Exodus

It has been awhile since I've last posted, but this does not mean there has been no movement. On the contrary, it has been a journey that has covered such vast spiritual/mental distances, I marvel at how little time has passed (although it feels like years at this point) As it stands now, I'm in the process of working with another individual to create our own imprint line. Business plans are being drawn up and I've finished writing the synopsis for what will be my first limited series (at some point I will post it to give you, my faithful followers an idea of where all the wheels in my head have been rolling to). The story came together from the inspiration provided by one woman in particular and the profound impact she had on my way of seeing and being (tre' cliche...but, that's the truth and I'm sticking to it). It is a period in my life that can best be summed up as "Heaven, Hell and the Human Heart"...hmmm. A little melodramatic, I know (and not the title of the series, thankfully), but maybe I can use it for an original soap opera I'll develop if this doesn't work out. So stay tuned true believers, this roller coaster ride is just getting started.

Falling Off The Edge Of The Earth

When outer reality comes crashing in on a writers inner reality...things come to a grinding halt. Often times it is this inner reality that I choose to dwell in more than the every day waking world..and for this to be superseded by "harsh reality"....you figure things must be pretty bad. Well, I won't say they are great, but it is not the proverbial bottom of the barrel (at least not yet). After all, the things I create are shaded by what happens outside of me...hues of failed relationships, strokes of political upheaval, gradations of life in all it's joyous victories and bitter defeats....they are all part of the great painting that I continually revise and update on the canvas of my inside...hoping to someday produce a work that captures the beauty and pain of being human.
I'm still writing, still working towards finding a way to produce a graphic novel, its just as of late I've found that reality has proven to be a sobering distraction...one that feels akin to falling off the edge with nothing to grab hold of to steady yourself. A free fall that has no end in sight. So I sit here...pecking out a few words in the hopes that my inner reality will reassert itself...lend some stability that reality seems to lack. We live in interesting times...I just hope that my dreams can keep pace with what's outside of me.

75%

At 75% the veins in my neck being to stand out and the ones at my temples pulse. If I were to look in the mirror now, I'm sure I would resemble an extra from the movie "Scanners". My head literally feels as if it is about to pop, flinging quivering grey matter all over the walls. I'm sure once I hit 100% mark it will not be as dramatic as it feels. Maybe more like someone deflating a skanky blow up doll, a high whine and hiss sounding as my head collapses in on my neck, finally relieved of all the pressure I've built up behind this project. But for now, I have to wrestle this bear that is doing the lambada on my skull...all because the story is only 75% complete.

Its funny how my aspirations seem to always out strip my reach. Whether it be professional (scope of conceived project), personal (yeah...I'm the guy who has every intention of running a marathon, getting in on a little Ultimate Fighting competition action, sky diving, salsa lessons and getting home to put together a 5 star gourmet meal to impress my date all in the span of one day) or relationships (to the brightest and best in my life...I am more than a human dial tone, come on give the kid a chance)

So as it stands, I'm more than halfway there, but still have a quarter mile to go before the first draft of the story is finished. I can only imagine what it will feel like when the next stage of my maniacal plan for world domination kicks in. Look out 76% here I come!

Writer's Rant: Shadows

The pitchy whistle came from between his clenched teeth and his eyebrow raised in a quizzical fashion. "Wow, you said this was from one of your dreams? I'd hate to be a player in one of your nightmares!" My friend concluded as he placed the first few pages of the story I was working out back on the table. It made me reflect on the nature of some of my work. The majority of it comes from dreams I have, some might refer to them as nightmares (or, at least being to some degree nightmarish). I like to refer to them as the goldmine of my imagination. In these dreams that carry an intensity that is not common of my standard sleep cinema, I find that I am not paralyzed by fear, dread, or abject horror as some might expect. Instead, I witness events unfold with colors, details, sights, sounds, names and places with a kind of fascination. The unblinking orb of my mind's eye scorches the images into the membrane of my consciousness, a phantasmal image etched on my waking minds retina...snap shots of ghost from the belly of this minds beast.

I'm sure that I leave you with the impression that most of what goes on in my head is filled with terror and the darker aspects of human nature, but truth be told, I've had my fair share of Technicolor musical numbers where I win the girl and ride off into the sunset play out in cheesy fashion in my noggin. Its in the ones that are harder to watch, though, that I find the questions I have as to "why" are usually answered ("...why do people treat one another this way?", "why am I not where I think I should be in life?", "why am I alone?", etc) It is in these dreams that I must see my shortcomings reflected back at me and face them unflinchingly. This is what provides the fodder for my pen so that it may be placed to page. Before I can identify with that gallant knight on his shinning steed from my sunnier dreams I must learn to see my lesser self however it is shown to me. If you can pass through the muck and mire of the things we see and experience in our dreams to the other side of the story, you may discover that it is often times in nightmares that we find our humanity. So as you read my stories, look beyond the horror and spectacle of it all and think about what part of you I am trying to connect to.

Excuse me Ms., would you prefer Paper or Pixel?

