Three Things, Episode 2!

In a slight departure from the usual seriousness, here’s Three Things, Episode 2 – featuring my new hair, and mascot, the Dread Pirate Quackers.

Enjoy!

-Brian

Caduceus #5.

Seven’s story is almost at an end; and despite coming out of it a little scratched up, she’s still feeling down.

Why don’t you go to the hospital and cheer her up?

I think you’ll particularly like this one. You might notice a few things are different about this story, compared to the earlier ones.

(This is intentional.)

I’m back home again for spring break. The second video blog entry will be put together and posted on YouTube sometime next week; but there are a few people I’m looking forward to seeing in the near future.

Also, I purchased my first long box on Saturday. I was running out of shelf space, so I had to find some way to store my loose comics in a tidy manner.

I was always a geek. Now I’m just more comfortable expressing it.

-Brian

Pen Name…

So, after ignoring it for quite some time, I’ve realized that it may be wise to go for a pen name.

Suggestions have included:

Dog’s name, same last name.
Middle name, same last name.
Something resembling a 1920’s serial adventurer’s name.
Something evocative, resembling an unintelligible (or unpronounceable) symbol.
and, naturally, Max Power.

Any input is welcome.

-Brian (for now, at least)

Not writing, but still amusing.

Here’s something I contributed to at NYCC, during a certain Webcomics panel with some very, very hilarious and talented people.

A dadaist flow comic.

Many great contributions were made – I brought the Cthulu and the Dance Party.

There’s a second one coming that, I think, far outstrips this one…

-Brian

Dollhouse vs. Lucky Me.

If there’s one thing I love, it’s seeing two different approaches to the same idea.

As it turns out, Lucky Me and Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse (I write this as I’m watching Episode Two) have some similarities. They both follow a main character who’s female, has had her mind erased, and imprinted with a certain level of knowledge and expertise. Joss Whedon took the concept far further than I did, and I’d say in a much more expert fashion – creating different elements to play off of the characters, inside vs. outside conflicts, et cetera.

But where do they differ? I chose the military, and allowing the character to start to live a life of her own after a wipe. Joss re-wipes them, show after show after show (and what would the show be if they didn’t?), but hints that memories may seep through.

Also, naming schemes. Each one of the US-8 is based loosely off of a number. And yes, in the case of Tre and Seven, I allowed them to keep their numerical identities. In one sense, it would’ve made more sense to give them false identities, but really, I’m more about streamlining things, and not getting everything too tangled. In Dollhouse, the Actives are all given theirs from the military alphabet, which I thought was fantastic. And the fact that both of us refer to the “tabula rasa” concept – very cool – but we use them in different ways.

What does this really say in the larger scheme of things? Not much. It’s kind of a coincidence – but then again, it also shows that I’m thinking along the same lines as people who write for a living.

Just…differently, that’s all.

-Brian

Caduceus, Part 3

As promised, here is Part 3, and Part 4 will be coming post-haste. As a small token of my extreme appreciation, Part 4 will be coming on Friday, as per the schedule. The remaining three parts are done , in Naomi’s more than capable hands, and ready to be dispersed on each successive Friday.

I’m happy with the way I’ve ended the saga of Seven; the stories themselves have been an exercise in trying to avoid predictability. As such, there won’t be a prequel. Not only do I have other stories I want to start telling, but I have what might possibly be an exciting new collaborative effort in the wings.

In regards to the video blog, I’ll be doing it monthly. If I did it weekly, it’d only be a matter of time before the “Three Things” devolved into “ham, bread, and ham sandwich”.  I much prefer this way of doing it.

-Brian

Oops.

Sorry ’bout the lateness on the latest “Lucky Me” story. The fault is uncharacteristically mine. But rest assured, they’ll be on time for the rest of the run.

I also think that this arc should be the end of it for Seven. I’ve got an idea for the next set of stories, and I think you’ll like it tremendously.

Also, some food for thought. A recent series of Tweets by C.B. Cebulski, a Marvel writer I’ve got a great deal of respect for, reads as follows :

No, seriously, I heard “I deserve…” and “I’m just as good as…” maybe 5 or 6 times at NYCC from writers & artists looking for work. Every year, same “writer” tells me how he’s better than [Brian] Bendis, and same “artist” can’t understand how [Chris] Bachalo gets work over him. This has been going on for four years now, con after con, and neither has broken into the top five publishers in that time. I wonder why?

I’m not even in the industry (yet) and I can tell you what’s blatantly wrong with that kind of perception. They’re putting themselves before their work, and letting their attitude speak for what their work can’t, or won’t, do.

I could say “I’m better than Bendis”, but that’s not saying anything at all. The way I write is different from his, and I focus on different elements. He’s much better than I could be at the sprawling super-drama, and I think, when I’m his age, I’ll be more skilled at creating character relationships, but it’s all in where we focus. I may dislike his tendancy towards bombast, and he might think I’m far too minimalist.

Point is, C.B’s right. They say the same thing, year after year, and they’ve done nothing to change their situation. And what has it done for them, except give them a sense of self-righteous anger and entitlement?

-Brian

Lucky Me, Great Weekend!

So, here is the latest Lucky Me story, Caduceus : Part Two. Enjoy.

On a side note, I’m very much looking forward to this weekend. I’ve got a couple of comics and things I’m bringing to get signed, I’m anticipating some great panels, and bringing a camera to catch the madness. Oh, and the spiffy new business cards – they’re coming with.

It should be a fantastic time.  Hope yours is just as good.
-Brian

A New Way of Looking at Things.

Lucky Me : Caduceus, pt. 1, is up over at Nomesquefiction.wordpress.com. Go check it out!

Also, I have a surprise for you. A little something I cooked up, and will be doing monthly in the future:

So go home, check those out, and practice your fake digeridoos.

-Brian

Reality and the Dream.

Paul Sizer has sparked an ongoing debate over at the Whitechapel forums, dealing with the thoughts on the justification of artists who believe they are “owed” by society for their work. Some of them, he states in the initial salvo, are simply full of themselves, and feel that their genius is unrecognized on a grand level.

Others, he says, are not. They are ignored, because they do their brilliant work, but do not give themselves their due.

Countless people have chipped in. I’ve offered my thoughts, as well as a proposal for a gonzo cross-country journey to cull the herd of so-called “writers” that sit in coffee shops and usher forth monothematic bile into the world, by judging their works and deeming them fit or unworthy to chase their version of the American Dream.

I’m a firm believer in support and reality. If I can offer constructive criticism, I will. If I can’t, I will simply offer support if I know it’s deserved.

Now, thinking on the subject of the thousands upon thousands of other writers out there; how many of them “deserve” to write? How many of them are as good as they say they are, and how many more are still better?

For every person like me – for every writer with talent looking to explore the depths of the future – how many are writing romance novels and cliched screenplays, and should we discount them because of their pursuits?

How many of them write because they got A’s in English, and are under the impression that they’re good writers, rather than good regurgitators?

For every person like this, how many are like this?

-Brian

P.S. I did not know the girl, although I was within driving distance of that school when I grew up. I find it incredibly ironic that, after having a heavy tryst with blatant plagiarism and copyright infringment, she’s attending law school; but not entirely. I knew a girl in the running for Valedictorian at my high school who cheated, schemed, and even passed other people’s work as her own for the school paper. She now travels the world in a well-paying job with an Ivy League education.