MY MANGA RE-EDUCATION

April is designing an Antihero Comics poster, which John Gonzales has offered to screen print. Thanks guys! It will be available for sale at Wizard World Texas. Expect it to look lovely.

In other good news, I have become a huge fan of Michael Shelfer, the artist for Private School (TokyoPop), Ghostbusters (TokyoPop), and Dead Already (Seven Seas).


I've always been a supporter of OEL Manga. To me, any form that takes Japanese comic art through an American perspective is interesting. There's a lot of talent and potential for growth. To leave Japan as the sole provider of manga, would be like saying only Americans are allowed to create rock'n'roll. Granted a comic book is a comic book, but the Japanese tradition is decidedly unique. As such, I've wanted to tell a story with a "manga" approach/sensibility, for lack of a better term. Thanks to Michael Shelfer that looks like a very real possibility. We're still at the early stages with everything, but expect more news on a collaborative project tentatively called FRONTIER.

In the meantime, check out some of his work on Deviant Art.

ON FANBOY RADIO #488

I helped co-host Fanboy Radio #488 last Sunday. It's available online (check it out).

The censored All-Star Batman book, new comic shout-outs, Will Smith as Captain America, Iron Man 2 news, Invincible’s animated comic, Brad Meltzer was in town, more LOST DUIs, touching TVs, Stephen King Comics, tons of callers, and, yes, Sobe tea are all tackled by Scott Hinze & David Hopkins.

Open lines can get a little weird. At one point, we suggested that comic book writers are mailing their hair to Alan Moore, so he can glue it onto his own head. I don't know where that was going. We were getting ominous messages from a bottle of SOBE Green Tea. "Mmm. Sobe. That's good stuff." Also, I'm rather proud of my burn on All-Star Batman.

TRUE CONS

Last Saturday, I was listening to This American Life and I heard a really great story, "Hanging In Chad."

Three guys who go by the names Professor So and So, Jojobean and YeaWhatever spend part of each day running elaborate cons on Internet scammers. They consider themselves enforcers of justice, even after they send a man 1400 miles from home, to the least safe place they can bait him: the border of Darfur.

I'm fascinated by con artists. And of course, a story about conning a con is even more interesting, especially when it actually happened. Maybe I'm fascinated because I don't know if I'd ever have the audacity to pull off anything like this? In the genre, con artists must maintain the falsehood even though evidence against them is mounting. At a certain point, they crumble under the weight of truth. You have to admire their quixotic efforts to avoid the inevitable.

Four movies based on true stories about con artists and cases of fraud: The Hoax, Catch Me If You Can, Shattered Glass, and My Kid Could Paint That. All great movies.

THE NIGHT OF THE WHITE PANTS ON DVD

Here's some good news for fans of Dallas indie filmmaker Amy Talkington:

THE NIGHT OF THE WHITE PANTS (official website) is finally coming out on DVD, October 14, 2008. The title is available for pre-orders. Pre-order on Amazon -or- put it in your Blockbuster queue

Also, according to her website, she should start filming her next project DEEPLY SHALLOW AND REALLY FAKE in 2009. I have absolutely no qualifications, but I want to help out. Somehow. Get me on board as cast/crew/extra. I'll work for free. It'd be a cool experience.

KARMA INC T-SHIRT ANYONE?

Sketch86 has Karma Incorporated t-shirts available (click here). Tom Kurzanski designed these shirts a few years ago, and I didn't know there were any left. Small, large, and 2x-large are the only sizes remaining.


Sketch86's other comic book shirts include Daisy Kutter, Dead@17, Random Encounter, The Lost Books of Eve, and You'll Have That.

Show some indie love, buy a t-shirt.

I TRY TO STAY BUSY

Occasionally, I look at my website and think: "I need to post something." And when I can't think of anything to write, I do a random listing of all the stuff I have coming in next month or so. I'm about to do that, right now. Apologies if it's boring. More interesting news and commentary coming soon-ish.

* This Saturday, September 13th, April, Kennedy, and I are going to some very cool art gallery openings: Cartoon Apocalypse at Kettle Art Gallery, Designer Toys at Avenue Arts Venue, and The Whitney Gallery grand opening in Deep Ellum. We'll see how long Kennedy lasts. It may be an early evening. David DeGrand is featured in the Cartoon Apocalypse, John Gonzales in Designer Toys. These two guys are among my favorite local artists.

* I'm particularly excited about Wednesday, September 24. Because of my involvement with La Reunion, I've been invited to be a special guest for an event honoring the organization. It's hosted by Weber Shandwick (world's largest PR firm) at their new downtown offices in Comerica tower as an open house for their clients, including American Airlines and Wal-Mart among others. They're showing the short Karma Incorporated documentary that Luke Hawkins made and footage from my presentation at the scriptwriter's workshop I organized. They also want me to have my graphic novels available for sale. Score.

