Trying something new to keep the blog updated frequently, even on days or weeks when I don't write much, if anything at all. Figured it'd be a fun measure, and give people an interesting little guessing game to ponder in regards to what I'm researching or even just looking at out of morbid curiosity.
Here are my last five Google searches in my web cache...
5 - grimm's fairy tales
4 - hardcase crime
3 - chuck pyle
2 - kingdom comics
1 - last night in twisted river
None of these things are necessarily connected in any way, and some of them might not even have anything to do with my work or writing. Just a curious mind or whathaveyou. Anyway, I'll try and update the blog with these at very least once every two or three days, unless I have something else to post, just to keep a steady stream of content churning out.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Cool bit of news...
Hadn't checked the Love Buzz MySpace in some time, and got a message from an old designer friend Rammer Martinez, who had a cool little tidbit to share with me tonight...
"Your name, and The Pulse, is blurbed or published (though peripherally) in a logo book from a prestigous graphic design publisher. The book is called "Really Good Logos Explained", and The Pulse's Seven Up logo made the grade. I can't believe it, really. It's a good logo, but I didn't imagine it would end up in a graphic design book."
For those of you uninitiated with some of my past work, Seven Up Sorry, the art in all the Seven Up columns I can find is so old, it's been replaced by red x's. was a column I used to write on a semi-regular basis for my pal Jen Contino at The Pulse, a website dealing in comic promotion and news type things. Seven Up was a pretty simple concept. I get in touch with little known and up-and-coming comic talent, and ask them seven different questions each week, to help them promote their works. I met a lot of great people doing that column, some of them I still talk too to this day, and one of whom I'm currently in the beginning stages of collaborating on a book with. I can't currently find links to all of my columns, but a Google search should turn up a few if not all. (Sorry, the art in all the Seven Up columns I can find is so old, it's been replaced by red x's.) Anyway, Jen told me when I started that the column would probably benefit from having a cool and iconic logo. She hooked me up with Rammer and we started to brainstorm on a logo idea for the column...
Anyway, after that long diatribe, I'll just quit explaining with exposition and post a bit I found from Rammer's blog, which kinda shows the rest of the point of tonight's post.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"For some 'really good' news, the Rammer ambigrammatic logo and the Seven Up logo (not to be confused with 7UP) are published in Rockport Publishers' Really Good Logos Explained, written by Margo Chase, Rian Hughes, Ron Miriello, and Alex W. White. This makes this heap of flesh a happy designer.
Seven Up is a logo for a column by a prominent news site for comicbooks and its ilk, The Pulse. Seven Up was an interview column orchestrated by fellow comicbook writer Len Wallace where he asks seven questions to up-and-coming comicbook artists. I figured I'd do the logo in black & white since most comicbook artists that're starting out print their comics in black & white for the cheaper price. Check out Len's latest endeavor, Love Buzz with Michelle Silva."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretty cool, huh? Rammer's entry continues at his own Blogger site, which I've linked too several times in my own, and shows a couple shots of his other featured winning logo design in the book, but I'm selfish and a whore, so I'm only posting about me in here. Still, head on over to Rammer's blog and give him a nod. He's a good guy and it's quite an honor he's had put on him here.
Regrettably and honestly, after a while, I just wasn't able to keep up with doing the column on a regular basis, but I love and try to support and help out Jen in any way I can from time to time. She's been instrumental in helping me to build my name in the biz. I owe both Jen and Rammer a good bit for the things they've helped me out with in my formative days.
"Your name, and The Pulse, is blurbed or published (though peripherally) in a logo book from a prestigous graphic design publisher. The book is called "Really Good Logos Explained", and The Pulse's Seven Up logo made the grade. I can't believe it, really. It's a good logo, but I didn't imagine it would end up in a graphic design book."
For those of you uninitiated with some of my past work, Seven Up Sorry, the art in all the Seven Up columns I can find is so old, it's been replaced by red x's. was a column I used to write on a semi-regular basis for my pal Jen Contino at The Pulse, a website dealing in comic promotion and news type things. Seven Up was a pretty simple concept. I get in touch with little known and up-and-coming comic talent, and ask them seven different questions each week, to help them promote their works. I met a lot of great people doing that column, some of them I still talk too to this day, and one of whom I'm currently in the beginning stages of collaborating on a book with. I can't currently find links to all of my columns, but a Google search should turn up a few if not all. (Sorry, the art in all the Seven Up columns I can find is so old, it's been replaced by red x's.) Anyway, Jen told me when I started that the column would probably benefit from having a cool and iconic logo. She hooked me up with Rammer and we started to brainstorm on a logo idea for the column...
