In his dreams Alan Donald is a multi-award winning
writer of comic books, animation, theme park shows and rides, children’s books,
novels, television, internet animation and more.
In real life Alan writes this column,
which has been described as
more than a lifestyle than a
weekly column. He used to write
SBC's All The Rage.
Hello and welcome to Final Draft. My name is Alan Donald and I won't hold you up any further...
The Panel
Nine very different people from different parts of the comicbook industry, with different experiences and ideas on the industry come together to answer your questions. Jock, the New Boy and the artist on Vertigo's new and excellent series, The Losers; Peter David, the Old Boy, you really shouldn't require an introduction, if you don't know and love his stuff, shame on you; Evil Rick Shea, the Retailer, wanna buy comics? Talk to him; Phillipos, the fan, he supplied this week's question; Shawna Ervin-Gore, the Editor, she's Dark Horse's newest Editor and the only woman on the panel (and a fine person at that); Joe Quesada, the Publisher, he's the Daddy at Marvel; Lee Dawson, Dark Horse's Publicity guru; Craig Lemon, the Hack, SBC's second-in-command, he edits loads of columns and runs one of the most respected review sections in the industry; and me, The Columnist because I don't do enough (NB The Panellists are all very busy people and on occasions it may not be possible to bring replies from them all. I apologise unreservedly for this but it’s the price one pays for having some of the biggest names around doing you a favour. Think of it this way if they’re too busy to answer it probably means something really cool is being worked on behind the scenes).
This week's question is:
"What is it that is special about comicbooks? Why do you read/work with the medium?"
New Boy: "It's one of the few creative mediums where strong ideas can stay that way. Just having one or two people working on an idea makes for a much purer vision than the committee thinking mentality of, say, Hollywood. I think that's why comics are such a rich source of ideas... extremely creative people, forcing ideas out day in day out.... it can lead to some stunning work. "
The Editor: "It would be hard to pinpoint exactly why I read comics, because I simply recall them being around my whole life. I have two older brothers, so by the time I turned four there were piles of Creepy and Eerie lying around the house, along with all the Harvey and Archie comics my dad would pick up for me and a handful of superhero books. I've always been a voracious reader, and I feel fortunate that I never differentiated between comics and "regular" books when I was a kid. I just read everything. I probably turned out a little funny for having read the old horror comics at such a young age, though.
Comics is an amazing medium simply for what it is -- words and pictures combined to tell a story. I love visual art, and I love good writing and storytelling. It's pretty simple. And as for working in comics -- I think I just got really, incredibly lucky. Having grown up reading comics, and inherently understanding their charms and strengths (and, at the same time, understanding how so many people have NO idea how cool comics can be), I was a much better fit than most other applicants for my original marketing position at Dark Horse. I'm proud of the work I do and the people I work with, and I literally love the details of the job. I can't imagine what job would be better than this ...except maybe NOT having to work."
The Publicist: "For me it just simply comes down to the successful combination of two great art forms, the written word and visual art. That the two combined can be so effective and one enhance the other so well is ultimately what makes it a such a special medium. Kind of like chocolate and peanut butter together! Great on their own, but mix them up and it's pure joy. I read comics and work in the medium because of it's uniqueness and the impact is has had on me in my life. I love a lot of other great art forms, but few are quite as special as comics. (Do chocolate and peanut butter combined count as an art form?)"
The Retailer: "Comics are an incredible medium. You can accomplish so many things in comics that can't be done in any other format. There are no special effects budgets or filming constraints. There are no actors storming off in a huff for no good reason (although a creator or two have done that in their time). The serialized format means that someone can always build off of what came before. Another great thing is that although comics are a collaborative medium, there aren't a million producers throwing notes at a writer or artist on what to fix, change, or keep. So many amazing things can happen in comics that couldn't be pulled off in any other medium and they really do transport you to another world, as silly as that sounds. I'm always enthused about the amazing diversity of products available as you can't find this much anywhere else."
The Hack: "Scott McCloud's seminal works, Understanding Comics and Reinventing Comics, answer these questions with far more elegance and clarity than I dare to muster.