* A few days later on Saturday, September 27, there's a new show at the F6 Gallery in Arlington. I've heard lots of great stuff about this place, but I've never been.

* As per usual, ArtLoveMagic is doing something hip. I'm not quite sure about the specifics, but it's on October 3rd at Saxby's in Farmer's Branch and I'm going to be there with my books. I just do whatever Mike Lagocki tells me to do.

* Local artists be warned. October 4th: Dr. Sketchy's makes its debut in Dallas. Now you've been warned.

* The (unofficial "patron saint" band of Antihero Comics) Happy Bullets will be playing at (the official bar for the Dallas comic book creator's meet up) Lee Harvey's on Saturday, October 11th. It's two very awesome forces, combined in awesomeness.

* For awhile, I wasn't certain if I'd still be on the guest list, but it looks I am. I think. The pdf says: "featuring graphic novelist David Hopkins," yeah? The Writer's Garret is hosting an event at Mesquite library, north branch -- "Inspired by Bradbury: Presentation & Panel Discussion Fahrenheit 451". Bring the kerosene.

* I will be in Artist Alley for Wizard World Texas, November 7th - 9th. I'm sharing a table with Paul Milligan. April and I are working on a cool poster. Paul should have new art for our upcoming project.

* December 6th is Art Conspiracy.

And done.

LEAVE ME ALONE. I RARELY TAKES QUIZZES.

Your result for The Director Who Films Your Life Test...

Sofia Coppola
Your film will be 71% romantic, 21% comedy, 34% complex plot, and a $32 million budget.


"With few films under her belt (The Virgin Suicides, Lost In Translation, Marie Antoinette) as a writer/director, she's already highly respected and connected -- her dad, Francis, directed all The Godfather movies and Apocolypse Now. Sofia's good at making the romantic drama that is your life with poignant sullen moments of introspection. You saw how she stylishly handled Marie Antoinette's life, no? And who didn't have at least a lump in the throat at the end of Lost In Translation? She's already won one Academy Award for her writing, now she'll be the first woman to receive one for directing -- YOUR FILM!"

Take The Director Who Films Your Life Test at HelloQuizzy

NOT NOW, PROBABLY NEVER

Daniel Warner posted on his blog a list of things he really wants to do, but probably won't be able to accomplish -- due to priorities.

Here's my list.

- adapt my high school Creative Writing curriculum into a workshop for adults

- write a Karma Incorporated novel series

- write for a television series

- write and a direct a film, then submit that film to Sundance, Toronto Film Festival, Cannes, or SXSW

- form a studio and rep talented comic book artists

- be an editor for a comic book series I believe in

- publish a comic in another country

- take a summer to drive coast to coast for a book tour

- get my doctorate degree in Literature

- buy a Vespa

- produce a smart mob -- a spontaneous musical dance sequence

- attend the Angoulême International Comics Festival

- found a museum of comic and cartoon art for Dallas

- perform with Shakespeare in the Park

- build a small guest house in the backyard to function as a studio

I'm sure I can think of more.

MINE ALL MINE, FOR EVERYONE

The mini-comic I released at this year's CAPE is now online. (http://antiherocomics.com/mineallmine_1.htm)

A big thank you to the artists who made this collection of stories possible -- Samax Amen, Josh Boulet, Ryan Cody, David DeGrand, Joe Eisma, Jake Ekiss, Derrick Fish, Michael Lagocki, Jim Lujan, Paul Milligan, Wes Molebash, Chad Sell, Cal Slayton, Justin Stewart, ZeeS, and Scott Zirkel.

I'm awfully busy right now. But when things slow down a bit, I might send out a call for any artists interested in doing more MINE ALL MINE. I would post all the new content online as a weekly webcomic. Thoughts?

SOMETHING NEW AND SOUVENIR OF DALLAS

Paul Milligan and I are working on a new project. I'm excited about this one. It's currently untitled -- takes place in Lawrence Kansas and involves some small press/indie comic book creators.


Also, Paul posted pages from Souvenir of Dallas, our semi-monthly comic for D Magazine. It's available on Paul's deviant art site.

#0 - Tour of Dallas
#1 - Loath and Fearing at the Ritz-Carlton
#2 - The Next Round
#3 - Water Slides & Magic Wands
#4 - The Mighty, Mighty Hands of Mayor Tom Leppert
#5 - Stadium Death Star

Enjoy. Our next installment will be featured in D Magazine's October issue.

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL

I've been wanting to see LARS AND THE REAL GIRL for awhile. April and I finally watched it tonight. I really loved this movie. It's a surprisingly sweet script -- one of those rare stories without any cruel or vicious characters, and yet there's still an intriguing conflict and plot. Good people struggling to do the right thing. Screenwriter Nancy Oliver, you rock.

