Spider-Man Gold

I know I’m late given the whole “Superior Spider-Man” deal, but if Peter Parker ever goes face to face with Doctor Octopus again and the villain is looking sad, Spidey should definitely call him “Dr. Ottopuss.”

Dr. Ottopuss

That gold is yours for the taking, future Spider-Man writers of the world.

Spring Cleaning

• Sleep is awesome. Not getting enough of it is not. Highly recommended for a healthy mind and body. I grew up in a house where no one slept enough and that’s continued to influence my sleep patterns. I have yet to organize my life and work around my chronotype, but actually sleeping the last few days has done wonders for me.
• Hawaii (or, at least, Maui) is at beautiful as it’s cracked up to be. I spent my entire life hearing people talk about how much they love Hawaii and how beautiful it is, and despite seeing it in so many movies and TV shows, it still lives up to the hype. “Unbelievably beautiful” and “lush” are the two descriptors that seem to come close using language alone, and pictures don’t do it justice. Go. Now.
• I’m looking for an artist for a creator-owned project. Realistically cartoony is the best way I can describe the aesthetic I’d like to find. If I could have my pick of any artist in the land my buddy Bernard Chang would draw it, but he’s a little too busy drawing stuff for DC at the moment so I’ll have to settle for maybe getting a cover from him. Don’t worry if your style doesn’t look like his, it’s just a touch stone. The book has some black comedic elements that won’t come across if we go too realistic and high-contrast with the darker elements, so I want the art to fit the lighter, occasionally cheeky tone. Drop me a line if you’re interested or know of an artist who might be.
• There will be more non-writing/comics stuff on the blog moving forward. Fitness and nutrition have always been a major interest for me, so while I won’t be posting shirtless photos of myself and telling you how to get a 6-pack in 30 days, I will be posting interesting discoveries, articles and links to podcasts or videos. I’m much more consistent with my training than I am with my writing, and while I aim to bring that side of my life into better balance I want to make this site a better reflection of what’s occupying my mind.
• While I can’t promise regular updates and hold myself to that without fail (blogs seem to be dying left and right), I will be posting “at least occasionally.” (For those who no longer have an RSS reader with the death of Google Reader, I highly recommend Feedly. I can’t figure out how to properly navigate it via the Android app, but as a desktop plug-in and site it’s ace.)

Next up: Struggle!

“Paperman”

I went to a screening of “Wreck-It Ralph” Tuesday night. I really enjoyed it, but I think I’m the right age to get all of the video game references, not to mention I might be in the tank for Disney.

What I have to mention is the short that played before it. “Paperman” is a little story about love, fate, and paper, and it just so happens that the animation is stunning. I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed the style of it, and I would kill to do a comic (or anything) in a similar vein. Check out these stills and tell me you don’t want to see more right now.

Want to Write Comics? We Will Teach You

As Joshua Hale Fialkov has done several times at various Long Beach Horror & Comic Con events, this year he will again be teaching the craft of writing comic books at this year’s show. I worked with Josh to teach the class earlier this year at the one-day Long Beach Expo and had an awesome time dropping knowledge and getting to meet up and coming creators.

I’ll be joining him again for an even bigger and better workshop, but this time Josh is bringing in the big guns: Jim McCann (MIND THE GAP, RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN), Brian Buccellato (THE FLASH, FOSTER), and afro-wielding warrior Sam Humphries (ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES, UNCANNY X-FORCE).

Details are available here. You do not want to miss out.

I’ll Blog More… Soon

Spent yesterday working (and trying not to succumb to the heat), and then the wee hours (which were slightly less sweat inducing) catching up on e-mails owed to comic friends I either didn’t see after skipping SDCC this year, or just haven’t spoken to recently. One of them, an artist I worked with a few years back, told me he kept up with my blog and that I should write more. He’s right, of course, but I’ve been burning the candle at both ends since getting back from Atlanta earlier this month.

I’ll tell you what I told him: I will write more. Soon. If I can’t post something once a week (4-5 times a month minimum), I really shouldn’t even have a blog. So let me get past this script, get these two books and a trade to press, and you’ll start seeing more semi-regular posts from me here.  More commentary and process than news, since any news I have is a ways off from being announced.

And since I haven’t really mentioned it anywhere, I’m heading up CBR INK, Comic Book Resources’ newest blog covering comic book and pop culture tattoos. It’s often tumblr style featuring images and quick descriptions, but we have a few more interviews coming in that should be a little more in depth. Be sure to check it out.

That Dream Where You Can’t Scream…

I suppose it means I feel stifled, or that I’m not being listened to. I’ve had it twice in the last few months, both times in the middle of being attacked (and my brain has me convinced it was by the same random dream person both times). It’s scary not having control over something as basic as your ability to communicate, probably made all the more so by the fact that nearly every technological advancement is about communicating or connecting us further to the rest of the world in some way.