Suffice it to say that comics are a unique medium, and that's why I love them. "
The Fan: "Other art forms have pictures, others have words but no other art form puts the two together in such an unbelievable way as comics do."
The Columnist: "Quite aside from the fact that comicbooks are incredible and that so much is possible that you can't do anywhere else there is also so much more. Taking just one comicbook as an example, The Watchmen is enough to show all that is unique about comicbooks. In it Moore and Gibbons show a wide variety of story telling styles that are only possible in this medium. Comicbooks are intelligent, ever inventive and just plain cool.
I write my column because I love comicbooks."
Online Comics
From a weekly one panel gag to a daily cartoon we’ll review and promote them all, you just have to let us know about them, just drop me a line: AlanWJDonald@aol.com
First up is Roger (Legends of the Dark Knight) Langridge’s Fred the Clown:
www.hotelfred.com
Fred the Clown is a very professional and sometimes very surreal little comic strip series. Check it out for yourself and see what you think.
“BAD GUY tells the story of an assassin named John. However, John is no ordinary gun-for-hire, as he deals exclusively with the CONTRACT KILLINGS OF SUPER POWERED BEINGS. He's the guy sent in when the costumed SUPER-FREAKS step on the wrong toes.” Bad Guy has also been optioned by Paramount. This is a good strip but I found it took an absolute age to download so I couldn’t enjoy it that much. I have, however, heard very good things about this strip and SBC Reviews Editor, Craig Lemon, recommends it most heartily.
The next suggestion is some bollocks, sorry bollox from SBC’s hottest new columnist Glenn Carter (look out for a few more suggestions from him in coming weeks). Glenn hasn’t had a chance to check out the following fully so I gave it a look:
It’s not total bollocks but it’s definitely an acquired taste. I suggest you have a good plough through the archives before you form an opinion either way. There are two pluses, the first is that all the strips I looked at loaded quickly and the second is that there are loads to read here. The quality of the strips vary dramatically but unfortunately it doesn’t ‘float my boat’ as they say however you may feel differently.
Why aren't you reading...
This is a regular feature where I'll look at some of the titles I've been reading lately that I think need a bit more publicity than they're getting.
Star Wars Tales
Star Wars tales is an excellent and enjoyable read. It is always imaginative and original and never what you expect it to be. Fans of the Star Wars comics are very remiss in not reading this and true fans of the films are missing out on some great stories and fun if they've passed this by.
I interviewed Dave Land, the Editor of the book:
1) How would you describe Star Wars Tales?
"Tales is an anthology of short stories set in the Star Wars universe which features the talents of some of the best writers and artists working in comics today."
2) Why should people read the book?
"Because it offers a fun time for both the seasoned Star Wars fan and casual reader alike!"
3) How and who came up with the idea for Tales?
"It seems like the idea for Tales has been around since I started working at Dark Horse seven years ago. I'm not sure who came up with the original idea. Once upon a time Tales was going to be a magazine with both comics and feature articles.
Unfortunately, we were unable to make that happen. The whole thing almost died at one point and then it was recosted as a regular comics anthology -- that was about five years ago. And the rest is history."
4) Did you think the concept would work as well as it does?
"I've always thought that the short story format was a slam dunk for Tales. It's opened up the Star Wars universe to a variety of different creators and readers as well. Also once we got the nod from Lucasfilm that we could separate the book from hard-core continuity (under the Infinities banner) it freed us up even more to tell some really great stories. Without Infinities we never would have been able to have Vader fight Maul. Now THAT would have been a tragedy!"
5) Right from the start Tales has had a real mixture of humour and drama, is it hard to keep this up and to get the mix right?
"There are some fans out there who really don't appreciate the humorous stories, but I think they're in the minority. I tend to be drawn more to the tongue-in-cheek stories, but I always try to remember to mix it up. It's really not that difficult though. When you're doing at least five stories an issue it's a good bet than two or three will always have a more traditional dramatic bent."
6) What does Mr Lucas think of the book?
"It is not my place to ponder the thoughts of Mr. Lucas. OH! Now you've done it! You've made me say HIS name! Woe! Woe and damnation! HIDE ME! PLEASE!!!"
7) What is your favourite tale from Tales?