One scene in particular (without spoiling anything) which I thought was very well constructed, Gus talks with Karin about the regrets he has for abandoning his brother to their father. He then gets up and goes over to Karin for comfort. It was a honest moment that did not rely on the tired stereotypes of how a man would react, i.e. men treated as being emotionally constipated -- nor was the scene overdone with some dramatic meltdown. Nice, subtle, and perfect. It broke my heart.

VIDEO FROM ROBERT KIRKMAN

Yesterday, local comic book creator Jake Ekiss sent me an e-mail:

Robert Kirkman just posted a video on CBR that I think is a topic a lot of us should be making some noise about. You might not agree entirely with what he says, but the point of it all is something to consider. Since most of us are at least semi-indie if not totally indie comic creators, we should be talking about the future of comics and how that future can be adapted to us and our game plan. How do we get the returns we expect and deserve for our hard work? How do we as a community make comics the kind of landscape we want to live and work in?

Like I said, apologies if it's a little odd of me, but I think it's a good discussion to promote. Forward this around if you will: http://comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=17705

My own thoughts?

Ever so often, we have a prominent creator step out with their manifesto on "saving the industry." I'm not saying that in a demeaning or sarcastic way. It's a good thing. We have a lot of people concerned and invested in the success of comics. And I completely agree with Kirkman. If the top writers/artists did more creator-owned work, it would help grow our industry. Marvel and DC could still be top dogs even with (for lack of a better term) upper mid-level talent. Yet, with the money that Marvel and DC have at their disposal, why would they settle for that? They want the best names on their titles. A writer or artist, with a mortgage and a family to feed, would want a steady paycheck and insurance benefits, which, in theory, Marvel and DC offer. Yes, creator-owned work has the potential to be more lucrative, but it's also riskier. Most of us are not Robert Kirkman. Maybe in an ideal future, the industry would grow, and there would be 10,000+ to buy my books. That's not the reality I'm dealing with. Instead, for me, it's more viable to consider The Long Tail, i.e. treating what I do as a niche business. I can't find 10,000 readers, but can I find a smaller more dedicated readership? Can I find my audience? Then that smaller group acts as ambassadors for my work. It's a nice problem to consider, but I'm still just trying to get books published. My problems aren't at the scale of Kirkman's.

Kirkman suggested a conference to discuss the state of the industry. However, any creative entertainment industry is such a complex system. It would be hard to faithfully represent all facets at a conference -- creators, publishers (small, independent, mainstream, manga, international, web comics), distributors, journalists, printers, retailers (direct and book market), fans, readers, critics, agents, and more. The loudest voices would dominate. What you'd probably want is to enlist some brainy Harvard/MIT level economists to do an audit of the comic book industry. They'd look at it from all perspectives: historical, social, financial. Then they could write a detailed response to that favorite at-the-bar-after-a-convention topic: "How do you save the industry?"

Although, when I said "I can't find 10,000 readers" that's not completely true. I write a semi-monthly comic for D Magazine that gets easily 30,000 readers in the Dallas area. I might be one of the few comic book writers who has those kind of numbers and hardly any one has heard of me. My comics do fairly well locally and in Norman, Oklahoma. Publishers take note.

I don't know. For the most part, I optimistically believe in the free market's ability to self correct. Problems in the industry won't stay problems for long. Also, throughout the history of art, I realize what is commercial and what is critically acclaimed hasn't been one in the same. That is the world we live in. The market needs to grow/expand if we want there to be more room at the top for people to make a good living in comics. We need a market that allows for better stories. We know this stuff. I agree with Kirkman. He's a smart man. The top writers and artists should be telling their own stories, not revisiting and doing variations on established standards. It's a conversation that needs to be had, and I'm glad Kirkman is taking the initiative.

Now, I have some creator-owned comic book proposals in need of a publisher.

BOSCH TRAUMATIZED MY CHILDHOOD.

When I was a kid, my parents had a book of famous paintings. One day, I turned the page and discovered a painting that absolutely terrified me -- I mean, nightmares for years and years. I had no clue who the painter was, and never saw the painting again. Then tonight, I was watching the movie IN BRUGES (great film by the way) and there it was: The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch. And if you'd assume that age would somehow dull my reaction to his work, nope. Still absolutely terrifying. In particular, I remember the "Tree-Man" of the right panel with the hollowed out cavity in his torso.

It's not a bad thing to be disturbed by art. Clearly, this painting made an impact. And as a writer, if I were to ever depict hell or suffering in some fantastical sense, I'd probably pull from Bosch.

However, now, I need to see some Norman Rockwall paintings to clear my head of the freakin' Tree Man. Rockwall is the Bosch antidote. They won't teach you that in art class, but you know it's true.

MARLOW

Friend and fellow writer Aaron Thomas Nelson has a comic book coming soon called MARLOW (JUL083655) published by the fine folks at Arcana.