Anyway, after that long diatribe, I'll just quit explaining with exposition and post a bit I found from Rammer's blog, which kinda shows the rest of the point of tonight's post.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"For some 'really good' news, the Rammer ambigrammatic logo and the Seven Up logo (not to be confused with 7UP) are published in Rockport Publishers' Really Good Logos Explained, written by Margo Chase, Rian Hughes, Ron Miriello, and Alex W. White. This makes this heap of flesh a happy designer.
Seven Up is a logo for a column by a prominent news site for comicbooks and its ilk, The Pulse. Seven Up was an interview column orchestrated by fellow comicbook writer Len Wallace where he asks seven questions to up-and-coming comicbook artists. I figured I'd do the logo in black & white since most comicbook artists that're starting out print their comics in black & white for the cheaper price. Check out Len's latest endeavor, Love Buzz with Michelle Silva."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pretty cool, huh? Rammer's entry continues at his own Blogger site, which I've linked too several times in my own, and shows a couple shots of his other featured winning logo design in the book, but I'm selfish and a whore, so I'm only posting about me in here. Still, head on over to Rammer's blog and give him a nod. He's a good guy and it's quite an honor he's had put on him here.
Regrettably and honestly, after a while, I just wasn't able to keep up with doing the column on a regular basis, but I love and try to support and help out Jen in any way I can from time to time. She's been instrumental in helping me to build my name in the biz. I owe both Jen and Rammer a good bit for the things they've helped me out with in my formative days.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
So let it be known!
Just got word the other day that the book has been officially announced at Emerald City Comicon and I can thusly begin blabbing about it in public, so here goes...
Third piece of published work will be appearing in this lovely looking little book of grit, grime, and Western style insanity. It's called Outlaw Territory and it's coming out through Image Comics this September, sporting a twenty dollar price tag and collecting over 30 short stories by various creators. Seriously, I've had a glimpse at some of the art from the other stories in this book. Deadwood ain't got shit on Outlaw Territory. It'll be 100% ol' fashioned, rootin', tootin', grandma-humpin' good time. Other stories written and illustrated by the likes of and an all new stories some of comics finest current working creators including Dean Motter, Greg Pak, Khoi Pham, William Simpson, as well as Scalped creators Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera. This and a peppering of myself and some of my lesser known, but just as talented friends and contemporaries, it's a pretty formidable line up to stand in the same line as.
Here's a glimpse at a page from my own short called Savage Practices as illustrated by the skilled hands and brush strokes of Christopher Mitten. (Illustrator of Wasteland, Past Lies, and Queen & Country: Declassified for Oni Press.)
Chris has turned in all eight pages of the story and they all look just as amazing as this one. Not a single thing I can complain about. This book has been an honor and a treat to work on and watch grow and I hope it sells out three times over when it hits stands in September. In my life, I've never been a Western fan and I never thought ever be asked to write something like this and even have near as much fun doing it as I have. Hell, it even inspired me to write my own Western series that I hope to be pitching around San Diego time with my buddy Marvel and DC inker Jay Leisten co-plotting and drawing. Obviously, I'll speak more of this project in due time, but I'm finished scripting the second issue and it's been the most purely fun writing experience I've worked on in a good while. If all goes as planned, it'll be something pretty epic.
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the real brains and driving force behind Outlaw Territory, Michael Woods. Michael's the editor and creator of this whole project, so without him, I and many others involved would never have had this wonderful opportunity.
Preorder this book and when it comes out feel free to shower me and everyone else involved with praise, gifts, and cash money. It's been a long road in getting made but it's going to turn out beautifully.