A recent conversation with my friend David Goldstone (writer, director, cartoonist and incredible guy. Check out his portfolio at http://www.bubblefant.com/ ) really made me think about my feelings on the topic of digital comics (web) vs. printed media and how those feelings will affect the approach I take in pulling together this project. Until recently, comics have found their audience solely in the printed medium. With the world well into the digital age, however, a growing number of comic book creators are going online to post content and readers likewise to consume. During the course of our conversation he gave voice to a mental itch that I could never quite find/scratch/identify in regards to this phenomenon. With digital media, ease of use and accessibility are two very strong factors that make it ideal. With that though comes the problem of feeding the "fast food culture" mentality of "get it quick, eat it fast, next!" Readers will have more of a tendency to casually read the book online and loose touch with the craft, care and skill that went into creating the art. With the printed format, the reader can certainly just flip through the pages, but due to its portable nature and the tactile interface between reader and medium, they have the opportunity to really study and appreciate the detail and artisan ship infused in each issue. Its this aspect that I identify with so strongly as I recall childhood days spent sprawled on the living room floor with stacks of new comics...immersed in worlds and wonders well beyond ours. For some reason, I find it hard to imagine recreating that same experience with a portable pod device with downloaded content, my face awash in the glow of its LCD screen. It feels about as personal as a doctors unwarmed stethoscope.

I know, I sound like a dusty old fart (partially because I am), but truth be told, I think it is about striking a healthy balance between using both tools efficiently and effectively. The need to generate connection with the reader as an artist and the desire to reach as wide of an audience as possible as a business man both play into the whole ying/yang of my grand scheme. As I move forward, I hope to develop a site where digital content will be available (some my own, some from other contributors) as well as having certain projects done exclusively in print.
So, as I sit here interfacing with this computer (which I insinuated not so long ago was cold and impersonal) I can't help but smile at the thought that it will help serve in the overall plan to make a connection that is very much human in the end.

For Your Consideration.

Robbery Kings Movies & TV SPIKE.com

The above film is called "Robbery Kings". I produced and co-wrote it with an incredible director and all around great guy by the name of John Corten. The piece ended up being a film in the L.A. International Film Festival and shown at various locales around LA. I've actually considered continuing this story. Could it play as a comic? Possibly. Some of the comedic elements would be challenging to put into a still medium like a graphic novel (comic book), but it could be done if the right penciler (illustrator) were to work on doing a translation of this and the scripting was solid. When completed, it would be the equivalent of a full length motion picture (at least that's how I envision it). This is one of the story lines that I have in mind for further exploration in terms of future comic projects.

A Tale of...

There have been a few questions as to how this blog will unfold. To tell the truth, I haven't the foggiest idea (That's not entirely true. However, by making that statement if something spectacular occurs it comes off as spontaneous and genius. If it is just *meeh* I can disavow how much it sucks by saying "What do you expect, I wasn't even really trying") Seriously though, the first intention is to provide an account of the process behind putting together a graphic novel.
"There's that term again (see the last post)! What is this nut job talking about?" Yeah, I know, insider techno babble soon leaves the reader scratching their head in confusion. A look plastered on their face that suggest I've just slapped them with a wet fish. Don't worry, I promise I won't use terminology that is so inside it leaves the casual reader cursing my name and taking an oath of vengeance. If I do, I'll be sure to explain it in terms that make it more relateable. So, having said that...a "Graphic Novel" is basically a giant comic book. I find that the medium shares some parallels with film that I'd like to experiment with and explore. One of the more intriguing aspects of the medium being the implied sense of motion through the use of still illustrations. You'll also occasionally come across a post entitled "Writers Rant". In these entries you may read random thoughts on events in my life that I felt compelled to put up and comment on (and they may have absolutely nothing to do with the project....it may also be a sign that I slipped up and needed something to post)
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, everyone sit back, take a read, and question my sanity out loud.

In The Begining

I realized I wanted to tell stories at an early age. In my youth, my small circle of friends consisted of a handful of classmates, relatives (siblings and cousins) and the characters I found in the pages of such books as Treasure Island, The Three Musketeers, Moby Dick, The Hobbit, and countless comic book titles my father would bring home. I guess you could say I was the perennial bookworm with a predilection to imagining "What could be" as opposed to being swept up in the reality of "What is". The books coupled with a steady diet of movies ( Enter The Dragon, Shaft, Star Wars, etc) and the fact that my father was also a cartoonist and writer helped to fuel the side of my soul that would wander far and wide of the here and now.


Flash forward to the adult years and the socially awkward bookworm has become the quiet guy at the party whose eyes seem to read everything going on in the room. You know, the strange chap over in the corner who holds a degree in film and seems to enjoy the taste of Jack Daniels (at least that is what he says he is drinking)? Yeah, the one who seems to be rambling on about chasing the phantom wisp of his dreams, catching the elusive vapors in a mayo jar and pinning them, wings still fluttering to the pages of screenplays. Apparently he has been working days at a museum waiting for his big break, but it seems like it's not going to come quite the way he has been anticipating. I swear to you between his crunching the ice cubes in his drink and his mumbling I thought I heard him say something about "creating" his own break (why that conjures images of a half mad, be speckled and balding Frankenstein furiously stitching together his monster is beyond me) by way of a "graphic novel" (what the hell is that?)

"What does the blog have to do with this?" you ask. Well, it will serve as a story of a different sort, the kind that he maybe isn't so used to telling. It will chronicle the strange and wonderful journey he's undertaking to piece together the monsters from his mind (some of them friendly, others not so much). Will it be entertaining? Who's to say, but by its end, maybe...just maybe "What could be" and "What is" might become "What could be ...IS"