In Aaron's own words:

Marlow is a zombie comic that’s not about zombies. Inspired by Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness”, I set out to write a comic that dealt with issues like the War on Terror, Globalization, and Human Experimentation. In Marlow, the zombie is simply a trope for the loss of choice and freedom—a mutilated free will—something that should concern us all in an age where terror dominates our political and social landscape.

I read an advance copy, and MARLOW is incredible. As a writer, Aaron always presents something layered, intelligent, and thoroughly engaging. Also, the art is unlike anything I've seen in a comic before. Almost entirely done in shaded silhouettes -- it absolutely works. I can't describe it. You'll just have to see it yourself.

LEE HARVEY'S RECAP

I went to Lee Harvey's last night for our comic book creators meet-up. It was a good night. Recap: I picked up Kristian at Firestone Tire on Greenville Avenue. He parked his car right below a sign that said "TOW AWAY ZONE" and left a message on his windshield: "PLEASE DON'T TOW." I'm curious to see which sign won. Lee Harvey's is a tricky place to find, but after a few twists and turns we arrived. I had a chance to chat with Mark Murphy a bit more about his TIKI JOE MYSTERIES graphic novel, which I love. Mike Lagocki gave me a flier for the PLAYLIST event, which I mentioned in a previous post, and I got a copy of his 24(36) hour comic, "In Dreams" -- incredibly imaginative, creatively stylized. Mike, I would love to write for you someday, but I'm pretty sure I'd just get in your way. Do more stuff like that comic. I also met two web cartoonists Grant Sutherland and Nate Bramble. More impressive Dallas talent. Fear us. Kerry Gammill arrived a little later that night. Kerry and John Gonzales were talking for quite awhile about classic Universal Studio monsters. A few other people were supposed to show (Paul overslept his power nap), but will be there next time. Josh Rose? The people at Lee Harvey's were glad to have us, and very nice. Next month: Thursday, September 4th. I'll probably get there at 7 PM to eat dinner. Apparently, they have amazing food, award-winning onion rings and cheeseburgers, so I need a taste.

SETH KUSHNER MAKES US LOOK GOOD.

If you haven't seen his site yet, I'd recommend checking out Seth Kushner's photography (click here). He's working on a portrait series featuring NYC comic book creators. I can't wait to purchase the completed book. His photo of Art Spiegelman is my new desktop background image.

I WANNA BE A ROBOT, ETC

I'm back from my family reunion. (Photos will be loaded on Flickr soon.) After a year working on BOLIVAR, which has characters based off my extended family, it was a little surreal spending time with the older real life Hope, Jesse, and Linda. I had to remind myself they never actually visited the spirit world of Campeche. Yes, sometimes, reality is an issue for me.

The August issue of D Magazine is now available. Paul Milligan and I have our "Souvenir of Dallas" comic featured on page 22. It's about the Dallas Cowboys and the Death Star. Yes, you heard correct. It's the "Best Of" issue. So, did I happen to miss the "Best Of D" party? I went last year and had a great time. If so, I'm sorry I missed it.

One thing that no one should miss (note the transition) is our comic book creator gathering at Lee Harvey's this Thursday from 8 PM to 10 PM. Our event was mentioned in their weekly newsletter: "We are also proud to host Dallas area comic book writers, artists, and fans for their monthly get togethers starting next Thursday, August 7. It's absolutely informal, and everyone is invited." There. We made them proud. It would be rude not to attend.

I've donated some signed graphic novels to "I Wanna Be A Robot" at Club Dada. Some of my favorite local bands will be performing: Laura Palmer, Lovie, Happy Bullets, and The Tah-Dahs. I will certainly be there. (more info)

In other events, you need to mark your calendar for August 21st at Zubar on Greenville Avenue. The show PLAYLIST boasts "classic, old, new, true, and all real hip-hop" and will feature art by Khalid Robertson, Samax Randolph, and Michael Lagocki.

On October 23rd, I will be participating in the "Writers as Readers and Readers as Writers" panel at the North Branch Mesquite Library, hosted by The Writer's Garret. It's part of a month long look at Ray Bradbury's FAHRENHEIT 451. Or at least, I hope I'll still be participating. The organizer sent me this nice email, and then I sent this lengthy response clarifying that while I am a "comic book" writer that does not mean that I write "comic" material, i.e. humor. I haven't heard back from her. Anyways, if I didn't come across as a complete jerk, I'll be at the library on October 23rd.

What else? I'm working on re-write for the BULLETPROOF WEST synopsis. And I'm waiting to hear back from Paul Milligan about a new project, possibly.

QUICK DFW BLOG ON COMIC-CON

Dan Koller with Quick DFW asked members of the Dallas-area comic book community what they're looking forward to the most and what they're dreading the most with this week's Comic-Con. (click here to read)