September 12, 2006
Just Another Day

   If you've been a regular reader of this blog (and thank you for being so), you know I don't bring up politics as the personal mission statement of this site. It's supposed to be a safe haven for comics fans who crave a break from controversy.

   However...

   The reason I feel compelled to touch on politics this week, as you may have no doubt figured out, is the unavoidable timing of the fifth anniversary of 9/11/01. I'm not a fan of disaster anniversaries as headlines. True memorials are deserved, but I roll my eyes at the national & international media's furious bid to out-compassion the other media outlets in a ghoulish competition of hand-wringing. I'm not saying to forget what happened or ignore the fallen heroes of that attack (not "tragedy", attack!). Perhaps it's because the industry I work in is mostly based in NYC that I find myself still dwelling about those who suffered that day. I have photo reference books of New York I bought pre-911, and I find it painful to see the World Trade Center within those pages, knowing it, and many of those who occupied it that day, have been reduced to mere photos and a memories. Meanwhile, our elected officials from both sides of the aisle posture and point fingers rather than actually accomplish anything. The political blame game is not unlike a board game, where you keep landing on the square that tells you to take two moves back, rather than proceeding forward. America's predilection for self-flagellation suggests that everybody except the hijackers were responsible for the events of 9/11/01.

   The timing of this blog is pure coincidence. I prefer to blog when I have something to promote, and I didn't feel right beginning this blog without making some kind of opening statement, shilling as if we shouldn't still care the day after 9/11/06.

   *Whew* Want to read some fun stuff, now?

   New art added to the site: If you've seen the November solicitations from Image, you already know about The Official Handbook of the Invincible Universe. Yep, Robert Kirkman's fan fave comic is getting the handbook treatment with contributions from a large variety of artists doing all-new character drawings, including yours Drewly. To see a teaser character pose in this site's Rarities section, click here

   Also in said Rarites section, you'll get to see some black and white examples from my toothbrush-flung-black-splats period. I did a lot of this technique in the late '90's, but as colorists began adding more complex textures of their own, I found my splats increasingly superfluous.

   This week, my first solo-inked comic in a while (after spending months as a bailing-out-deadline utility man) is coming up: DC's 52, week 19. I've again been matched up with penciller Patrick Olliffe, whom I worked with on JSA: Classified late last year. Two pages have already been posted on Newsarama during an interview with Editor Steve Wacker, http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=83385. On those pages, you'll see, as previously mentioned, I've begun using the slicker inking style that I've mentioned last blog, in my best attempt to embellish in a John Dell-ish style. I'll be very excited to see the fan response to the twist in the storyline. To the best of my knowledge, no one's seeing it coming. Also, Lobo, who I've never cared for in the past, is in a surprising and outrageous new role in 52. To anybody with concerns of on-time shipping for a weekly book, fear not: I've already completed another issue that'll come out in a couple months, and I'm about to begin week 32!

   A funny note on being a bailing-out-deadline utility man: It's been very satisfying, artistically, to work with so many different pencillers, but in some cases, your name doesn't make the cover credits. This happens if the book is running really late, or there's a laundry list of writers and pencillers already taking up cover space, such as the recent Earth-2 Superman tribute issues in Action Comics and Adventures of Superman. I've got enough comics with my moniker on them to not feel slighted, but the funny thing is, if my name's not on the cover, I don't send my parents any copies. My folks are very proud of what I've done with my life (I'm still working on that myself!), and when I give them comp copies, they like to show just the covers to friends and associates. I pre-board and bag 'em because the friends they hand them out to often comment: "Hey, I better put this in something protective, it might be worth something.", so I accommodate them in advance. My parents don't read comics, and neither does my wife, so if my name doesn't make the cover, not only my parents, but other relatives will express subdued disappointment. "Where's your name?". The only time I care about my name is when I get a paycheck and DC's been taking pretty good care of that. Actually, I must admit that seeing my name on the spine of a trade paperback is still kinda cool, such as the recent Nightwing: On the Razor's Edge. Hey, Ma! I even made the cover of a trade!

   It's odd not having a current regular series to have my name associated with, but in this age of rotating story arcs, it's not uncommon either. I'll run into comics fans or pros who ask what I've been doing, and I tell them I'm working on a little bit of everything. Not everybody can buy a comic company's entire line, so there can be the perception that you've left the business, that is, until you show up in one of their favorite titles. Last year was the one of the lowest points of my career, possibly due to burnout, but this year I've gotten my second wind and look forward to the future with more eagerness than I've had in a long time.

   You may have noticed that my message board is closed. Well, initially, I had intended it to take the place of my blog when I thought I was done with blogging. At first there were curiousity-seekers, but over the months, despite valiant efforts of the few regular posters (like BradL, Greczek, JNM & Mr. Prez) who provided great content, less and less activity occurred, and I got tired of looking at weeks of no new posts. I just accepted that I'd gotten into the MB game late, and most comics fans have had their favorite boards they frequent already. There's only so many hours in a day.

   I've been invited to join boards that have been set up for "Inkers only", and much as I appreciate the offers, I forsee a carload of obligatory portfolio reviews in my future if I do. If you wish to have a quickie review, I'm better at conventions, where I don't have to transcribe a time-consuming lengthy essay. I take reviews too seriously, so I allow myself to get overly verbose, and before you know it, I spend two hours rewriting a portfolio review and cursing myself for not inking something myself. As a freelancer, you must learn to mortgage your time. If there's a dentist appointment (I have a story I'll tell next time), you have to make up those hours by working later at night.

   In all fairness, I have a hard time recommending inking as a profession to a newcomer these days, because there's already so many, and with many books coloring from pencils, the demand for new inkers is dropping. I had an email from a very nice guy who was thinking of leaving a 20-year career in a recession-proof industry to be an inker, and I (politely as I could) discouraged him. Doing the math, I pegged him at fifty years old, and unfortunately, in this youth-oriented industry, he may have more obstacles than most starting at that age. Plus, his inks still needed a lot of work, so I couldn't, in good conscience, tell him to throw away his retirement just for a grab at the 'glory'. What am I going to do, wait two more years for him to get good? There's still a lot of great talent from the Silver and Bronze Ages of comics that are never considered for projects, simply because of their style is unfairly labelled "old school", a term I find painfully dismissive.

   While perusing my commissions, you'll notice I occasionally play around with "old school" heavy brush techniques. These are the pieces that I have the most fun with, as I've trained myself to ape a decent Romita or Sinnott style. Unfortunately, that style is no longer considered commercial in modern comics, so I must stay current with the times. But what I would've given to ink a Silver Age Kirby, Kane or Infantino!...
 
 
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