The first time I was calling out for help, flailing during a violent attack and hoping for some kind of rescue. Last night was worse. I was trapped in a bank’s after hours ATM room, trying to find the right check. As I rifled through the impossible number of papers shoved in my pockets, I found two checks. One for a paltry amount — $5 and change — and the other for semi-significant cash, I noticed the larger check was torn at the top, destroying the bar code (which I can only assume was an easy visual stand-in for the routing or account numbers, since I always have problems with reading/numbers in dreams. As I tried to figure out my next move, the man who (I think) had attacked me in the previous dream months ago was there. He stalked toward me and I back pedaled, trying to scream.

My girlfriend was outside the thick glass of the ATM booth, which by this point was its own standalone glass cube, not part of any physical bank or other structure. My own fish tank torture chamber. I couldn’t make much noise. Barely more than a whisper. She couldn’t hear me. My attacker drew closer, and while his approach was subdued — I managed to hold him off by keeping him at arm’s length (I may have been pushing his face back with my palm) — my attempts to scream grew all the more desperate.

He “chased” me around the cube as I continued to try to yell. I banged on the glass walls but they had enough give that there was barely more than a soft warble, like the tiny clap of clunky, uncoordinated hands. She couldn’t hear me. She wasn’t looking. And I couldn’t make a sound.

I woke up at some point, but the dream had already gone on far too long. I was shook.

After starting to write this (admittedly pointless) post, I remembered another dream from last night. [Sidebar: I've been having less than restful sleep for a few months, leading to multiple awakenings and thus multiple remembered dreams.] I stopped in at a donut shop to get something — I must have been on my way to work. As in real life, I’m always looking for a chocolate glazed (we miss you in SoCal, Dunkin Donuts). I didn’t see anything that fit so I asked the girl behind the counter who pointed me toward a semi-brown, glazed monstrosity with what looked to be Munchkins™ on it. I figured that would have to do in the absence of the real thing, but when I reached for my wallet — it was gone. I told her I left it in the car and had to run out to get it, but when I went outside my car was nowhere to be found. I should also note the dream logic here, since this place had ample street parking (in LA no less) and cars parked inside the dining area. I went up and down the street looking for my car, becoming more frantic as the search became more and more hopeless.  But rather than worrying about the loss of my car or wallet, I was worried that I wouldn’t get that donut…

With this second dream in mind, I have to imagine both were about financial ruin rather than being unable to speak or be heard. It’s also possible they were both about me having a goal (cash a check, buy a donut) and being denied. Or maybe it was just that I did go to the bank and cash a check yesterday. But why was I attacked in the first, and where did my car go in the second? I love dreams, even the weird ones, but today I’m at a loss and don’t feel nearly as rested as I should.

Maybe I should get a donut…

A Little Homework Goes a Long Way

One of the things I wish I had emphasized more — every sentence, in fact — at the seminar Joshua Hale Fialkov and I taught last weekend is how important planning is when making comics. There are so many things to consider, so many moving parts, and so many thing that can (and will) go wrong that without proper planning you’re in for a nightmare.   And that’s just creatively…

I have a bug up my ass about logo design (and design in general).  I know this. More often than not, I don’t blog unless I’m up in arms about something, or at the opposite end of the spectrum, completely despondent and uninspired.  Well, today I have to put a buddy on blast.

Tyler Kirkham, who I worked with on waaaay more books than any artist other Stjepan Sejic during my tenure at Top Cow (both on TC titles and on the books we packaged for Marvel), has a new book on Kickstarter called “The Monarchy.” I first saw the page when the campaign went live and thought, “something about that looks familiar.” I saw him post about it again today and it all clicked.

“The Monarchy” logo is basically the logo from Top Cow’s “The Magdalena.” I think Aspen’s Peter Steigerwald designed the original, but don’t quote me on that. I pulled up a Maggie image and sure enough, the case could be made for trademark infringement based on the logo. It’s… really close.  But that’s not all. The title sounded funny in my brain today. Wasn’t there already a “Monarchy” comic book?

Turns out, yes. Wildstorm published a “The Monarchy” title that spun out of the second year of “The Authority” and ran for 12 issues from 2001-2002. I think I may have even read it, back when I was catching up on all that goodness. (Remember Warren Ellis’ then totally under-the-radar run on “Stormwatch” that introduced The Authority? Stellar, stellar stuff.) And don’t think I’m not noticing yet again some similar elements in the book’s logo to Kirkham’s “The Monarchy” logo.

Look, I’m not saying anyone gets sued here. And I know Tyler and Mandy McMurray, the book’s co-creator, and they’re good, honest people. Either they didn’t realize what they were doing or did it intentionally as an homage with no ill will or infringement intended. But knowing that it could become an issue… why risk it.  Certainly with regards to the title, why not do a quick ™ search with the USPTO and see if they’re in the clear (and if they have, and they are, forget I said anything).

If you’re doing creator-owned and self-published books, you have enough on your plate. But forgetting that you need to make sure you’re doing something wholly original that doesn’t infringe upon someone else’s marks is part of that game. There are few things worse than spending your time and effort completing something and not being able to put it out or getting held up in a lengthy legal battle.

To bring this all home, I urge all you DIY creators out there to think. And when you’re thinking, brainstorm all the things that might go wrong and figure out ways to cover your ass with proper scheduling, foresight, and probably consulting a lawyer. Or at least Google, Search Engine at Law.