Wednesday, May 24, 2006

MySpace Success Story


MySpace gets a bad rap for supposedly being nothing but perverts trolling for underrage girls. This pisses me off as it's just like saying all Japanese manga and anime is porn, when nothing could be farther from the truth. Manga is now breaking that stigma, and hopefully MySpace will too.

I've only been on MySpace for about a month and I've already found it a very useful tool. Originally, I set out use it as a way to network and promote my upcoming projects. Little did I know that it's also and amazing way to meet and get in touch with an incredible online artsitic community. There are thousands of artists posting here and if you take the time to look a little you can find so many talented people looking for work.

Case in point, I'm doing a short six-page story in an upcoming charity anthology. I wrote S.A.S.E. (Send Another Submissions Editor) which is about true stories of portfolio reviews I've done at cons over the years. I needed to hire an artist who was familiar with cons, could capture the real world aspects of the story, understood the humor of the script, and could bring a slightly skewed style to the project. And along comes MySpace.

I was just clicking around one day looking at different folks friends when I spotted a cool profile pic, hand-drawn in a sweet style. So I clicked it and came across the artworkof Rob Guillory. You can check his stuff out too at http://www.myspace.com/rob_guillory. So I e-mailed Rob and we got to chatting, I checked out his site and loved his artwork. He was just what I was looking for. I sent him the script for S.A.S.E, he dug it, and the rest is history! So there, the power of MySpace used for good!

As I'm the main character in the story, I sent Rob over a few pics of me, and he designed me as you see me above. He nailed me on the first try. And wait until you see what else he's done!! It's been a blast working with him!

Rob and I wil be posting more designs, art and info on the project in the coming months! Stay tuned...

Monday, May 22, 2006

X-Men Fairy Tales 2 Preview

The Broken Frontier has been kind enough to post a preview of the upcoming issue of X-Men Fairy Tales 2, written by yours truly, fully penciled, inked and colored by the truly amazing Kyle Baker!!


Please head over and check it out here: http://www.brokenfrontier.com/headlines/details.php?id=1500

Here's a quick peek...

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

A CBC Two-Fer Tomorrow

I have two comics hitting shelves tomorrow, May 17th. X-Men Fairy Tales #1 debuts, featuring the beautiful painted art of Sana Takeda. And as one series launches, another ends as New Mangaverse wraps with our fifth issue. The action-packed climax is brilliantly illustrated by Tommy Ohtsuka with colors by the madmen at Guru eFX.

An ending and a beginning, both on the same day...


Thanks in advance for checking them out!

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Nobel Prize Lecture

Sometimes you come across a quote you want to share...

"When we look into a mirror we think the image that confronts us is accurate. But move a millimeter and the image changes. We are actually looking at a never-ending range of reflections. But sometimes a writer has to smash the mirror-- for it is on teh other side of that mirror that the truth stares at us." - Harold Pinter

Monday, May 08, 2006

A New Day, A New Notebook


Usually, wherever I go I keep a notebook and pen handy. I write down anything that comes to mind or that I experience; things I think are worth jotting down and keeping. Ideas, imagery, funny stories, memories, things I saw, conversations I overheard, feelings, drunken ramblings, personal confessions, quotes, dreams... whatever. I've been keeping books like this for years. And whenever I'm stuck or need an idea or feel nostalgic, I open up one of the old ones and start reading. A trip down memory lane in some way, shape or form every time...

My last notebook was started in September 2004 and just last week I filled the last page. Black ink to the last line. No more room.

So it was time for a new notebook. Time to start fresh. Blank pages!

Hence, the new profile pic. Me with pen in hand ready to keep the creative process flowing. I never know when inspiration's gonna hit or what's gonna come out of my mind through that pen.

It's this constant uncertainity, this mystery, that makes writing so much fun.