Comic Book Writing

I have to admit it, I have been out of the comic loop ever since we started our hiatus oh so long ago. But since we are back I have been catching up on my comic book reading. What does this have to do with the Title of this blog? Well, as some of you may know, I am writing my very own comic book which I intend to self publish and I have been.....critical of my penciler because he doesn't draw EXACTLY what I write. This is very frustrating for me because I take a lot of pride in my work and it takes me a long time to do it. So when a penciler takes..."liberties" it is upsetting.

Now here is where everything comes together.

I picked up and just read"The Avenges: Disassembled" and in the back of the book there was an interview with the witter and penciler as well as a few pages of script and corresponding penciled pages. It was the same thing. The penciler didn't draw what the writer wrote. As I write this, I"m not sure if I more upset or relieved. I mean if this is a normal thing, then my penciler is doing a bang up job. But on the other hand, if this is the norm, I have nothing to look forward to......


10/21/08 update: I finished my book and the preview issue is out. While talking to many creators, it seems that there are many ways to do a book. The Marvel way, which really is more of a colaboration between the writer and the penciler and the more strict, full script (which is how I do it). Seems that neither is wrong. Good to know.

Tonight's show

Tonight's guests will be Sam Vera and Jorge Medina from Crazee comics. They have a whole line of comics out, as well as their own podcast. Listen tonight @ 9pm est. Then come back here and leave comments about the show.

10/21/08 update: It was a good show. As always Sam did his thing. Even tho I wasn't on air, I was in the studio.

So far...

I got our first guest lined up for Thurday's show. Hassan is waaaay behind on his blogs (but what can you expect I'm not paying him). Still not sure what my condition will be after the (first part) of my root canal tomorrow. I haven't recieved any responces for the intern job...But things are still moving forward. I started to map out my shows and plan my convention stops. I stopped by the Big Apple con over the weekend and re-established a few contacts, so guests shouldn't be a problem. As soon as I get the blogs, I'll back date them so they fit in the slots I had set aside for them.


10/21/08 update: Looking back, I wonder how different things would have been if I just paid people. Sure the money would have went faster, but maybe the results wold have helped bring money in.....

The show must go on

As I'm getting ready to start the show next week, it occurs to me that I am having a root canal (a two part procedure, a week apart) the day before my first two shows. From what I understand, a root canal hurts a whole lot and I may not be able to speak on my first two shows. So while the show will air as planned, looks like I might have to sit these shows out.


10/21/08 update: It could have gone better, but Jennifer tried her best. Honestly I can't say I would have done any better seeing as I was alittle out of practice myself.

BTW, after the anaesthesia wore off, a root canal HURTS!

INTERNal affairs

A good friend of mine said to me "Why don't you get yourself an intern (get it?)?" When I was talking to him about my company. The thought never occurred to me. I mean an intern? really? I thought those things were reserved for big time places. But he continued "Colleges are full of people who are willing to work for free. They get experience, AND college credit. You should try it."

So I did.

I went to Nassau Community College as well as Hofstra University. Nassau had cancelled their intern program this semester (I have to go back and try again in April), but Hofstra had two places where I could look for one. It seems to be very easy. Then another thought crossed my mind. I have to interview and "hire" one of these people. I have no idea how to go about looking for an intern. I figured there was some complicated process and I would just be given one. This should be interesting......




10/21/08 update: Looks like it was a little harder after all. Never did get my intern (came close a few times), turns out that working at a radio station isn't as big of a draw as (say) working for MTV. Who knew?

Why dammit?! Why?

