Yeah, We’re Doing More Footprints

Back when the Footprints trade came out and I was doing interviews and stuff, I was pretty adamant that we wouldn’t be doing any follow-up. But never say never, I guess.

As you may have seen on Twitter the last couple of weeks, Jonathan Moore and I have been teasing a new FP story, and well, I figured it was time to stop being coy about it. So yes, you’ll be seeing the return of Foot, Devil, Choop, and Nessy, along with some new friends and old enemies (as you’ll see below) in a brand new one-shot. Here’s a peek:

But wait, that’s not all:

Some Thoughts on The Rocketeer

On IGN Assemble! and IGN Comics in general we talk a lot about the greatness of The Rocketeer by Dave Stevens and everything that IDW has done with the character since the artist’s sad passing. The basic appeal of the story, to me, is that it’s inherently accessible. There is no continuity to restrict him. Every single story is contained within itself; all you need to know is “a pilot has a jet pack.” Not only that, but he’s a love letter to the Golden Age pulp heroes in such an effective manner that it’s so easy to forget he was only created in 1982.

What I’m saying is: if you’ve never read Dave Stevens’ original Rocketeer stuff, do so.

The Rocketeer by Dave Stevens

But I got to thinking about The Rocketeer movie for various reasons today — I fell into a YouTube vortex and ultimately somehow landed on The Rocketeer score which then snowballed into planning a tweet-a-thon of the movie tonight at 7 PM PST (join in, hashtag #TheRockAWho). The Rocketeer was pretty much panned when it was released in theaters in 1991, directed by Joe Johnston (also the director behind the similarly under appreciated superhero period masterpiece Captain America: The First Avenger).

Footprints Script/Final Art Comparison – Part 4

Yeah, I know. It’s been a hot minute since I did one of these. But here we go! Page 4 of Footprints #1. Keep in mind that this isn’t REALLY what my actual script looks like, but just what I can provide within WordPress formatting issues.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Read on!

Pawn Shop Promo Shots

I posted these on Tumblr the other day — some very cool promo shots from the upcoming Pawn Shop by myself and Sean Von Gorman. More soon!

Arthur

Harold

Jen

Samantha

Oh, and there’s this one too:

Some jerk

 

Pawn Shop: Meet Jen

It’s been a while since I’ve updated on Pawn Shop, the graphic novel I Kickstarted with Sean Von Gorman last summer. We’re working hard with a projected release of Spring ’13. Expect to start seeing regular art updates from here on out. I’m really excited (and nervous) about this book. This one hurt to get out.

Anyway, here’s an early look at Sean’s sketches one of our four main protagonists, a teenager named Jen:

Hope you dig it. More to come!

Stand Up to the #ComicMarket Bully

It’s difficult to even know where to begin this post, mostly because I shouldn’t have to be writing it in the first place. We are adults living in 2012, yet here I am, about to lecture as though I’m scolding children in kindergarten calling each other names and spitting on each other.

To get you up to speed, notoriously ignorant comic book retailer Larry Doherty of Larry’s Comics in Lowell, MA (a shame that he’s in my beloved home state) took to showcasing his penchant for being offensive under the guise of an “I’m ALWAYS offensive”/”It was a JOKE” defense. Not settling for the racist jokes that spewed out of his mouth  around the debut of Miles Morales, he took up transphobia instead, poking fun at a woman talking with him through Twitter that happened to be transgender.

So, when Graphic Policy reported the news and I caught wind of it, I naturally called for any residents of Lowell, MA to shop elsewhere. Because that kind of ignorant stupidity should never be tolerated, in comics or otherwise. It’s bullying, plain and simple. Had this been a first offense with a genuine apology, maybe — MAYBE — it’d be forgivable. But Larry is well-known in comics circles for this sort of behavior, and I can’t fathom why it’s still being accepted. Unfortunately, speaking up about it spawned a whole new issue involving me personally, in which Larry took to disparaging myself, my work, and my friends publicly through his store’s Twitter feed.

