Sharing My Story

Continuing my Arizona Cactus Comic Con Report

I wanted to go the Modern Comics Production presentation
but it was apparently canceled and replaced by a fashion show.
I left the fashion show and stumbled into the Comics Writing
Workshop. The workshop was more of a free-wheeling audience
question directed panel discussion. The panelists were Mike
Bullock, Jake Black and Raven Gregory.

The panelists on the writer’s panel mentioned there were
three things that you needed to do in networking with the
editors of comics. One is to be a “really nice guy” in terms
of being the designated driver to take them home after their
drinking bouts at conventions. Second is to be good at what
you do (though you might not have the natural talent or
ability that some others may have). Third you need to be
able to get your work assignments in by the deadline-if not
well before- and not be late. Any two of those need to be
operative. Jake Black said that he is not the most talented
writer (though certainly competent) and he has become a
person to befriend (the designated driver) in his relationships
with editors. The panelists also mentioned to avoid giving
any full script or treatment to an editor but rather a finished
printed comic book as a work sample.

I asked how their personal worldview informed or influenced
their writing. This lead to a good discussion with the consensus
being that everything in your life will have an influence
on the content of your writing.

Some other tips for sparking writer’s creativity. One, watch a
movie with the sound turned off in order to study the action.
Two, reduce or eliminate all external media input for a week
(TV, video games, internet, extensive reading, etc). We live
in such a media saturated, over stimulated culture that creative
mental ideas don’t have a chance to surface because of the
constant barrage of external media ideas and thoughts. Cutting
off the external media and the mind will have time to digest
information and form its own entertainment. Third, write out
your thoughts in the morning before you do anything else.
One of the panelists mentioned that he had many notebooks
filled with his early morning thoughts that can lead to story
concepts. Often you can tap into fleeing dreams memories
for story ideas.

Raven Gregory stated that you are either a writer or
a non-writer. “There is no such thing as an aspiring writer.”
He also mentioned the immense satisfaction he has
received when he steps into a store and sees his work
being displayed for sale. “There is nothing like it.”

Jake Black mentioned that the sexual relationship
between Clark and Lana on Smallville last season
received very negative response from the viewers.
According to Black (a writer on the Smallville series)
the producers have backed off on the aspect because
of the controversy.

(Continuing my report from the Arizona Cactus Comic Con.)
Also in the small press area (tables in the Convention Center hallways
and entrance) I met and spoke with two cartoonists who are organizing
a comics creators group in northern New Mexico. There group is called
7000 BC and represent a wide variety of comic artists. I talked with
Ryan Claytor of Elephant Eater Comics and he has produced some
nicely packaged autobiographical comics. Also in the small press
section was Benjamin Ikle of Madseadog Comics who I’d met last
year at the 4th St. Street Fair in Tucson. He has three books out
now about a boy and his shadow. Benjamin is a graphic designer
in Tucson who received his training at Pima Community College
where I am taking some graphic courses currently. He is also
teaching an how to comics course in Tucson. Next to Benjamin
was Greg Mannino., another Tucson resident who produces the
amazingly computer rendered Dorothy of OZ comic (check it out
on www.dorothyofoz.com).

From there I made my first of several excursions into the dealer’s
room where I had opportunities to speak with several
interesting people.

I spoke with Mike Bullock, the writer on Lions, Tigers and Bears,
a beautifully produced all age comic book which has done very
well on the market with most of the issues immediately selling out.
He is also the writer on Moonstone’s Phantom comic. He writes
the character as an unapologetic hero. The Phantom is a hero, a
force for good who fights for the underdog and against evil men.
The Phantom is assuredly not an anti-hero. Bullock is definitely
a writer to watch. Close to Bullock’s table was Jake Black,
a young writer was showcasing his work. I spoke with his wife
and she told me he has worked with Dabel Brothers adapting
some fantasy books (Wyrms) as well as scripting TNMT and
the Smallville TV program.

I also spoke with Steve Rude and his wife and they mentioned
they were formed a separate publishing company for Steve’s
work. The first work he’d do under the new company is a Nexus
miniseries written by Mike Baron. A new Moth series will likely
follow in a year or so as the penciling is already finished.

I had a short conversation with Noel Neill, a thoroughly lovely
lady who played Lois Lane with both Kirk Alyn and George
Reeves in the Superman movie serials and the 1950s TV program.
She was there promoting her autobiographical photo book called
Truth, Justice and the American Way. I asked her about her
thoughts on the recently released film Hollywoodland
(a fictionalized look at the life of George Reeves) and what
she felt about Reeves death. She felt very strongly that his
death was not suicide. I took her that I was an 11 year old kid
in 1959 when I heard of Reeves death and was very disappointed
that the man who played Superman had tragically died.

(The next few blogs are entries from my Journal of
September 24, 2006- my trip to the Phoenix Cactus Comic Con)
This morning I got off about 7:30 Am and went to the
Phoenix Cactus Comic Convention in Mesa (near Phoenix).
It was at the Mesa Convntion center (the same place
as the SVP meeting last October. It is about 144 miles
from Green Valley (took about 2 2/2 hours to get their.
I paid admission at the door.