I have come back to destroy the monkey’s by means of mutual slaughter. No I didn’t make that up, I lifted that from a movie, I just love the way it sounds. Today’s topic is paying attention. You complacent, conformist little nothings, open your bug eyes for once in your life and start taking notice of things, will you please?! I mean, honestly… Here’s my point. Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man’s Chest. This movie is like the spice girls. Remember them? Everyone hated the spice girls, a band with platimum albums , television endorsements and a f*cking movie reminiscent of Hard days night! I proclaim that someone out there liked them! Who are we kidding! On the subject of Pirates, everyone screams, “I hated this one, it wasn’t as good as the first one” “It wasn’t as funny” “I didn’t like it nearly as much.” Which of course leads into the inevitable statement, wrapping it all up with a neat little bow on it, “That movie sucked!” Next time someone starts to run this rag on you, just for laughs, Listen the the whole thing, don’t be rude. When their done, then you calmly ask…”Why?” and see faces change. People’ll start stuttering, and back peddlin’, cause everyone is a critic. We all think we sound amazingly cerebral when we chortle off a bunch of strung together adjectives to berate and admonish something. Apparently to like something seems to stand out as a weakness, as if you are not and intellectual when you actually appreciate something, or enjoyed it. So I guess hate is for the geniuses whom are crestfallen constantly because they’re being inundated with sub standard stimuli? Aww poor babies. Go out and make a movie with all that time you’re pissin’ away coming up with zingers to throw around that mean next to nothing. I swear to you all, whenever I put something down you’ll get two solid disclaimers before I’m finished, A) a reason for each and everything I’ve said. B) the sterling silver assurance that I know this is only my bloody awful opinion! In conclusion, just tell me why something sucks, and I’ll leave you alone, be a little more clever than, “Ohh, I dunno…it just did!” Someone had to have liked that film, cause it made over 300 mil at the BO, babies. So that means not only did peoples see it first time out, but they went the hell back and saw it over and over again! Of course later the buzz has to come out and the ‘too cool for schoolers’ have to come tumbling back down the mountain telling the local peasants that there was nothing of note happening up there at all! Just to sound as though they’ve been weathered and know something more than the fact that they wade through bullshit on a regular basis. But I digress. Love till next time kids!!!

Screamer H.
(Hassan Godwin)

Hurry up and wait

Since today is when I would normally post what is going on in the show, and the show hasn't started yet, I figured I'd take this time to say a few things. This whole venture has been mostly what I like to call "hurry up and wait". Ever since I came up with the idea of making my own comic, which led to making my own comic book studio and then that led to making the radio show (and so on..) I have always needed things done "right away". Sometimes I'd get results, most of the time I wouldn't. Either way, I constantly found myself waiting for things. Be it investors, art work, phone calls, paperwork, I'm always waiting on something.

But now things are different. The waiting is over. Things are actually happening. Yes I had the radio show on before, but not like this. I'd say last time was a trial run. I learned a lot of things, made some mistakes, and am better for it.


Now I just have to wait for the first show to air.



10/21/08 update: Yes, this time was very different. I did more, I really got out there, focused on the show as opposed to the advertising, but at the end of the day I still couldn't keep the show going. I wonder what the next time out will bring....

BBB

Blogs, bullsh*t and bubblegum, all as equally innocuous, pointless and self indulgent. I figure by continuing to insist that I hate blogs and think they’re pretentious, I’ll exonerate myself from being labeled and over inflated egotistical prick for all the terrible things I’m probably going to say in the coming months and years. What do you think, think it’ll work? No? Me neither. But anyways. A blog is as much a bullsh*t waste of time as chewing bubblegum, isn’t it? It’s pointless, hardly ever nourishing, and it passes the time that comes between you doing anything important and constructive in your life. And by that I refer to both reading and writing one. I just want everyone to know sincerely that I don’t hate anyone or anything, extensively, not thoroughly or completely. My attitude can always be changed and has been by some of the most seemingly mundane things. But then again, when I lock onto something, I’m rarely gonna let go of it, especially if I think it’s a matter that sticks. I mean, it’s my blog, right? Why should I let go? Get you own blog if you don’t think it should work that way! Love you all…

Screamer H.
(Hassan Godwin)

The Radio show is on!

Yep, Made the deal yesterday and starting January 25, 2007 "The Comic Book Novice" will be back on the radio (and internet) waves. We will be on from 9-9:30pm est each and every Thursday. I'm working with my webmaster about getting the show archived (great for you IPOD guys/gals). As soon as I do, it will be available on my site.


10/21/08 update: Even tho the show is on hiatus, 95% of our shows are archived. I am working on getting our 2003 run archived also.