Third piece of published work will be appearing in this lovely looking little book of grit, grime, and Western style insanity. It's called Outlaw Territory and it's coming out through Image Comics this September, sporting a twenty dollar price tag and collecting over 30 short stories by various creators. Seriously, I've had a glimpse at some of the art from the other stories in this book. Deadwood ain't got shit on Outlaw Territory. It'll be 100% ol' fashioned, rootin', tootin', grandma-humpin' good time. Other stories written and illustrated by the likes of and an all new stories some of comics finest current working creators including Dean Motter, Greg Pak, Khoi Pham, William Simpson, as well as Scalped creators Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera. This and a peppering of myself and some of my lesser known, but just as talented friends and contemporaries, it's a pretty formidable line up to stand in the same line as.
Here's a glimpse at a page from my own short called Savage Practices as illustrated by the skilled hands and brush strokes of Christopher Mitten. (Illustrator of Wasteland, Past Lies, and Queen & Country: Declassified for Oni Press.)
Chris has turned in all eight pages of the story and they all look just as amazing as this one. Not a single thing I can complain about. This book has been an honor and a treat to work on and watch grow and I hope it sells out three times over when it hits stands in September. In my life, I've never been a Western fan and I never thought ever be asked to write something like this and even have near as much fun doing it as I have. Hell, it even inspired me to write my own Western series that I hope to be pitching around San Diego time with my buddy Marvel and DC inker Jay Leisten co-plotting and drawing. Obviously, I'll speak more of this project in due time, but I'm finished scripting the second issue and it's been the most purely fun writing experience I've worked on in a good while. If all goes as planned, it'll be something pretty epic.
Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the real brains and driving force behind Outlaw Territory, Michael Woods. Michael's the editor and creator of this whole project, so without him, I and many others involved would never have had this wonderful opportunity.
Preorder this book and when it comes out feel free to shower me and everyone else involved with praise, gifts, and cash money. It's been a long road in getting made but it's going to turn out beautifully.
Monday, May 12, 2008
No time like today...
So, as of the last three months or so, a lot of my old contacts outside the people I regularly work with have kinda noticed (or more than likely haven't noticed) I've kinda disappeared off the grid and gone into silence.
Cardinal reason to why I disappeared in the first place was kind of a panic mode freak out situation I went into since my last relationship fell through. (Believe me, putting it that way is putting it very lightly) I'm not mad at anybody but myself for it though, because everything that happened was squarely on me. As for the gory details, I'm afraid I'm just going to have to keep it vague for now. I might talk about that here when I'm feeling a bit more honest... Or I may never talk about it here at all. I'm used to disclosing pretty much everything here, but the ways and extent to which I've fucked up my personal life in the last while have been pretty staggering and I'm not ready to go into it yet. Aside from that, we've had a death in the family, working on moving out of our current place and into a new one, transitions with school, trying to find a job, and a few interesting new turns my writing career is beginning to take. Two of them I'll get into right now.
So, with all that out of the way, here's a little update on the few things I'm currently able to show and tell about with my various and numerous creative babies...
"Love Buzz" illustration by Michelle Silva
First off, Love Buzz! (Or as I've begun to call it, The Book That Refused To Die) For a very long time, production and progress of most kinds have been halted on the art production of the book. Close to a year ago, we were informed by our buddies at Silent Devil that they were having to make cutbacks on their publication schedule, and several books, including Love Buzz needed to be dropped. Sad news, but it sometimes happens and with the guys at SD, whom I have and always will adore and respect, I'm glad they felt they could shoot straight with me. There are absolutely no hard feelings in this decision.
Anyway, after that point Michelle and I agreed that since we no longer had a publisher, we'd halt production on finishing the rest, because she's still in school and has a book of her own she wants to produce, so she's been doing her own thing while I've been shopping Love Buzz around to other venues. We've gotten a couple other bites, but they turned out not to be that great of a fit. Then about 4 months back, through an act of complete internet buffoonery, I managed to get a pitch into the hands of a publisher, the name of which I can't yet mention, but I've known, read from, and respected for years. They looked at the pitch for several weeks while keeping me nervous and in the dark before finally telling me they dug it and wanted it. They helped me through writing a final draft of the script and a brand new ending that may have completely rejuvinated my love for this project.
I'll announce who the publisher is as soon as I get the okay...
