity on Sixsmiths.
I'll continue to report my progress and we'll see how it goes.
Continuing in the same vein on Sixsmiths. I need to find some way to get ahead, because I have deadlines looming at the end of the month that are going to crush my schedule. Tonight I'm going to try to start the next chapter after I finish the current one--perhaps I can double my workrate by doing that. I really don't want to force it--I can force out drama or action on pure technique, but comedy is a different beast and it needs to be fresh.
Forced gags are the worst thing in the world.
In related news, one of my artists for the new book has been proselytizing on my behalf and reports that there are a couple of superb artists who'd love to participate in this project. Which is great news, but I've already allocated out all of the chapters in the outline to the guys I approached myself. Still, it's good to know that they're out there--never know what will happen down the track.
First act of Sixsmiths is done and I'm at the start of act 2 now. The shit has hit the fan.
Bucket of Glass is progressing well. Joe is working on the cover and I'm finishing up the lettering. This will be a huge pitch--forty odd completed pages--but I'm concerned that's actually too many.
Any thoughts? We sold the Sixsmiths on a thirty page pitch. I know there's no hard and fast rules, but I also know that some editors want to see no more than the usual 5 or 6.
Comments
"consider it revoked."
I'm getting too old for this.