Substance abuse

Everyone know that a live action transformers movie is pending, coming down the long narrow slope of bad ideas into the underbrush of reality to slip the sluiceways of our scenes, get in there good and screw up all notions of common sense perceptibility. But I’m getting ahead of myself, of course. We haven’t seen the film yet, only some seriously lame attempts at getting my blood ready for a summer extravaganza that will go down as healthily as a bucket full of butter soaked empty calories and a big gulp of some fruity red drink that leaves your mouth looking like you’ve ripped out the jugular vein of the sap sitting next to you from sheer frustrated horror at the money you lost at price of admission… Heavens, there I go again, alright let me breath and make some sense. No no, where as it is true that the movie is not out, so I could not possibly hate something I have not yet seen and still call myself an enlightened individual, it is true we know whom it is that will be bringing this delight of wonderment to us when the weather goes warm and fuzzy once more. And where as, it’s true I myself have fallen sucker-fish-Freddy for gimmicky ad campaigns (most recently coming to mind the wonderfully majestic teaser trailer of superman returns, simply for the fact that the john Williams score, accompanied by the voice of the late great Marlon Brando was thrust once more in my life) that show you very little of the picture but give you quick beats of brazen special effect ridden excitement, this piece of crud has gone too far. And by that I mean not far enough. Amongst those that call me friend, there is no secret of my absolute distain for Michael Bay. The utmost, grand high exalted, box office whore, sleazebag behind such tantalizingly tawdry tidbits like the Island and Pearl Harbor. I wasn’t even a fan of him back in the con air/ the rock and Armageddon days, where it was thought he was a contender for quality workmanship. Boy were you saps fooled! This man is the archetypical great white hunter of movie making! Brash, unfeeling, running roughshod at high speed over any chance at meaning or substance in his work to hit us with the big budget money shot, fearful (by his own admitting) of “talking scenes” where there’s not heart beats of constant roller coaster action happening within each microsecond. Standing on the shoulders of creative giants like Spielberg, Coppola, Ridley and Tony Scott and even Tarantino (at times), riding on the deservedly long coat tails of Bruckheimer to administer celluloid punishment on the masses, it’s almost as though the man hates all the things about film making and story telling that make them worth while mediums. And these two lousy trailers prove my point that it will probably be happening again with this brand new technological extravaganza he’s concocted. The first, a blindingly weak half baked come hither taunt, showing us a roving satellite probe on the surface of mars, being destroyed (pov of the camera lenses, while yet oddly enough seeing nothing clearly) by what we can assume is a transformer, Autobot or Decepticon affiliation unknown. Then a pull back of the precious earth, where we then see an ominous mechanical eye peering down, hovering just above it. (Didn’t we already see that type cheap trick back when it was interesting, say with alien 3? And how well did that turn out for us, my good friends?) Ooooooh intriguing!!! Then we come to the long awaited follow up, the actual trailer, which shows us, SURPRISE SURPRISE… nothing!! A bunch of quick flashes of imagery, some characters transforming, fast fades in and out of black just before the eyes can detect anything of interest. (can anyone say BREATHING TRAILER Episode II? And that, folks, to show you my point, was considered a Teaser, not a full blown trailer) More Get me Grab me tactics by the milquetoast master of transparent angles and saccharine popcorn entertainment, Michael Bay. I hold no hope for this film. I’m going now, I feel dizzy…:) Yours now and everafter now…

Screamer H.
(Hassan Godwin)

Dichotomy!

For a man who is rumored to like nothing this makes for a grand dilemma. If you truly are partial to no affiliations, no signs of conformity, then to do a blog, to sit and write about all that pisses you off in life is a bit of a contradiction. It implies that inside there is still hope, hope that you can convey emotions, hope that you can be understood, hope that your are being listened to and maybe even admired. With all that hope it tarnishes the image of a malcontent whom cares and loves for nothing, doesn’t it? By merely doing this blog I am proving that I have a care, some compassion, some hope for some aspect of positive energy in the world. Though my exterior remains hardened against the anticipation that such a thing is possible (call it a defense mechanism, or whatever), my brain seeks it’s own level, wishes to be relieved of this relentless skepticism, wishes to be “relaxed and groovy” as someone once put it. It’s not even clear to me why I’m sharing this all with you, perhaps only so that as you read on in the future, sounds of gnashing at the teeth and brimming discontent with the way the world is spinning, you might remember this first entry and think to yourselves, “No no, I read that first blog, you’re not a bad guy, you’re just a little jaded and disillusioned. And hey… at this point, who ain’t?” But then again, maybe I just didn’t have anything worth while to write about just this minute… No promises.

Screamer-H!
(Hassan Godwin)

My First Comic Blog

Yes, for all of you who don't know, the "M.F.C." in M.F.C. Studios stands for "My First Comic". It sounded good at the time! Here, (hopefully) we will have our man on the inside (Hassan Godwin, who actually works at Wizard magazine) post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. When we get the Radio show up and running (in just a few weeks) your's truly will be leaving a show post every Thursday. Tuesdays will be reserved for either myself, a guest blogger and/or our very own Peter Palmiotti to leave our musings.

10/21/08 update: Hassan did a few blogs, the radio show is on hiatus (again), I never did get around to guest blogging, but I still post my thoughts/info on Tuesdays!