Guy stuff.

Story Ideas

Somewhat randomly, I've been asked to contribute a script to an anthology comic book by this guy, Erech Overaker, whom I know electronically via CBC and Buzzscope. He's looking for "...strictly slice of life, everyday kinda stuff, humorous dramatic ambient whatever. I want to show the other side of comics, you know?" All things considered, it's a rather flattering request and I'm tempted to take him up on it, though I've never really given any serious thought to writing something for comics. I've joked about it, sure, but it's a tough form that I've come to have a much greater…

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Comic Book Stuff

With CBC on hiatus for a bit while I come up with a plan for what to do with it, I'll be pimping my Buzzscope writing here for the time being.Weekly ReviewsCombat Zone: True Tales of GI's in Iraq, Vol. 1 TPWhatever side of the ideological fence you may be on, there is some great story-telling potential in the concept, True Tales of GIs in Iraq. Unfortunately, whatever Zinsmeister's talents may be as a journalist, they do not translate into compelling sequential art.Silent Dragon #1 (of 6)Andy Diggle offers up a veritable buffet of a story that demands you return…

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Preview: Indie October Solicitations

Comics Continuum has the Image, Dark Horse and Devil's Due October Solicitations up, and here's what I'm particularly looking forward to reading and/or snarking:SEASON OF THE WITCH #1Written by Jai Nitz, art and cover by Kevin Sharpe."Spring." Jessica Suddreth was a normal high school freshman until she was magically transported to the fairytale world of Asamondo. Once there she trains to be a Spell Sword, a mystical warrior, to lead the peasants against the tyrannical King Elian. The good news is she's the best Spell Sword ever. The bad news is she still has all the emotions and insecurities of…

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R.I.P.: Jim Aparo (1932-2005)

Jim Aparo is one of the first artists I have a distinct memory of from my earliest days of collecting comics, and his version of Batman remains to this day one of my favorites. He was one of the first artists whose styles I could recognize at first glance and who could get me to pick up a comic book I normally wouldn't, including Aquaman!When people say "they don't make them like they used to," they could easily be talking about Jim Aparo. Rest in peace. (Batman and the Outsiders #1 cover courtesy of the Grand Comic Book Database.)The following…

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Our 7th Anniversary

Rereading that last post, it almost sounds like our vacation sucked, but that’s just work filtering through and tainting my perspective. We had a great time, the most “quality time” we’ve had together since…hell, Spain in 2000, right before Isaac was born?

I was thinking about the past 7 years the other day, and what’s changed since July 18, 1998:

1) Bill Clinton was President and was somewhere in the process of being impeached for the whole Monica Lewinsky psuedo-scandal. George W. Bush was Governor of Texas and netted $14 million from the sale of the Texas Rangers, a nice profit from his $600,000 investment…with borrowed money!

2) The first Gulf War had still not been officially declared over, and I was still in the NJ National Guard.

3) A month after our wedding, I was on the Nuyorican Poets Café’s only National Poetry Slam Championship team, and had just started running a little bit louder a couple of months before that.

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