I did pretty well I think. I only had to walk extra twice and neither time was for more than about 30 seconds uphill. I’ll probably stick with this set for maybe 3 or 4 more runs and start week 5 late next week. So if all goes to plan I should be running 2 miles straight by maybe the 19th or so. Yay!

Right, well here’s the track list and d/l link for Week 4. I’ll be creating a new properly timed Week 3 after all is said and done. I’ve pretty much determined that I’ll do all 9 weeks and put the collection up for d/l. Who knows, maybe I can even get a cease and desist letter from the music industry… because they’re dicks like that. This mix is slightly B&S centric.. in that it opens and closes with them. Stuart Murdoch is a runner, and really his video for I’m A Cuckoo cemented that track as a ‘running song’ in my head. So I use it for the final 1/2 mile run. I think the weakest track is the Magnetic Fields one, not from a musical standpoint but from a pacing standpoint. It’s one of the walk songs and it’s nearly as upbeat as the two run songs that surround it. But I guess you should be walking pretty briskly by that point anyway, so I’ll keep it in for now.

Click here to download

As an added bonus here’s that video I was talking about.

This little info graphic came through my newsfeeds today, it was posted over at The Consumerist

There’s so much wrong with this, so fucking much wrong.

And finally, though this has circulated for a while on the youtubes in really real version we now have the South Park version… because we can dammit! (via Boing Boing)

I figure I’m good enough to skip the first couple of weeks. I was waffling on rather to start at week 4 or week 3. I kind of think week 3 will be too easy but I’m going to err on the side of caution and start with it. If after tonight I find it’s too easy I’ll try out week 4 on Tuesday.

There are quite a few folks who’ve created podcasts to push you through the segments. I couldn’t find any with music I particularly liked, so I’ve created my own! You can have it if you want it. I’ll do one for each of my remaining weeks. If, for some random ass reason there’s a call for  weeks 1 and 2 I’ll create those… just ask.

Here’s week 3’s tracklist and their run walk cylce (note: all walks are at a brisk pace and runs are at a jog)

Overall it’s 26 minutes and should be approximately 1.3 miles (give or take depending on the pace you set)

Click here to download!

Other running things

On another running note, I’ve been barefoot running for the past month. More specifically I’ve been running in Vibram Five Fingers, the classic model. For a very long time I’ve wanted to figure out how to love running. I think I loved it when I was a kid.. I think all kids love running. Somewhere along the way I began to hate it, it was punishment in gym class and I was never fast so sprints were kind of embarrassing. But I always wanted to be good at it! I’d see these people running crazy distances, and so freaking fast! I wanted that! How were they doing it, how did they push through the wall? Why did they keep at it?

I’ve been overweight most of my life. At least since I was 15 or 16. I’ve tried tons of diets and while I’ve lost some weight, it never stuck. I knew that if I figured out how to really love running I could lose the weight that’s dogged me for 14 years and really and truly get healthy.

Around May of 2009 I was sitting at 263, my highest weight ever. I had to do something, so over year I’ve been slowly reshaping the way I live. I started with walking and weights, I didn’t mind either. I didn’t love them, but they were something I could get myself to do. On top of that I drastically changed my eating habits. Much smaller portions and a lot more fruits and vegetables. That worked out pretty well, I lost something like 15 or so pounds over the course of 6 or so months. Good loss, loss that sticks and quite a bit of muscle growth. But over the winter I really slacked off and kind of plateaued.

Anyway, around the time I was slacking off I started reading about running. I really, really wanted to get into it and I wanted to love it. I knew there was something there, I just didn’t now what the hell it was. I would run once every few weeks and it was agony. My back was constantly giving me troubles and every time I ran I’d have to sit out a couple of workouts because my lower back was so messed up. Finally I got to a point where I could deal with the pain but I hated it. I was wearing a pair of old Reeboks that had seen better days and figured I needed a new pair of running shoes. Better padding would probably fix my back right?

So the research started. I was going to find the best pair of shoes I could, figuring that would solve my issues and let me run enough to figure out what the hell was so special about it. Well in my research I started running into mentions of barefoot running. My interest was piqued, I’ve always been of the opinion that generally our engineering ability isn’t anywhere near as sophisticated as natures, not yet anyway. I did some more research and found a lot of talk about lower back problems and how it would all but go away when running barefoot. Well hell, I figured it had to be worth a shot right? So I decided to go for it.

I was a bit too scared to try straight barefoot on the streets around here, I didn’t want to have to get a tetanus shot after every run. Vibrams were the most widely recommended solution. Turns out there were a couple of stores around here that sold them! I went to check them out. After figuring out my size I picked up a pair of classics. They look ridiculous, they really do. Kind of like clown shoes. But, what the hell.

So, I gave them a shot. I could almost immediately tell a difference. After my first run with them, a run longer than any I’d made before (about 3/4 of a mile), I had no back pain. None. I was flabbergasted. It had to be a fluke right? Two days later I was out for my next run. Again, I was running farther and didn’t have a lick of back pain afterwards. After my third run with no pain I was sold. I can’t see running in anything else now.

OK, so no more back pain. Awesome. I kept running, and started noticing a change. It was getting easier and I didn’t really dread it. Then, one night about 3 weeks ago it happened. I was on the last leg of a mile and things just sort of melted away. In that moment there wasn’t any pain, my breathing slowed and I was just sort of flying. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. My body just sort of, switched. I finished that run and realized what had just happened. It was dynamite! I wanted to do it again, right then!

