X-Ray Studios

I am done.

I just wrapped up what little work I had left on Tron #6. Technically, I've been done with the book for months. But the last stages of coloring and what not are coming in, and so it is time for lettering. Lettering always means a last revision of the dialog based on the final execution of the imagery. So that's how I spent my day. There was no way to cover everything I wanted to include in the final issue. I suspect one or two (or more) questions in the vein of "yeah, but what about...?"

But that's the way these things go. Some people will like it. Some people will certainly be disappointed. Some people will be looking for a story that this isn't, and when they don't find the story what they expect, they will think it's just poorly constructed.

Not really my concern.

It was difficult returning to work on Tron. Writing those comics meant putting myself in a certain state of mind that was uncomfortable. The following quote sums it up well enough, I think:

"But I have convinced myself that there is absolutely nothing in the world, no sky, no earth, no minds, no bodies. Does it now follow that I too do not exist? No. If I convinced myself of something (or thought anything at all) then I certainly existed."

So yeah. That ends my working relationship with Tron (and Eric's as well. But that's his business and he never posts, so I've decided to be self-centered here). Something that I've been attached to in some form for almost 8 years. I'll still be dealing with a bit of promotion and maybe an editorial or something somewhere. But the real work? Done. I can comfortably close the door on this particular chapter of my life. Now my attention is focused on Supergirl. In contrast to Tron, the protagonists dilemma is very normal. The lead character is sane, even if a bit given to dramatic outbursts and suffering from an over abundance of imagination. It's a much more comfortable place to be, a happier place.

And I feel very... relieved.

I answer some questions about our upcoming Supergirl book here.

I can't remember if I uploaded these images already or not. And I cannot be bothered to search my own blog. This is Victoria:


Okay then? Well, here's Victoria with her head being devoured by a giant fuzzy pink cat:



These drawings (well, it's really just one drawing) are by Eric and Rikki, which anyone reading this blog should be able to figure out. Actually, it might have been Tavisha who suggested the look. That's kinda how I remember it. At the time, there were some legal concerns over the design of Gloomy. So we had to present an alternative look to the production team in Paris. In the end, we did not use this look at all. So instead Victoria is a new character in the world of Gloomy that we might even use someday. We make no promises.

• 15:24 A day of walking and the mountains are close. Our oxygen tanks are nearly empty. We walk in silence to conserve our air. #
• 15:51 The two suns hang low in the sky. It will soon be night. #
• 16:43 It is pitch black outside. The air in my helmet is stale and bitter. I feel giddy.#
• 16:58 I cannot... It... dark... green. Ben? #

• 13:38 The module will not respond. The controls are locked. #
• 14:05 A strange, orange world fills my viewscreen. #
• 16:57 Of the crew, only Ben and I survive the crash. We scavenge what we can. Our supplies are low. #
• 17:11 In the distance, we see mountains. #

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Recent out of context bit of writing:

"Must... not... HURL!"

Ah yes.

• 14:40 I stop and feel the touch of Mother Earth for the last time. My ascent to the stars begins now. #
• 15:30 The last of the straps are in place. The hatch is sealed. The countdown is imminent. #
• 15:37 10...9...8... #
• 17:04 Time has become meaningless. My memory is a blur. I am in space. #

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Comics retailer David Pirkola of Michigan's Apparition Comics was shot when his store was robbed the other day. He is currently in critical condition. To make matters worse he has no medical insurance. This is a scenario that could happen to most anyone in comics all to easily, as so many of us lack the steady income required to sustain decent health care. Please follow the link below and donate.


IFanboy.com

Normally this time of the year I'd be traveling to New York and Seattle for conventions. Well, neither of those conventions worked out with my schedule. Instead, I'll be at Stumptown Comics Fest in Portland, running a booth for SLG.

If you're there, come by and say hi. If I seem surly and rude, then everything is normal.

I can be slightly less vague now. Here's some art by Eric, with colors by Rikki:




*edit* And to address the few questions I have received outside this blog, this particular version of Supergirl is 12, going on 13.

My friend Jeff Levine rules. He rules for two reasons. One is the very awesome drawing he sent me today:



The second reason is the package containing the drawing also included everything you see in the photo.



My god. What do I play first? I've never owned a PS2, and now this windfall...

Yakuza? Black? GTA: San Andreas? Half-Life?

Not to mention the one 360 game he included: Orange Box.

We have new book out in stores today. I am surprised. I thought this book was a little ways off yet.

Because I am lazy, I have lifted this post from SLG. Please forgive my laziness.


