I Gave It the Old Heave Ho...

...or something like that. In any case, I participated in another 24 hour comic event last Saturday. This one didn't go as well for myself as the last time. I made the "mistake" in attempting to use a more rendered style than I normally do which, while looking a lot more fuller and three dimensional, also hinders the speed at which I can work as well as my storytelling ability as I am usually accustomed to working with my looser, more cartoony style. Add that in with the fact that I just could not get a good night's sleep Friday and was pretty much out of it by 4:00 in the morning. I gave it my best shot but I just couldn't keep pace as well as I wished.

I did, however, create at least 13-14 pages that I think are fairly strong and had a bit of potential to be something really neat had I an extra reserve of mental or physical energy that night. I'm definately going to be using some aspects of this story in later work. For now, however, please try to enjoy it for what it is...a silly story that went horribly ary. Again, I had a lot of fun hanging out with the CCN gang (who you can always visit at www.comixclub.com to see what they've been doing), which is good because this will probably be the last event I'll be able to make this year with my baby daughter due in less than three months.

Anyway, here it is: "The Terrible Truth of Abe Awesome"

Ch-ch-ch-changes...

I'm in the process of re-writing "The Soloist" for what seems to be the 10th time. I've what I feel to be a solid 10-12 page lead, but after that things get complicated. Without giving too much away, I have to figure a way to keep the story moving while providing necessary exposition about the characters without slowing it down or stopping it all together but without making it feel rushed. It's turning out to be a bit more difficult than I had thought. This story is definately a more complex story than both Test-Tube and Ninjas, but I know it will ultimately be worth it in the end.

Another problem is format. Originally I intended to release the whole story in one book, but I'm beginning to see that, given the length of the story, that it will be easier for me both in working on the book and publishing it if I divided up into 3 separate parts. This way I can afford to print out copies of the book and sell it as well. Perhaps later I can afford to take all three parts a combine them into one book, or perhaps shop the story around to another publisher who may or may not be interested in releasing it as a graphic novel. We'll see how it goes. As it stands in this format, I may be able to release the first part in the last week of June or first week of July, depending on how quickly I can get on the ball artistically. That also means there could be a delay in the last part, as Emma's arrival in August will definately affect how often I'll be able to get to the drawing board. This book may have to be bi-monthly. Again, I'm going to have to play it by ear. All I can promise is that this will definately be my best work yet and that I'm really excited to be giving you this story. I know it won't disappoint.

Painting Emma's room this weekend, and the weekend after is another 24 hour comic book with the CCN. Check back here in a couple of weeks to see what sort of insanity I manage to create this time under the influence of sleep deprivation. Let's hope it doesn't end with cursing vegetables again.