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.