Parallel Pen
Readers! No new comics stuff for now. I’ve had so much fun doing the Metal Head story and its received a ton of good feedback. It seems like a pretty limitless world, and I’ve got a handful of ideas on where to go with it - things like short stories and stuff - so I’ll be plugging away on those threads. But, the most important thing right now is getting the first volume of Roba: PH capped off and sent to the printer in time for some upcoming comic shows. Honestly, the digital side of making comics along with formatting takes a heck of a long time. So, that’s my main focus for now. It’ll be a 64 page graphic novel with more story, process content, and a hip tangibility that you can tell all your friends about. More info on that coming soon.
Rubber Bands and Paperclips
When I sit at my desk staring at the ink smudged piece of Bristol board in front of me, I feel like my mind went through a blender (after an 8 hour shift at my day job) and now all that’s left is a heap of idea-riddled mush. Now, to piece it together, take the grand ideas, make them weird, and put pencil to paper. Maximum effort. When it’s all said and done, storytelling comes down to fulfilling the need to get an idea out of your head so that it doesn’t spontaneously combust before reaching prime ripeness.
One of the best parts about doing comics is that you have full control of your idea – how it looks, how it's presented, what the characters say and when, etc. Essentially, if you can think it, it can be done, no matter how crude or polished. Sure, in movies you can create to the same degree, but it’s so costly and you need a crew to pull it off. Comics can be a one person show if you choose to do so.
I think that this is why a creator such as Jeff Lemire or Jim Mahfood (see below) speaks so loudly the older I get. When I was a kid, it was all about big, bombastic scenes and how Spawn would mutilate his next victim. It was the “action” of the book that called to me rather than the nuance behind the action.
Nowadays, my most enjoyable reading experiences come from when I find a new creator that hints at something in their art work and has an interesting way of conveying a message, whether it’s through energetic line work, unique prose, or how a building is illustrated in such a suggestive way that it totally works. I love this stuff. I constantly use what I see, real world and not, to influence my own art.
How Does it Look From There?
I went to the art supply store last week and the girl at the register asked me if I was a student. “No,” I replied. I hung up my school cleats a couple years back after grad school. But what I really wanted to say was, Of course, everyone’s a student in this journey called life. I’m glad I didn’t because that line is cheesier than a 2AM Taco Bell order. With that said, whether it’s social media, creativity, art, cooking, whatever – if we are willing to learn, adapting becomes part of our nature. When one thing doesn’t work, we move to the next goal post and set up camp. We work and work and work until the needle moves just a hair. Sure, blender brain sucks when you're trying to work on your passion amidst all the forces pulling you away. Wouldn’t it be great to make a living by doing what you love? I get frustrated sometimes just thinking about all the stories that I could be making if I had more time. But, there must be something precious in the struggle to a happy balance, the seed that tells you to work extra hard because you’d never want to live a life in which you didn’t try. By the time we are done, I hope to see slain giants covering the battlefield. If not, at least I’d have a hell of a story to tell.
Thanks for you time,
Nico