"Less Than Three" illustration by Chris Moreno
In other news, a little pet project of mine that I concocted back in the days that Love Buzz was still at Silent Devil is on the road to taking flight in a new form. Less Than Three, a little idea I'd briefly toyed with as a webcomic, comprised of bi-weekly short stories written by myself and illustrated by a different artist every week. Spending the last few months getting short stories I've written secured into a couple of upcoming anthology books, and seeing how the comic market has been lately, and the recent surge in interest in anthology books, I've decided to forge ahead and try and find a little niche for a little book of weird, sweet, and eclectic romance stories with me wearing the editor pants. Oh, and I've brought a lot of friends along with me!
Seriously... The talent I've been lining up for the book is pretty staggering, actually. We're talking a few A-list comic writers and artists, as well as a few of my more greenhorned contemporaries, who are by no means slouches themselves. It's exciting and fun to just see random scripts and bits of artwork pop up in my email every now and again.
Anyway, it's getting on to 4 in the morning, and I thought I'd be able to fill in all the rest of the blanks of where I've been here, but... Fuck it. I'm tired.
I'm out.
Cardinal reason to why I disappeared in the first place was kind of a panic mode freak out situation I went into since my last relationship fell through. (Believe me, putting it that way is putting it very lightly) I'm not mad at anybody but myself for it though, because everything that happened was squarely on me. As for the gory details, I'm afraid I'm just going to have to keep it vague for now. I might talk about that here when I'm feeling a bit more honest... Or I may never talk about it here at all. I'm used to disclosing pretty much everything here, but the ways and extent to which I've fucked up my personal life in the last while have been pretty staggering and I'm not ready to go into it yet. Aside from that, we've had a death in the family, working on moving out of our current place and into a new one, transitions with school, trying to find a job, and a few interesting new turns my writing career is beginning to take. Two of them I'll get into right now.
So, with all that out of the way, here's a little update on the few things I'm currently able to show and tell about with my various and numerous creative babies...
"Love Buzz" illustration by Michelle SilvaFirst off, Love Buzz! (Or as I've begun to call it, The Book That Refused To Die) For a very long time, production and progress of most kinds have been halted on the art production of the book. Close to a year ago, we were informed by our buddies at Silent Devil that they were having to make cutbacks on their publication schedule, and several books, including Love Buzz needed to be dropped. Sad news, but it sometimes happens and with the guys at SD, whom I have and always will adore and respect, I'm glad they felt they could shoot straight with me. There are absolutely no hard feelings in this decision.
Anyway, after that point Michelle and I agreed that since we no longer had a publisher, we'd halt production on finishing the rest, because she's still in school and has a book of her own she wants to produce, so she's been doing her own thing while I've been shopping Love Buzz around to other venues. We've gotten a couple other bites, but they turned out not to be that great of a fit. Then about 4 months back, through an act of complete internet buffoonery, I managed to get a pitch into the hands of a publisher, the name of which I can't yet mention, but I've known, read from, and respected for years. They looked at the pitch for several weeks while keeping me nervous and in the dark before finally telling me they dug it and wanted it. They helped me through writing a final draft of the script and a brand new ending that may have completely rejuvinated my love for this project.
I'll announce who the publisher is as soon as I get the okay...
"Less Than Three" illustration by Chris MorenoIn other news, a little pet project of mine that I concocted back in the days that Love Buzz was still at Silent Devil is on the road to taking flight in a new form. Less Than Three, a little idea I'd briefly toyed with as a webcomic, comprised of bi-weekly short stories written by myself and illustrated by a different artist every week. Spending the last few months getting short stories I've written secured into a couple of upcoming anthology books, and seeing how the comic market has been lately, and the recent surge in interest in anthology books, I've decided to forge ahead and try and find a little niche for a little book of weird, sweet, and eclectic romance stories with me wearing the editor pants. Oh, and I've brought a lot of friends along with me!
Seriously... The talent I've been lining up for the book is pretty staggering, actually. We're talking a few A-list comic writers and artists, as well as a few of my more greenhorned contemporaries, who are by no means slouches themselves. It's exciting and fun to just see random scripts and bits of artwork pop up in my email every now and again.
Anyway, it's getting on to 4 in the morning, and I thought I'd be able to fill in all the rest of the blanks of where I've been here, but... Fuck it. I'm tired.
I'm out.
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