Hey Everyone!
Hope you are all off to a great start of Summer. Things are pretty good on my end, just enjoying the weather, cooking some badass barbecue, and writing some killer comics.
I’d like to introduce the newest member of my family, and a big fan of comics - or, chewing them up at least. Everyone say hi to Barney!
Barney came to us all the way from Texas, thanks to the efforts of a local rescue,
A Second Chance for Ziva, who were amazing to work with, and could always use your support to help rescue more pups!
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind - I’ve never had a dog before, only cats, so I’ve been learning a lot, and having a lot of fun along the way. For those wondering, he’s a Beagle-Foxhound mix (we think), and about 1 1/2 years old, so still full of high octane puppy energy.
So why now?
It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and also wanted my boys to experience, and after a lot of hemming and hawing, we realized that there was never going to be a “perfect” time. We just had to take the plunge, do it, and just deal with whatever comes up.
There’s a lesson in there for newer comic creators, I think (trying to keep this relevant!). If you’re not careful, it’s easy to fall into the trap of endlessly revising, and not producing. The desire for everything to be perfect warps into a form of procrastination, where you’re putting actually making the thing because you’re afraid it won’t be received well.
That brings me back to something one of my professors back in college said to us, in a screenwriting class: “Don’t be afraid to suck.” It’s an interesting way to express the idea that no creator is perfect - no script or drawing is perfect. It’s something we all chase, but can never really achieve.
And part of learning how to create as a professional is learning the humility to admit that you are not god’s gift to comics, or film, or whatever, and pure gold will not flow out of your keyboard every time you sit down to churn something out.
Your work is going to suck sometimes. Or at least, it’s not going to be your best. But that’s ok. That’s what learning is for. That’s what editing is for, too.
All you can really do is produce work to the best of your current ability - or as Donny Cates used to put it: Make shit as cool as you possibly can at the moment.
Don’t worry about it being perfect. Worry about getting so locked into your ideas that you’re unwilling to drop them for better ones. Creation is a messy thing. It’s supposed to be, and half the fun is pushing through that mess and coming out with something awesome at the other end. (Another reason why you won’t see me using AI to write, ever.)
So what am I doing this month?
Making cool shit, of course! I’ve got a really awesome pitch I’ve been working on with Giulia Lalli, Vittorio Astone, and Justin Birch out to several publishers, and we’re eagerly awaiting responses.
I don’t want to spoil too much about it, but here’s the first line of the pitch:
”In the afterlife, it’s every soul for itself… unless you know the right people.”
I’ll hopefully have more updates on that as time goes on.
PBURG MAKES COMICS
One of the highlights of my May was getting to do Philipsburg Comic-Con, a one day con put on every year by Philipsburg NJ’s High School Comic Book Club. It’s got a real friendly atmosphere, and Faith Ronconroni and the kids make all of us creators feel like family every year.
This year was a special one - the 10th Anniversary, and to mark the occasion, the one and only DMC, Darryl McDaniels himself, put on a small concert for all us creators and attendees.
It was a real treat to hear King of Rock, It’s Tricky, and other classics all these years later. Run DMC’s Raising Hell was the very first album I bought with my own money, on cassette no less, so this was like a dream show for me.
And of course I had to get a picture with the man himself.
Now we know DMC stands for Darryl MCDaniels, not to mention Devastating Mic Controller, but did you also know it stands for Darryl Makes Comics?
Along with my good friend Amy Chu, Darryl has been bringing the same passion and intensity he brings to music to the world of comics, and like everything else he does, he’s killing it. (It ALSO stands for Darryl Makes Cookies, you can’t stop the guy!)
More than anything else, it was great to meet a true legend, and even better to be sharing an industry with him. I can’t wait for the next PCC, if you’re anywhere in the NJ area, come on by!
That Eisner Buzz
I also wanted to give a shoutout to my buddies Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman - they’ve been making comics together for a long time now, and have a bonafide hit on their hands with The Pedestrian, which was nominated for an Eisner Award this year!
I’m so happy to see good folks like Joey and Sean get the recognition they deserve, and hope they walk home with that sweet, sweet trophy - but even if they don’t, The Pedestrian is a funny, thought-provoking take on the concept of superheroes, and it’s just full of heart from cover to cover. I encourage you to check it out.
One last thing…
I’m probably not supposed to show you this, but remember last month how I said I was taking over a non-superhero property for a few issues? Well art started coming in and let me just tell you, it is FIRE.
Here’s a tiny tease… hope to have more to share, including the project details soon.
Ok, that’s it for me - this month is gonna be writing, writing, writing, and getting ready for a triumphant return to SDCC!
Until then, excelsior, my friends.
- Rich
Excellent advice, Rich! It's hard to be your best every single time, but completing a project is a million times better than endlessly rewriting it. Thanks for sharing!
Cute dog!