The next day  at work all I could think about was going for a run. I wanted to get home throw on my running clothes and go out. It didn’t matter that it was half snowy and 30 degrees. I needed to run. The best part is, that need has stuck around. I haven’t missed a run in the past 3 weeks. Generally I run Sun, Tues and Thurs but I’ve been sneaking another run in here and there. 

I’ve been steadily shedding pounds now. Overall I’m down 31 pounds from my peak weight. Probably 5-8 pounds of that has just been in the past month. My ideal weight is about 170, I figure if I keep this up I’ll be there in about a year. Maybe less. I’m hoping to hit 200 by July or August. Honestly it may be sooner, the speed of weight loss seems to be increasing.

If I can shed another 10 pounds before C2E2 I’ll be pretty stoked. I think I’ll pull it off, especially if I stick to Couch to 5K. If I don’t hit a snag on any week I should be at week 9 by that time. I figure 15K a week will have a pretty solid impact on weight loss and should greatly ratchet up the speed of my metabolism.

Also, a great book I’m currently reading Born To Run has been a ton of inspiration. The descriptions of running in that book make me want to drop everything and go for a run (I have a couple of times).

In the meantime science has soldiered on and a new study in January’s Nature (it’s a paysite but here’s a link to WebMD talking about the study) makes a pretty good evidence based case for barefoot running.

Right, I’m going for a run

I’ve got an amazing artist working with me, Daniel Gutowski. I’m really in love with his art and I can’t wait to see what he does with this story!

The whole book is going to be awesome. There are some amazing folks in it and Jill Thompson is doing the cover! It’ll be in the April Previews so keep an eye out. I’ll post up the order code as soon as it’s available.

Also, I’ll have a table at Wizard World Chicago (or Chicago Comiccon…..) this year! I’ll have RWP and Sequential Suicide for sell as well as two of my minicomics! If all goes well I might have the Loose Wires preview by then as well. I’ll be at C2E2, though I won’t have a table. I may have a table at NYCC, it’s up in the air right now. I should know in the next month or so.

So, below the break are a couple of naked girls. It’s might be considered NSFW if you’re boss is a dick or something. (so… probably so.)  I will also be complaining about my lack of skill and why I adore the Pentel brush pen.

Lets start with the Pentel brush pen. I fucking love this thing, I would have this brushes babies if pens had babies. I can ink my crappy drawings while in bed! In bed I say! Or while watching Deadwood! This makes me ever so happy.

Anyway, naked girls. I’m lazy and I don’t want to scan these so we doing camera phone pictures instead. This has the added benefit of hiding some of their horrible, horrible flaws!

Right, so there’s this one. This is actually really recent.. maybe 3 or 4 days old. The bit from neck to underarm is way to long and she has weird arms. But, I like her hair and face.. so there’s that.

This one is actually almost life size….well life size if you don’t have a third dimension and are descended from circus folk. Seriously, it’s like I mated glued two separate drawings together. Long ass is looooooong.

I don’t hate this one.. though she has a flipper for a hand.

I rather quite like this one actually. And she’s not even naked!

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

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.

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.

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.

Putting together my ashcan tomorrow and then getting that printed up at kinkos or upsstore. The ashcan this year will contain ‘Death Rattle’ and ‘Komori’ two shorts that will be published this year. Both are by really great artists that I’m happy to have worked with, and who I intend to work with again very shortly! If you want one for some reason, drop me a line.

On the writing front I finished my OGN UNCLE CHARLIE, it’s 68 pages and I think it turned out really well. I’m in the middle of two other projects, NANOMANCER and THE KIDNAPPED LIGHT. Nano is a 4 issue series of high fantasy cyberpunk and Kidnapped is the reboot of the Japanese fairytale OGN I had mentioned earlier. I’m really happy with both of them so far. More news to follow on both of those projects.

What else… Oh if you want to meet up at NYCC just drop me a line here or twitter or somewhere. I’ve got a fairly active weekend with lots of people that I’m supposed to meet up with so far, the more the merrier though! Alright, that’s it.

After reading a lot of fellow comic book creators resolution posts, however, I started to realize that I did, in fact, make some resolutions. I just don’t call them resolutions. I don’t know why, maybe because I’m too cool (I’m not) or to jaded (I probably am). Either way, I realized I have some resolutions and I might as well air them for the public, well what little public actually reads this beleaguered little blog.

So here we go:

1) I’m going to write at least 5 nights a week for at least 2 hours a night. If I can push to 6 or 7 nights a week, I’m going too. So far this is working out. I usually write for more than 2 hours but I’ll set that as goal.

I’m doing alright on this. I think this year I’ve only not written maybe 2 days total. Most of December I wrote every night. I’ve outputted around 60 total pages plus lettering a few in the past 4 weeks. That’s an average of about 2 pages per night. I’m pretty good with that.

2) I’m not going to let my social anxiety screw up my comics career.

Last year I really let this get in the way of how I approached people at New York CC and WW Chicago. I could have networked a lot better if I hadn’t been so damn scared. That’s what it is too, I get deathly afraid of talking to new people. It’s crippling, but I won’t let it screw with me this year. I need to talk to editors, I need to introduce myself and I need to network. This is my biggest one I think. No matter how much I do the work if I can’t get myself in front of people to pitch concepts, I’m getting nowhere. It’s hand in hand and I have to make this happen.

3) Get more work published.

That goes without saying I think, but I’m still saying it. I have two short stories that are going out for publication this year. I want to have a couple of OGN projects green lit and maybe a miniseries. If I can get in front of the right people and start pitching concepts, I think I can make this happen. It all becomes very dependent on #2. Either way, I’m making this happen.

OK, that’s all. Those are my resolutions. That’s what I’m working on. 2009 is shaping up to be a great year and I hope to make it an outstanding and life changing one.