Amaze Ink, the all-ages imprint of SLG Publishing, is very pleased to announce the publication of a graphic novel that collects the adventures of your favorite spooky friends from Frightsylvania: The Super-Scary Monster Show Featuring Little Gloomy by Landry Walker and Eric Jones. Little Gloomy, the girl living in a world of horror; Frank the Monster, Larry the Werewolf, Mummy and Carl Cthulhu clash with aliens, fellow monsters and -- gasp! -- parents in the comic with the scariest setting, funniest stories and longest title of any comic book out there, The Super-Scary Monster Show Featuring Little Gloomy! The graphic novel collects all of the Amaze Ink Super-Scary stories, plus stories that appeared in Disney Adventures magazine and an all-new adventure with a neighbor who seems suspiciously familiar.

The Super-Scary Monster Show is a 104-page graphic novel, retailing for $9.95. It is available now from bookstores, comic stores and at SLG Publishing's website, www.slgcomic.com. A preview of The Super-Scary Monster Show is also available for viewing there.

The end is near.

Independents, the documentary that both Eric and I were interviewed for is listed in the Diamond Distributer catalog. Supposedly page 548. According to sources relevant to only me, the DVD price is misprinted. It's 14.99 instead of 19.99.

But if you actually want to see me insult family members and pretend I know things, you can order the DVD direct off of the following website:

http://www.independentsdoc.com/

Been a quiet couple of months. Several rewrites and bits of development here and there. It's busy work. It's driving me crazy. Lots of things I want to work on, but after years of working on strict deadlines I find internal discipline difficult. Plus, I hate waiting. And there is so much of our work right now that can only be addressed by other people.

So we've been slowly working on a couple of side projects. Casual things. Eric's been off painting and I've been working on the mechanics of scripting a radio play. We're also working on assembling all the Super Scary Monster Show material for a collection. We did get to throw together a secret character study thing. Rikki was generous with his time and did some color, which is fun to see. I mean, it's fun for us. It's secret. None of you get to see it.

It's been a bit slow here lately. Everything comes to a stop with the holidays, and getting back to work is not unlike trying to revive a dying friend. You put it off for so long, that all you can really do is put the thing in a nice suit, prop it up with a stick and superglue an Xbox controller into it's hand.

Anyway, we're still not back to work. So it was a pleasant surprise when I discovered a certain calendar offering by Sequential Tart. It means I have something more interesting to talk about than:

"We waited today. Katamari was fun. Played with cat. Sleepy."

Anyway, there are many fine contributors to the calendar in question. But the reason it is relevant to us specifically is the following image.



The image above was rendered by Eric Jones and Rikki Simons. And I like to think it shows that you can do female characters and tentacles without it looking like the controversial recent offering by a major publisher.

In case you didn't know, Sequential Tart is awesome. So please support the people who support us. Order your calendar online today through Cafe Press:
http://www.cafepress.com/seqtart.159323535

http://www.thepictureofeverything.com/

New journal entry on our other blog. It's the usual nonsense.

http://littlegloomytv.blogspot.com/

I mentioned before that much of our current list of projects is complete. So now we get to work on the Super Scary Monster Show collected volume. I'm looking forward to getting a new Little Gloomy related project in print. And we get to include a full comic book worth (or so) of material originally printed in Disney Adventures. Sadly, I'm not sure if that materila will be reprinted in color. Rikki Simons did a great job with that stuff and I always hoped to see it collected properly for the world of comics.

Here's a sample bit from the upcoming issue of Tron. Not lettered yet, of course. I'm really pleased by the execution on this page by Mike Shoyket and the colorist team. I wish I knew the colorists. I've never worked with someone without having ever talked to them before.

I'm bored.

I've noticed that I don't like to not work. I just went through an intensive work load and now I have nothing to do. I mean, there is always something. But I like having a project with a deadline. I just get really bored without a set goal that must be met or other people will suffer.

Dialog for Tron 5 - Finished, waiting for Eric's draft.

Tron # 6 Script - Finished, waiting for Eric's draft.

Secret Project with alien werewolves and international spies - Finished.

Little Gloomy scripts - Finished.

I miss my Kid Gravity deadlines. Those always kept me guessing.

I need to paint the garage, but I'm not that bored yet. I need to play some XBox. But all my friends are playing Halo, and I haven't had time to pick it up yet. In a couple of days, Eric will be caught up with his end of the work. Then he can share the boredom. I'm trying to convince him to get his own XBox. I don't really know why. I mean, he'll never play it.