"The Vader vs. Maul story from Tales #9. I thought that one turned out really nice... (Don't tell the other stories though. I don't want them to know I have a favorite!)"
8) A Jedi Droid, Yoda in Pulp Fiction and an insecure child-like Darth Vader have all featured in Tales so far. Have there been any story pitches that have been too bizarre to use?
"Not that come to mind. There was ONE story that I thought we'd never be able to tell, but as it turns out we're going to be publishing that in Tales #19 coming next March. I'm sure it'll make a lot of people freak out. There is also the Star Wars/Superman crossover that Phil Amara and I came up with. I push that one every chance I get. But I'm sure it'll never see the light of day though..."
9) What's coming up that you are really pumped up about?
"Our "dark side" issue coming out in September is gonna be pretty sweet. Issue #18 is going to be an "all Boba Fett" issue. There are some good stories in that one. And then there's the shocking surprise coming up in #19... But I can't say anything about that..."
10) Do you own a black and red checked jacket?
"That's really more of a plaid flannel overshirt than a jacket. I own a LOT of them. Well okay, not a lot -- but at least a couple. It's important to stay warm especially when you work directly under a faulty air conditioning duct!"
Drop back later in the week and we should have some more cool images from upcoming Star Wars Tales for your delectation as soon as the DH staff return from their break (apparently there was some sort of holiday in the Colonies on the 4th of July something to do with tea I believe).
Do you have a favourite comicbook that you think deserves more publicity than it gets? Do you write or edit one? If so let me know and if I agree I’ll feature it here. Just email AlanWJDonald@aol.com and feel free to send me a copy out (emails requesting my address for free stuff to be sent to me are very promptly replied to).
Cool Sites
Comics aren’t the be all and end all of our life; there are some pretty cool sites out there too. Send in your suggestions to AlanWJDonald@aol.com
This weeks offering comes from the Big Boss of SBC Mr. Jason Brice:
Meet Mr. Torso. This site seems to be growing all the time and is well worth checking out for the cool imagery alone. Follow the leads, click on all the various bits when the little hand pops up and you’re in for some real treats such as the complete War of the Worlds musical script (with Eve of the War on Midi file) and much more besides.
Notice board
From the biggest comicon to a signing in a shop the size of a postage stamp by the guy who edits a self published magazine on wanking printed on toilet paper, we'll promote them all. All you have to do is email me to let me know. The notice board will be here every week to promote your events.
A few things are pinned to the notice board this week so I'll get right on down to it:
GENERAL INFORMATION: cciweb@nucgen.com MAIL: Comic-Con International P.O. Box 128458, San Diego, CA 92112-8458 HOTLINE: 619-491-2475 FAX: 619-414-1022 FAX-ON-DEMAND SYSTEM: 619-414-1029 Have any Comic-Con form faxed directly to you!
COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2003 Fact Sheet: When: Thursday, July 18-Sunday, July 20 (Preview Night, Wednesday, July 17, for pre-registered 4-day members and professionals only) Hours: Thursday, July 17, Friday, July 18, Saturday, July 19: 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Sunday, July 20: 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Programming, films, anime and gaming and special events occur on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Where: San Diego Convention Center, 111 Harbor Drive, Downtown San Diego, CA 92101 Shuttle service to the Convention Center is available from Comic-Con hotels and select parking areas.
Special Events: Thursday, July 17: Star Wars Fan Film Awards, 8:30 p.m., Ballroom 20 Friday, July 18: Will Eisner Comic Book Industry Awards, 8:30 p.m., Ballroom 20 Saturday, July 19: Comic-Con International Masquerade, 8:30 p.m., Ballroom 20 (Your Comic-Con membership badge gets you into the above-mentioned Special events FREE).
Remember I need you to be sending in your announcements, signings, events and such like to pin up on the Board. Meanwhile you should check out previous week's Notice Board as many of the announcements on there will still be current.
Another week bites the dust. Thank you very much for reading and I hope to see you again next week.
TTFN - Alan Donald signing off to start getting ready for Uni…as from September I’m a student teacher!
The Final Draft is my bloody column, OK? If you wanna copy it then make sure you tell me and link to this here column…sorted!
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