Pus

Over here on this end of the pond things have really picked up steam as Ms. Tucker has gotten the first five pages of the newest draft of the script and has begun character sketches. The hope is to have something ready to hand out at Wonder Con 2011. The date is fast approaching and I am excited by the prospect that we may actually have some material to share with fans. What really has me feeling like a kid on Christmas morn' is waiting to see what Tanna comes up with in her breakdowns. One of my favorite characters is Pus, the familiar/pet fly of Sea Wulfe's main baddie The Salamander King. The concept came to me one day as I sat at a cafe looking out the window, letting myself drift in search of inspiration for the book. A fly happened to land on the window outside and caught my attention. Jacked up on caffeine and poppy seed cake, I began to wonder what would a parrot sized fly look like. I know people who can't stand the sight of a magnified image of a fly let along what they would do if they happened to walk into a room where there might be a small dog sized insect buzzing around the room. Between the sensation of my skin crawling at the thought of it and my mind racing with the possibilities of a twisted creation (those who know me personally are more than likely not surprised) I made a few notes. Now I wait to see what happens when a true artist gets their hands on an idea and runs with it.
Once the work is is done, we would love to have a site up with art and links to blogs and news about developments. As we draw closer to Con and Tanna works on the art, this will be a project that will occupy the corners of my mind not already cluttered with nightmarish insects, werewolf pirates and sword wielding maidens. Ahhhh, I love this job! Stay tuned....

Long Eyed....

it's a term my grandmother used to use when I was a kid, insinuating that my aspirations for more far outstripped my capacity. Usually it was used in reference to when I might happen to spy the size of the slice of chocolate cake that occupied my uncles plate on the special occasion when my grandmother would make it. I thought I could eat a piece just as big as his, if not bigger. Often, if I was lucky and foolish enough to attempt to match his feats of gastric daring do....I would pay for it with a stomach ache and smile on my face that said "sometimes biting off more than you can chew hurts so good". Well, as the years have passed, I've learned that the term can apply to so much more than what is on one's plate. In this instance...the creation of a comic book. Right now I am starting the 4th draft of the script while my artist (Tanna Tucker) braces herself for what I am sure will be a penciler's nightmare (or idea of heaven on Earth if you are into that twisted kind of punishment). The scope of what is happening is something I often push to the back of my mind as I try to focus on the hurdle immediately in front of me. But, as I look up and down the road....I sometimes catch my breath and hear my grandmother saying "there he goes again being long eyed". This project will only still be at the start of the overall picture once it is penciled, inked, colored and printed. After that comes the marketing and distribution...figuring out how to increase the profile of what I think is a really great story. To do this, it all takes money (I once heard a very successful business man say "it takes money to make money") and so another dimension is added to the mix. Looking at various streams of fund raising (crowd sourcing will play a major role), possible investors as well as good old fashioned sweating to earn a paycheck will all play into putting the "chocolate cake" on the plate (so to speak) so that it can all happen. Yes, I may be long eyed, but I am looking forward to that feeling of "hurts so good" when it all comes together.