When You Can't Sleep at 2:20 AM...

You end up in front of the computer. One of the major dangers of being in your head so much as a writer as well. Things with the articles have been going well, I've actually made a few contacts and am working on setting up another interview. The screenwriting experience is coming back into play as I also assist on helping reformat and strengthen a script that may actually have some legs (and is making the rounds in LA right now)I've also been learning more about the comic industry and a little about what it will take to get an issue off the ground (one source has enlightened me that to produce a quality single issue cost about $7000.00. I now have a grey hair in my right eyebrow as a result of this reveal). Another rung in the ladder has been my introduction to the social networking online through facebook, twitter and various news sites where links can be created to connect with my prospective audiences (although at this point I feel like I'm playing to an empty auditorium). The latest pass on Sea Wulfe is done and now serious conversation will be had as to what the next step will be...create a promo package to attract potential investors or try and go it with personal resources (I think I just heard my wallet scream in terror at this prospect) Maybe that is one of the things that is making it hard to sleep at what is now 2:31 AM.

Keeping up with the Joneses

This one will be short and sweet, but so far so good. This new found momentum is working to my benefit. The hard part will be maintaining for a substantial amount of time. Last week I wrapped and posted my first interview on Examiner.com (with Orlando Harding creator of the comic "Pariah")and may have made a good contact. Interested parties can read my comic reviews here. The second draft of Sea Wulf is very close to being finished and a meeting should be just right around the bend (as in next week). At this point, I guess immersion in work isn't such a bad thing. The real challenge will be continuing to come up with material for the blog. It can easily fall into the realm of "hum-drum" reporting if I am not careful and just do updates just for the sake of it. On the other hand I must be diligent and not just wait for the next big step in this process to break before I post again. It is all part of the machine, a delicate balancing act I guess. Just part of keeping up with the Joneses.

Like a slow moving boomerang

Well, after a bit of a hiatus of sorts, I find myself returning to a space of wanting to chronicle progress of the writing endeavors. Sometimes as a writer, it takes a plethora of life events to bring the inner voice to a broil that causes the kettle to scream that these experiences should be used for literary fodder (or at least inform the content that is placed on the page if not depicted literally). Everything from the start of a promising new relationship to only have it end just as soon as it has begun, to family illness and tragedy that challenge the limits of how strong you really think you are. This stuff of life is often experienced and then filed away in the mental bank of memories, but for a writer, these things are digested over and over again. Examined from every angle for all the nuances and hidden meanings that might be buried just beneath the surface. And so I sit here, alone at the computer. Hovering over the keyboard like some troll (although I've always fancied myself more of a goblin type....the troll image seems to be one that others can relate more easily with) furiously typing life into characters and worlds.

Although this blog has been neglected for the past few months, progress has been a constant player in this game. The first draft of "Sea Wulf" has been completed and the second pass is currently underway. Collaboration and consultation with Dave has helped to move the idea of creating a comic imprint closer to reality. Company names are being conjured up and how we will approach the process of climbing the mountain known as independent publishing are in discussion. Aside from that, to keep myself immersed in the world of the funnies, I've taken on a freelance writers gig for Examiner.com . This should help keep me in touch with going ons in the industry and possibly help to make some important connections.

So, just like a slow moving boomerang, I've come back around....let's just hope that this time the round trip doesn't take so long.

Appetite

As the process moves forward, many may wonder what a "script" for a comic book/graphic novel might look like. Below I've included the first few pages of a story I had started awhile ago called "Appetite". Things like "Caption" refer to little boxes of text within a comic book page panel that help to establish information pertaining to setting or tone in the "scene". "Panels" are basically snap shots of moments in time within the story. These are the stills of how the story play out. Within them we have action and dialog play out. I thought I'd put these up so you could get a sense of how it all looks at this stage of things and to see a little of my style. Enjoy:

Mark Turner/Apocalypse Tomes #1/ ”Appetite”

Script page 1

Splash Page: Long shot/Day. Scenic view of Louisiana Bayou. It is a strange blend of forest and swamp, weeping willows and pines. A large body of water (swampy river) dominates the foreground. The sun brightly shines overhead while shadows in the forest seem to menace and conceal something sinister. On the woods edge, a lone deer drinks at the waters bank, not far from a dilapidated shack over run with growth (this is the only hint that man has touched nature here).
(note: this is a splash page because we really want to create tone. The setting should suggest the beauty and slow laconic way of the south while hinting at something not so pleasant lurking beneath the beauty. This gives the penciler a chance to really work the detail here)

Caption: Hunger...

Panel A (lower right corner): Close up of deer. It’s head snaps to attention, eyes wide with fear as it is startled by the sound of something snapping off panel.

SFX: SNAP!

Script Page 2

Panel A: Close on a booted foot stepping on a twig.

Panel B: Tight shot of a man’s forehead peppered with beads of sweat and eyes wide with anxious anticipation.

Caption 1: The one word that captures the essence of...

Panel C: Tight shot of man lips being bitten in nervous anticipation.

Caption 2: Greed...

Panel D: Tight shot on finger as it squeezes trigger.

Caption 3: Covetousness

Panel E: Mid shot of hunter decked out in camo gear as he fires from behind a tree with a scope mounted rifle. Fire leaps from the mouth of the barrel.

SFX: CRACK!

