So I wanted to drop a quick update so that I could outline what I’ve got in the pipeline and who I’m working with. It’s a really busy time for me and the future’s looking bright. There’s a lot of excitement on my end with all the art I have flowing into my inbox these days!

So first, THE KIDNAPPED LIGHT. It’s a Japanese fairytale I’m working on with Anna Puchalski. She’s awesome and we’re having a lot of fun on the book.  We’re targeting this one at a YA audiance but I’m writing it for everyone to enjoy.

Second, FEAR OF LIFE. This is a somewhat true story about a sort of me being mistaken for the only next of kin of a dying man. What follows is a pretty personal rumination on death, dying and being alone. There are bits of comedy in there as well! Overall, I’m very pleased with the script for this one. I think it’s really strong and I’ve got a great artist, Philip Elliot, working on it with me. He picked up on exactly what I was going for when he read the script and I believe this will end up really special.

I’ve got a miniseries in the works with Angel Tovar as well. It’s called NANOMANCER, it’s a balss to the wall highfantasy scifi romp through cyberspace! It was a lot of fun to write and I think it’s something people will really enjoy. The work so far that Angel has turned in has been top notch. FYI, we’re looking for a colorist on this one. If you know anyone, be sure to have them get in touch.

On top of that I’m working on a ZUDA entry with Nosochu, my collaborater on DEATH RATTLE. It’s a LORD OF THE FLIES style thing that I think will really do well. Speaking of DEATH RATTLE, SEQUENTIAL SUICIDE by 803 Studios will be out this month! Be sure to grab a copy from their site or hit me up at Chicago, I’ll have some with me, though I won’t have a table.

As you can see I’ve a ton of stuff going on right now. Hopefully quite a bit of it will see print over the next year or so. I’m pretty confident in these projects. I’ve been really lucky to work with so many talented artists. These guys are all great people and awesome collaborators!

-Steve

That’s right folks, I’m actually a professional now! My first published work will be available in June. My story, DEATH RATTLE, will appear in SEQUENTIAL SUICIDE: FIRE AND ICE by 803 Studios. Art was provided by Nosochu, a great artist that I hope to work with again in the near future.

I’ll add another post later with details on exactly where and when you can procure a copy of SS.

On a completely unrelated note, I installed windows 7 on my new PC. Really digging it, fast, pretty and intuitive… things I thought I’d never say about a Microsoft OS.

After sitting for three hours staring at the same line of dialog, I start to wonder why I’m doing this to myself.

Why am I working so hard on this script? Why am I chewing my fingernails to the quick as I wait for a response from a perspective artist? Why don’t I just say to hell with it, go watch TV and focus on my day job. A day job that has paid me more in a single week than I’ve made in total in the two years I’ve been seriously doing comics. The only answer I can come up with…

                                                                                            …because I love it.

I could write prose, I have and I will again, but it doesn’t hold the same draw. Comics have been my dream since I was a kid. I remember being so passionate about them that a friend once told me that I couldn’t come over to play unless I stopped talking about comics. I didn’t go to play, I stayed home and read comics instead.

Something about this art form captured me. Something in the quality of it, the intimacy and the interactivity. The slow burn of a full bleed panel. The rhythm of the gutters. The pull of a well placed page turn. Going back and letting my eyes linger over the lines of a nib or a brush.

Wednesday afternoons at the comic book shop. Christ, Wednesday afternoons. The feel of a 22 page floppy. The fulfillment of a months anticipation over what happens next in a series that’s had you by the balls for the past 13 months. The talk over artists, writers and what team you’d love to see work on what title. The ritual of the bag and the board and the box.

This is why I do it. Because I dream in comic book. I don’t want to do anything else with my life. This is a thing I must do. In the end, it won’t matter if I make any money at it. It won’t matter if I get more work published. The very act of doing it is reward.

I won’t lie. I would love to do it fulltime. I’m pretty damn sure I will. If I don’t though, it’s alright. The love keeps me going. This is no industry for tourists. The margins are too small and the competition too talented. The only thing that will keep you going after hours of staring at the same panel description, page layout or balloon placement, is the love. If it’s not there, if it’s not driving you, I advise you quit and find the thing that does. It’s a waste of your time without it.

Now, I’ve got to get back to that damn line of dialog.

Man, has it been a busy freaking couple of months. NYCC was a total blast, I’ve yet to have a bad time at that show.  I had some seriously gracious hosts in the form of Joe Dunn and his wife Yao. I got to finally meet Anna Puchalksi, we worked on a short story for WORK! anthology. We’re also working together on a new full length OGN tentatively titled THE KIDNAPPED LIGHT. I’m not sure how in love I am with that title… we’ll see.

Anyway! NYCC, yes it was awesome. Met so many great people and had some tremendous meals. The DPO crew, Trevor Mueller, Jorge Vega  and I have a tradition going. We eat Korean BBQ on the Saturday night of the con weekend, we then go get drunk. It’s a good tradition. Here are a couple of shots from Korean BBQ!

The first is everyone at BBQ, I’m the douche in blue shirt. The second is Irv’s fake icecream birthday pile! I think he’s happy….

I also really have to thank Brian Wood for hosting an awesome CBLDF workshop on the art of the pitch. It was very instructional and Brian has gone seriously above and beyond in helping me out with a pitch. If you ever get a chance to take part in one of these, I urge you to go take advantage of it. It’s worth every penny.

OK, to work then.

I’m still on track to have a few short stories in some anthologies this year. Hopefully before the years out I’ll have some good news concerning the OGN I’m working with Anna on. Keeping fingers crossed.

I’ve got some Street Fighter to go play though, so I’m going to say goodbye for now. Hopefully I’ll be posting in a more regular fashion soon.