OPEN MOUTH
http://www.scrypticstudios.com/index.php/articles/252
"When you come down to it, there’s really only one way to skin a cat.
"Sure, you can scrape at it with blunt instruments or gouge and tear with your fingers until you dig to the bone. Boil it, burn it, flay it, slice it - when you get past method and complete the process, what did you really have to do? You had to remove the cat’s skin."
This week's BIG POND is live at Scryptic Studios, and in it I am joined by writers Andrew (MEGACITY 909. ATOMIKA) Dabb and Greg (HERO CAMP) Thompson. This week we quit screwing around and start talking about writing, structure, formatting, Joseph Campbell and why Robert McKee might be a bit of bullshit.
BIG POND: The Writer With a Thousand Faces. The fourth in a series of collaborative columns at Scryptic Studios.
OPEN MOUTH
Just a quick note that this is the last you'll hear from me 'til February 25th.
I'm leaving tomorrow night for a much needed two week vacation to Israel.
Will be doing a lot of writing while there in cafes and on beaches while taking photo/illustration reference for MIGDAL DAVID.
You all keep the home fires burning!
Seeya in two weeks!
OPEN MOUTH
"Let's you and me talk about the weather, huh?
"Li Ruqing sits by a missile launcher loaded down with chemical-tipped warheads, just watching the sky. He commands three such batteries in the North Western corner of Beijing, keeping an eye on the weather report and a cool hand on the trigger. The weather's a bitch in this part of China, holding back rain the crops desperately need in favor of hail stones that beat anything edible or old and pretty-looking into pulp. Li isn't waiting for enemy airplanes. When the storm clouds roll in, he's going to shoot great fucking holes through them with the precision and tactical mind of a seasoned field commander. The shells seed the clouds, forcing the moisture inside to fall before it can form hail or decide to just stay up in the air in that smug fashion precipitation has. Li's a cloud shooter, and goddamn if that isn't the best job title ever. "
This week's BIG POND is live at Scryptic Studios, and in it I am joined by hot new writers Alex (SMOKE) DeCampi and Chris (VAMPIRELLA MAGAZINE) Lamb, author of the above blurb. Swing by and watch to us talk about Ideaspace, knockcomics, the Idea Store and Warren Ellis' robotic reproductive organs.
BIG POND: The Idea Store. The third in a series of collaborative columns at Scryptic Studios.
OPEN MOUTH
Why am I obsessed with pancakes lately?
Also, I invented the Bling Ninja last night, so I am a happy comic book makin' boy.
Putting final touches on the next two columns and trying to complete the fourth issue of URSA MINORS and tonight I should lay out the fourth page of MIGDAL DAVID.
Gotta pack for the big ol' Israel-y trip, too.
But still. Pancakes.
Who knew?
INSERT FOOT
The Monster blog has been updated!
Behold... GORGILLA!
"On the jungle island of Borneo, on top of 'idnight Mountain' lived Gorgilla, a gigantic half-man/half-ape. The giant simian was worshipped as the god of vengence by a tribe of head-hunters. An anthropologist known only as “Scotty” led an expedition to Borneo in search of the “missing link” between man and ape, and found Gorgilla in a lost jungle on 'Midnight Mountain'"
WHO CAN STOP THE RAMPAGING POWER OF THE MONSTER BLOG?!!!
OPEN MOUTH
It's a liberating feeling, sitting and watching the ultimate sports event of the year, not caring if or ever expecting your team to take part and win.
I realized that the reason I dig the Super Bowl is one part football, one part burgers, one part beer and one part watching people who care fall to pieces. Yes, i know that's four parts. How many quarters in a football game?
You got it, Chester.
What - the commercials? Fuck the commercials. The commercials aren't funny anymore. There was maybe one, two funny commercials last night (you can't go wrong with Burt Reynolds, I've decided) and the cool BATMAN BEGINS trailer and that's about it. I enjoyed the McCartneytastic halftime show more than the commercials.
We screened the game on our DVD projector last night, grilled up some burgers and dogs, got a load of longnecks and invited over a bunch of friends. Apparently we were going head to head with another guy we know who ALSO showed the game on his projector, but during the second quarter his bulb burned out... so he went out and bought another projector during halftime.
Crazy.
As well, one of my roomates brought home a pop-a-shot basketball arcade game last night for the living room. So let's take a tally here:
1. DVD projector hooked up to digital cable box with modified surround sound.
2. "Classic" Nintendo system in the spare room.
3. Tons of comic books and graphic novels all around the apartment.
4. A fridge filled with beer and meat. Oh, and a keg in the corner from our last party.
5. Pop-a-shot arcade basketball game.
... It's like the college dorm room I never had.
Why exactly do I leave home in the morning?
Tonight: Hour and a half workout, finish the third page of MIGDAL DAVID, tighten and send the VAMPI pitch and write five pages of URSA MINORS.
OPEN MOUTH
Two minutes to myself here so I'm going to get rid of some extra thoughts. This might seem a bit rambly, but hey - that's the way I'm feeling.
Work's been jumpy lately - the day job's getting harder but today I nailed down a bit of an increase over the next few months. Comics work is starting to bury me but I'm only getting back end pay for a lot of them.
I need more freelance design/illustration work. Anyone wanna offer me some?
Just sent back the contracts for URSA MINORS and MIGDAL DAVID and will be expecting tiny trucks with tiny advances and/or royalty payments to roll up the block any day now.
URSA MINORS is underway - sent sketches and layouts from 'Nando (the artist) to the publisher who loves 'em. I'm writing the fourth script now while Paul works on the second and we both bang out a back up story.
MIGDAL DAVID is moving along. I've scripted 50 pages and drawn 3. This one's gonna take some time but will be worth it in the end. It's a hard project to work on, the content and subject matter being so near and dear, but hey - that's what good stories are made of.
BROWNSVILLE is also moving ahead nicely. Jake sent me color cover samples (which I'm going to try and get on the site this weekend) and pencils until page 160 and woo-hoo! Nice mafia rat goodness. I'm telling you... i CAN NOT wait for people to pick this book up.
Other than that, things are here and there. I'm revising an accepted short story pitch for VAMPIRELLA MAGAZINE and a longer associated series pitch (can't really go into length about that, suffice to see it'll be cool). I'm working with three artists on three projects in various stages of development... more on those as they coalesce. There's BIG POND, of which the third and fourth are about done and ready. And finally, I'm working on a requested proposal for a writing class for teens at MoCCA this summer.
Let's see... what else...? I'll be doing only two cons this summer - MoCCA and SPX. I'll be set up with NBM for both. I hope to have some more BROWNSVILLE stuff to show along with an URSA MINORS ashcan and with any luck, RANT COMICS #4 or LATE NIGHT BLOCK #3... depends on what I can get doen by then.
That's about it. Super Bowl this Sunday and then vacation for 2 weeks starting next Saturday. You folks won't have me to kick around much longer.
Oh, and apparently I'm a real catch. At least that's what this tub of ice cream keeps telling me.
Not to mention this jar of heroin liquor.
Catch you after the gridiron goodness.