I got to speak to a number of people. I walked by the
small people/artist alley are and spoke with several of
the display presenters. For Nate St. John, an architect
from from Phoenix, this was his first comic book convention.
He was promoting a two comic books one called called
Missionaries and other called Convent. These small press
pubs were very impressive (as is his web site www.nathanstjohn.com).
I mentioned the recently released “End of the Spear” film
which he hadn’t heard of because this plot of his first comic
book small similarities to the motion picture. The artwork
on both pubs is loose and of fine illustrative quality and
reflecting his architect’s background.

I next spoke with Eric Kask who was the Convention
event coornidator (and security chief) and he expressed
interest and curiosity about the tee shirt I was wearing.
The tee shirt is one I got as a member of the Comic
Creator’s Network from the Kansas City group that
I joined while I was lived Kansas City, Missouri several
years ago. I briefly told him about the Kansas City group
and he shared that he was trying to organize a similar
statewide group for Arizona with afflilations not only
in the Phoenix area but also in Tucson, Flagstaff and
other cities in Arizona. Eric is certainly an ambiteous
young man. I met his father sometime later who was
manning a small press table for his son and had a
pleasant chat with him. He was a comic book reader
during the Golden Age of the 1940s.

(The “End of he Spear” is the story of five American
Christian missionaries who were killed by stone age
Indians in Amazonian rainforest of Ecuador in 1956
and how the wives of the slain missionaries continued
working with the same tribe who had killed their husbands.)

Being a Baby Boomer the historic question most often
poised is where were you when President John F. Kennedy
was assasinated in November 1963? For the Generation Y
the question could be where were you on 9-11-2001?

For me I was in the small west Texas town of Crosbyton
around 30 miles east of Lubbock. Crosbyton is the county
seat of Crosby County, one of the cotton producing and cattle
ranching counties in the flat and semi arid Texas panhandle.
I had the privilege of working with Mr. Joe Taylor who is an
accomplished field paleontologist and fossil preparator
(also an excellent all around artist). Joe owes and operates
the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum on Main Street in Crosbyton
his home town. For two years I worked as one of his
assistants and actually lived in the upstairs apartment
in the museum.

On the morning of September 11, 2001 I was watching one
of the morning news shows on television getting dressed for
the coming day in the office. The news program cut in with
an unusual happening at the world Trade Center. It showed
an airplane ramming into the side of one of the Trade Center
Buildings. The original announcement was that it was a small
light plane and only later did we find out that it was a large
jet passenger liner. My initial reactions was that it was very
bizarre for such an “accident” to happen (as was speculated by
the TV announcers). Another reaction was that this was horrible
for the people in the plane but would have little affect on the
building beyond the immediate damage area. How wrong I was
and I’m sure many others felt the same way.

I walked down stairs from the apartment to the museum
offices and found Betty Ruth (BR) already at work. BR is a
wonderful, Godly, vivacious lady in her sixties who helped
with office duties at the time. I warned BR that what I was
about to tell her was the truth and that I was not kidding. I
explained to her about the plane crashing into the World Trade
Center and the fire and smoke that belched forward from the
damaged building. She was startled and surprised as I was.
As the morning progressed a second plane unbelievable hit
the other tower and still later both towers came crashing down.
Then the reports of the plane smashing into the Pentagon
and still another airliner going down in western Pennsylvania.

The very idea that these building would collapse by being struck
by an airplane seemed incomprehensible but it did happen.
Even though the terrorists had caused other grievous damage
this one was on U.S. mainland soil in he heart of the nation’s
financial nerve center. This was the Pearl Harbor of the 21st
Century and a wake up call that these Islamofascists needed
to be taken seriously. They were bent on the destruction
not only of Israel and Jews worldwide but also of the
United States and Western civilization.

I think it is important for Americans to remember this day
and realize that we are in a war with a very determined
and fanatical enemy. If we want to preserve our freedoms
and way of life we must emerge victorous from this conflict.
Otherwise we could be entering a new dark age much
worse than that experienced a thousand years ago.

May God have mercy on us.

September 4, 2006
[This is one project that I’ve been working
on over the past month.]

Several years ago I came across a book called
Extreme Devotion. This book published by
Voice of the Martyrs (2001) contains daily devotions
that tell stories of Christians persecuted for their faith
(both in ancient and modern times). [Voice of the Martyrs
is a ministry that communicates up to the minute I
nformation on persecution of Christians around the
world and strives to help them]. I found several stories
that were especially compelling. One story called
Extreme Conquerors is about Richard Wurmbrand
(founder of VOM) and his wife who helped a German/Nazi
colonel in the waning days of World War II. The colonel
was possibly responsible for the deaths in a concentration
camp of Mrs Wurmbrand’s family. The Nazi repents and
is converted and Mrs. Wurmbrand (Richard’s wife)
forgives him. A great story.

I contacted VOM and asked if they would give me
permission to adapt one of the stories to comics form.
I sent them a script and they accepted it. I started on
the project but got sidetracked over the past couple of
years into other things. It is one of those projects that
I started over two years ago and was shelved because
of my move to Arizona. I recently got back to it and am
doing some hard work on the pencils. I wanted to fulfill
the commitment I’d given to VOM even though there is
not financial obligation to do so. [I had mentioned
Richard Wurmbrand in a previous post-April 6, 2006]

The pencils are now essentially finished and I should
be sending them for inking in the near future.