A Peek at the Vic Boone Anthology

I haven’t really spoken about this yet, but since my pal and creator of the remarkably awesome Vic Boone, Shawn Aldridge, showed this off early on the ol’ Facebook, I guess it’s fair game. Shawn is putting together a sweet anthology with contributions from a bunch of indie creators, all of us giving our own spin to Vic Boone and his world. If you don’t know Vic Boone here’s the quick pitch — an ex-motorcycle daredevil turned private eye in a world that’s made up of Hollywood B-movie sci-fi. I’m working with artist Joe Badon and it’s been an absolute blast. I’ve been a fan of the Boone ever since his debut as a Zuda Comic, so it’s a real treat to be able to tell a story with him.

Anyway, here’s an early look at the first page of our tale, with some wonderfully bizarre creatures by Joe (a personal favorite is the rabbit ears comb-over guy) and a rather badass Vic. You’ll be hearing more about this from all involved very soon!

And if you’ve never read Vic Boone, snag it here. It’s awesome.

The Pawn Shop Script Book

I’m ecstatic to report that we’re nearly 100% funded in our Pawn Shop Kickstarter campaign — at the time of this writing just over $400 to go — and so we’re making the final push to make sure that happens this week, so we can start shelling out some awesome stretch goals! As incentive to get everyone to continue sharing our project, pledging, and perhaps even upping their pledges, we’re offering a free digital download of the Pawn Shop Script Book to all backers $10+ — but only if we’re fully funded by Friday, August 10.

The Script Book will include my handwritten notes and rough drafts along with the final typed draft to compare it to, in addition to some of Sean’s sketches and layouts. The idea is to paint a full picture of the creative process and the evolution of the Pawn Shop story. Like so:

Check out the post on Kickstarter for more examples of what you’ll be seeing in the book. Thanks to everyone for their support so far, and we hope you’ll keep up the awesome support!

Just Make It Happen

I’ll admit that writing this post wasn’t something I wanted to do today. I’m currently working on the next issue of Bad Girls, promoting and continuing to write Pawn Shop, developing a new pitch with Footprints artist Jonathan Moore, and writing a new short story, not to mention slowly working on a different project that I can’t talk about yet. What I’m trying to say is, I’ve got plenty on my plate. But then, that’s relevant to this post, I suppose.

This morning I was engaged by a Twitter follower that had sent me an e-mail, hoping for coverage on a fundraising campaign he’s running for his comic. While the discussion began with him annoyed that I hadn’t responded yet (he sent the e-mail 4 days ago, and that’s a different issue entirely. See full plate above), it quickly evolved to a heated debate about “not being able to afford” making comics. His argument was that he’s floating by the skin of his teeth, with all of his money going to bills, rent, etc. And I identify with that, I truly do. Because guess what? Most people in comics are in the exact same boat. Few people are in this business to make money. Any art, really, should be done because you have an inexplicable drive to do it, no matter what.

But the fact is that comics are expensive, especially if you’re a writer. We have to pay not just a penciller, but usually an inker and a colorist and a letterer too. Many of my friends in comics have children and a spouse, and I don’t know how they manage, quite honestly. I live alone with a cat, and I’m barely floating by. Sure, he’s an expensive and needy cat, but I digress. My point is that — just like any goal in life — if you want it bad enough, you’ll find a way to make it happen. No excuses.

Dig Dug: The Beginning

So, for the classic video game DIG DUG’s 30th anniversary, Shifty Look — a webcomics division of Namco — put together a bunch of comics folks to create one-page stories  that feature their interpretations of the Dig Dug world. I was paired with the awesome Hoang Nguyen (Carbon Grey) and Dig Dug: The Beginning is what we came up with. If we did our job, you’ll come out of it with everything you knew about the titular hero of the series shattered to pieces. Or not, but at least you can enjoy some of Hoang’s breathtaking work.

Click the image to check out the full comic, and please let me know what you think!