Script Page 3

Panel A: Mid shot. The deer bolts as the bullet strikes a tree mere inches from it’s head.

Caption 1: Gluttony...

Panel B: The hunter stands with a look of disbelief on his face. We can now see that this is no seasoned hunter, but a relatively young man (early 20’s). He is flanked by two men both dressed in similar fashion, one an older gentleman (50’s) with the square jaw and buzz cut that screams “jar-head”. He scowls with disgust at our “hawkeye”. The second, close in age to our shooter and slightly pudgy in physical stature, carries what looks like an AK-47 laughs uncontrollably.

Laughing Boy 1: What a loser! You are such a turd!

Panel C: Mid shot. Jar-Head slaps Laughing Boy in the back of the head, while Hawkeye looks at the ground crestfallen.

JarHead 2: Cut it out. It’s late. Time to head back to camp.

Panel D: Mid shot. As they leave the woods, Hawkeye looks back over his shoulder. He stands in the foreground, the opposite shore of the river where the deer just narrowly escaped death strangely silent and still.

Panel E: mid-shot. From the shadows, not far from where the deer stood, we can see a man, dressed in buck skins, stands in the darkness and seems to look out at us (as he watches the opposite shore and the hunters leaving). His face is scarred and grim and seems to suggest that he is not happy at all.

Script Page 4

Panel A: Close up. A hand holds a snap shot photo of Hawkeye with his arm around the waist of a beautiful girl. Both smile out at us, his seems to suggest a fatal over eagerness while hers seems to be slightly forced.

Caption 1: Lust.

Panel B: Medium wide shot of camp. An RV sits parked close to the woods edge , while numerous animals hang gutted from trees. It looks like our hunting party has been busy, and obviously bagged more than they could ever carry. In the background Jar-Head is stringing up a deer. Hawkeye sits by a campfire that cooks what looks like a rabbit, looking at his photo. Laughing boy stands behind him, looking over his shoulder.

Laughing Boy 1: So is that her? Is that the one that shot you down?

Hawkeye 2: (MEEKLY) Yeah.

Panel C: Laughing Boy snatches the photo, a look of brutish glee painted across his chubby features. Hawkeye looks shocked as the photo is swiped.

Laughing Boy 3: Jeez.

Panel D: Tight Shot. Laughing boy crumples the photo.Laughing Boy 4: You seriously better grow a pair, before this trip is over.

Panel E: tight shot of Hawkeye’s face. His mouth is a grim line and the look in his eyes seems to say that he may just do that.

Caption 2: All are states of being that seek to fill that gnawing emptiness...to sate the appetite that exists within because of our own inadequacies.

Sea Wulfe

So the gears of the machine grind slowly sometimes, but at least they are still moving....well,that is what I tell myself at this point. For the past month I've been existing on a steady diet of graphic novels (right now I am reading JINX by Brian Michael Bendis...I really like his use of natural dialog. Something that I am aspiring to achieve), visual references (photos, painting, and moments in film), researching the art form of manga (a form of Japanese story telling) and personal reflection as this project moves forward. Right now, the overall story has been fleshed out. The first two issues have been outlined (the first having a page by page breakdown of what needs to happen). And the actual writing of the first pages of the book has begun. At this time, the goal is to have the first issue script completed by the end of February (if I maintain my current output level, I should be able to met the deadline with a few days to spare) One of the greatest challenges is putting so much of oneself on the page. It means exposing yourself...sharing with the world that side of yourself that sometimes may not even be accepted by individuals, let alone the masses that may read your work. Intimidating, yes, but refreshing as it gives me an opportunity to look at where I really stand and feel about life in general.

What is the story about you may ask...well, you already have the title (see the heading for this post). What images does it conjure for you? (I'd love to hear some of the impressions that it may leave). As far as the plot and premise....those will be revealed later. Suffice to say, that the project is a fantasy piece. An adult fairy tale to some degree. This is where the personal reflection comes in. I am a believer in fairy tales, magic and happily ever after...well, in most cases. I may not be a participant in these miraculous unfoldings of wonder that I see around me, but I have been honored to bear witness to these moments in time that bring about instances of "wow". This work, this labor of personal expression is an effort to comment on things that prevent us individuals from really being in touch with this "thing" that happens all around us, even when the world seems to be filled with so much darkness and despair. The story beings with the assertion: "In the beginning there was darkness. And when the gift of light was given, some remained in darkness...for they forgot to open their eyes"

Let's see how many eyes can be opened.

What Was Old Is Now New

The process of creating an imprint line is a lot like gearing up for production on a motion picture or television show. Decisions on how I want the final product to look and feel direct everything from noticing products that are now on the market to how the story that I am developing will be told and presented. Right now I am playing the role of "Producer". Once I decide on which artist I will work with and I begin producing the actual pages for the book, I'll move into "Writer/Director" mode. As the penciled pages come back in from the artist and I see for the first time how my words look married with the images, I'll become the "Editor"...all of these things, old to me have begun to take on a new meaning. In some ways I think it is appropriate as we start the new year. As I blow the dust off of these familiar roles, I have begun to rediscover the magic and wonder associated with each of them. I'm reminded of the power and all of the reasons why I fell in love with story telling. Sometimes what we take to be old hat just calls for us to step back, take a deep breath and look at it in a different light. Once it is illuminated, we can appreciate it as if it were new again.