May Projects Update!

Wow, time really does fly. It's been a busy May and it doesn't look like there's any letting up. Here's the run-down of what I've been up to comics wise and what's coming up!

Over

• As announced earlier this month, Over, the online graphic novel I've been working on since the beginning of the year, will debut this coming Monday, June 1. Over is a romantic comedy about the ridiculous lengths creative people sometimes go to get over a bad breakup.

• Since I've committed to an aggressive three-times a week (Monday-Wednesday-Friday) update schedule, I've been hard at work on pages this month so that I can maintain that schedule. Once I knock out a page tomorrow, I will have hit my target of having at least 7 weeks' worth of content finished prior to "going live."
• Speaking of going live, I've also been hard at work at polishing the Over website. The url is www.overcomic.com. I'll be putting the finishing touches on it this weekend, adding a few "cold open" pages of content, and then kicking off the comic with the first page on Monday. Hope you'll check it out.

ICE: Interrogation Control Element

• Still no word from Zuda whether ICE does or does not "meet their editorial needs at this time." Technically, they still have about 37 days to make a decision, according to their policies and procedures, however if I haven't heard from them by the 20th of next month, experience has shown me that it's going to be a pass.
• If Zuda passes on ICE...yeah, I'm going to be bummed. Last year, I made a calculated effort to take three cracks at submitting to Zuda. I was confident after getting Super Seed in, that all I had to do was partner with some great artists and produce stories that I could market effectively and I was a shoe in. Well, neither CounterTERROR or Tears of the Dragon made it past Zuda editorial, which did surprise me. If they pass on ICE, it'll be even more of a shock. But, it's out of my hands at this point. Damian, Paul and I produced a high quality submission that we are all proud of. Zuda's decision won't effect that in the slightest.
• The topical nature of ICE is undeniable, and the torture/terror/prisoner debate continues to stay front page news. If you didn't catch this clip, it's really worth watching.
  

Tears of the Dragon

• I've been doing a lot of research on castles of late, so that I can give enough reference information to Koko for this next batch of pages he's working on. Some of the best books on castles for my purposes are actually illustrated children's books, so I certainly got some looks from the librarian on checking out a stack of books from the kids' section. But this is what I do for my craft. ;)
• Expecting to see pages from Koko any day. He received a shipment of art supplies from me earlier this month, and is working on professional comic book art paper for the first time, and enjoying it.
  
• Still on track for a Tuesday, July 14th update. You will definitely hear me use the phrase "Tears of the Dragon Tuesdays" this summer. I'm all about the slogans and taglines.

Creating Comics! The Art + Craft

• You caught the launch of my new column at Comic Related this Monday, right? Of course you did.
  
• Seriously, I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the fine things the folks at Comic Related are doing. It'll be a good venue to reach out to a broader audience than my blog or other social networks reach and hopefully share some advice with prospective and aspiring comics creators.
• The column will run every Monday for at least the next six months and hopefully longer than that. So head over and post a comment if you like what you read.
  

Other Stuff

• I'll be submitting a revised course listing for my Creating Comics! adult class. I also plan on doing a better job of advertising my class to help ensure it meets the required enrollment numbers.
• I've started researching and plotting work on a new superhero book with a cool historical hook. Not ready to announce it or give any more details about the story in specifics, but I have high hopes that this could be a big breakthrough book for me. Why? Well, it has a number of great things going for it. A short, catchy, clever, memorable title that evokes the subject matter? Check. An evocative and intriguing one sentence pitch? Check. An opportunity for strong visuals and even stronger characters? Check. A great artist attached? Yup, I've got one interested. What I'm working on now is trying to figure out who the main protagonist should be and narrow in on the major theme of the book. Right now, I have a strong idea with a lot of sizzle that'll get an audience to take a look. What I have to do is fill out the substance and decide what I'm trying to say by writing this book.
  
• I'm trying to line up and schedule my convention appearances for the rest of the year. I'll be posting some updates on that in the coming weeks.

Alright, that's about it. You're caught up. Now back to the grind!