A bit of an explanation...

In the beginning, I started off my quest to work for MARVEL COMICS, with only "THE OFFICIAL MARVEL COMICS TRY-OUT BOOK" as my only exposure to the workings of comics, and being a comic book creator. Knowing that I needed to know much more than that, I discovered a man who's advice is both crucial, and heartfelt, C.B. Cebulski.

I have to say that it is on his advice that I'm venturing to pitch a book to probably the hottest comics publisher, next to Marvel Comics, a company founded by ex Marvel artist, and certainly comic book superstars, none other than IMAGE COMICS.

So this is step one...more to come.

THE WILD HUNT - Pitch Pages

THE WILD HUNT- Pitch to Image Comics. Written by Eric Bass, Masterfully Illustrated by Ibrahim Moustafa - Pages 1 - 5, plus Cover Mockup.

Dress for the job you want - Part One

I was listening to "Talksplode #18 - Breaking In to Comics with CB Cebulski, Ron Perazza and Stephen Christy" the other day, which makes that the 13th time I've listening to it. I've listened to is while sleeping, eating, drawing, having conversations with co-workers, spin class (not really), I've listened to it just about every time, I need to either feel energized, or in need of a bracing does of reality.

It's like a good book that is so easy to re-read, again and again, that it gets dog-eared and the pages become thin from too much turning. It's a great resource for anyone contemplating the world of comic book creation, and employment.

When I started down this path, to be a comic book professional, there were not as many resources as I thought there should be, and the search of genuinely informed sources, was Sisyphean in it's completion. There had to be deep rich veins of comic book profundity to be had, some diligent cadre of pedantic pulp purveyors, just aching to have their knowledge gobbled, up by like-minded mavens. And then came iFanboy.

Hours melted away as I sifted through their comic-con coverage, of every major con, and I have since watch them numerous times. My eyes were opened to aspects of the culture that even as a long time comic reader, I knew nothing about. They spoke with the artist, and I heard the passion, and love for this artform, that shockingly get little of the respect it's due. These men and women, from Greg "The Supa Mutha" Rucka, to Gail Simone (super-hotty), to Nicola Scott (hotty hot hotty) to Rick "The Effing Man" Remender, and Jamal "The Journyman" Igle. Seeing these artisans and writers, gave me the inspiration I needed to begin this trek, to a destination that it is my fanatical hope, will lead to being among their number.

Which brings me to the title of this entry, "Dress for the job you want"...which will have to wait until part two.

Disclaimer: The nicknames given to the amazing people, are totally of my own creation, and not ones given to them (as far as I know) by either friends, family, or the industry at large. And in no way meant in any other way other than adoration and admiration.

Minor Thought - The Tao of Galactus

If there is indeed a Tao of Galactus, I'm certain it must be a very long and often bumpy road. For one to obtain the moniker "Devourer of Worlds", an unfathomable amount of legwork is , I'm sure, a prerequisite.

I'm not looking to be THAT guy. That guy, who while still in high school, carried his "Scooby-Doo" lunchbox with him, everywhere. The one who believed that, only most of the creature in the "Dungeons & Dragons" source books were real, and living in uncharted regions of the world, like Pangea? Or that superpowers were possible, only the US Government would not allow scientists the proper funding, or that the antiquate code of of ethics, were squared opposed to "human testing". This one scared me more, than it raised my eyebrows.

Many years later, I think back on "that guy", I realize how much better off (apart from the human testing) thinking like he did. His imagination was unbridled, his belief in the fantastic unchecked, and clearly galloping across the landscape of his reality. He held on to the childlike belief, that anything is possible. Because I think the longer you hold on to that kind of wonder, the more fun you life winds up being. And now, many years later, I hold true to the less "harmful to humans" portion of his philosophy. I roll around in my imagination, like a forty foot Jack Russell terrier, in a field of grass, on a sunny day.

An unbridled imagination is a wondrous thing, it keeps your mind sharp, and those around you, on their toes, and in whatever profession you choose to devote yourself to, it makes it that much more fun. That's what I envision comic book writing will be for me, without the "human testing".

Prima Blogga - First Blog

It's ten minutes to two o'clock in the morning, and I'm sitting at computer, (which is the epitome of obvious), and I'm writing the first blog of this particular blog..thing.

There is a certain amount of leeway needed to be given a man who's writing a blog at two in the morning. So I ask for forgiveness, now, to hopefully be received later.

Now, this is the first of many blogs about my love of Marvel Comics, and my love of the art of comic books. And it is an art. One that, for most outside of the comic book industry, and of course those in Hollywood who've realize the power that comics hold, have not given much regard.

But this is my love letter, or letters, to that wonderful art-form, that I've followed for nearly all of my life. With the exception of the years when Sesame Street was my sole obsession, and Romper Room a close second. Those "lost" years are through no fault of mine, I blame my parents, for wanting to give their children something educational and non violent to watch...the horror, the great, great horror.

Moving on..

I didn't really know what I wanted to write for this, my inaugural blog post, but I know I needed to write something. In, I'm sure many a "how-to" book, lies the rules, that a blog, should have words, strung together in a mildly coherent fashion, is a good thing, So, with that clearly made up rule, I set my mind to writing.

However, i was stumped as to, what topic I'd address. Would it be comics? No, that would be, redundant for a blog about comics. Besides, I'm sure I'd address that at a later date, and I don;t want to beat that horse too much, too soon.

Would it be about the art of making comics? No, because that would comprise the majority of the blogs to com, and to be honest, I wanted to write something a bit more personal.

The conclusion. I'm going to wrote about writing. I now that also seems redundant, and maybe kind of a lazy entry. But, the choice of topic is far more insidious than it seems at first glance. You see, the art of writing, very much to my unending surprise, is possibly the easiest difficult task I've ever done. It's a task that is massive in it's completion, yet simple in it's mechanics, and Herculean in its execution

The old adage, that anyone can write, is as true as any truth should be. I came to writing, in a selfish endeavor to control every aspect of my creative process. since I began my creative life as an artist, and remain so to this day. Yet I wanted to to never depend on anyone else to realize what I saw in my head. In my attempt to make films (which I still intend to do) I new the surest way to control that vision, was to write my own movies. reading everything I could get my hands on, regarding filmmaking, I discovered that screenwriting gave me that control, and I devoured it with eagerness, and determination.

And at some point along the way, I realized that my visual storytelling, even while being a very good artist, need much improvement. So I turned to the source of my inspiration, comics. Comic books informed my visual thought, it was the first love and the well that I would always return to, when my intellect left the cerebral building. So in order to strengthen my storytelling ability, I when back to "comic book school", to learn from the masters of visual storytelling, comic book writers and artists.

Now I'd read both publishers (and a few indies), but I'd always gravitated, inextricably, to Marvel comics...

To be continued.