Driving a tired and sleepy car today, but the show must go on. Did today’s work on Project Rebuild. Now I’m doing this. Then onto something else afterward.
Assuming the world doesn’t explode by end-of-week, on Friday I’m scheduled to speak with someone who understands the Matrix better than me and we’re going to do some behind-the-scenes work on this blog to turn it into the on-line machine I need for going forward (which basically means taking what’s here and doing some back-end stuff to achieve what I hope is the final step in my media machine model). If the blog gets a little screwy on Friday or, potentially, the days leading up to it because I decide to monkey around, just hang tight.
In the meantime, stay safe. Stay healthy. Eat right. Rest right. It’s all any of us can do to ensure we are as healthy as possible for the days ahead.
Side note: The latest Patreon article is written and will be uploaded after final review. The topic is what to do if you’re feeling your arts career is sinking. Part one of two. Read it here by subscribing to the Essays tier. Also gets you access to all uploaded chapters of Gigantigator Death Machine. Thank you in advance for your support.
Outside, it’s cool and gray, but all is well here at Axiom-man Central. We’re taking care of some things on the personal front and are still working on things on the professional front.
Saturday’s newsletter is written and ready to go outside its pre-send proofread.
After years of putting it off, I’m stepping down from being solely an author. “Solely” being the operative word. The book publishing industry rewarded me in the ways I needed, taught me the things I wanted to learn, and helped me meet the types of people I wanted to meet, both creator and reader alike. And while true that since I’ve been back from being ill, I’ve taken on the mantle of writer/artist instead of just writer, I thought it’d be a fair thing to tell you what the current road map looks like career-wise so I don’t accidentally mislead you.
This is the general plan:
2020 is a year of rebuilding hence Project Rebuild. Throughout the course of the year–with the very end of the year being the ideal-but-flexible deadline–I’ll be bringing my book list into the 21st century and will release a new thing or two along the way. And it will take the whole year or potentially more because I have a lot of titles and all this takes time.
Going forward in 2021, I have a few books that are done that need releasing so those will be tended to as well as finishing off some works-in-progress to wrap them up.
While the above two are occuring, I’ll be spending most of my time and energy devoted to making comics. Comics are what started me on the publishing path and are a great love of mine. In short, writing books will be a secondary thing compared to the comics.
All I want to do is finish the last bit of my book publishing life and make comics going forward.
For Axiom-man fans, don’t worry. Lots of prose adventures coming. I’m referring to my non-superhero work.
I also need to point out something to my readers that needs to be taken into consideration: I’m still sick. I’m much better than before, but even when I started up again at the end of last August, I was operating at around 65-70% capacity. Going hard at 1000mph has dropped me to about 50% on a good day, 40-45% on every other day. Each day I come to the keyboard, I’m not healthy on multiple levels, but I work anyway because making art and stories is what I do and it’s what helps me survive. All I’m saying is I’m changing things on various levels so I don’t keel over and die one day in the middle of a script or while drawing something. It is also important to point out that my shift to comics isn’t about accommodating for being unwell. It’s about looking ahead to my deathbed when I’m lying there and looking back. I know I’ll regret it if I don’t do comics and since time is the most valuable thing on this earth, I want to spend it doing something I love.
When it comes to Batman’s universe, Nightwing has always been a favorite on the hero side and Bane on the villain side. Here is my Nightwing and Bane action figure collection with a Nightwing Pop! figure thrown in for good measure.
Don’t forget to like and subscribe. Your subscription will help me make books and comics.
Part of the toy collection that surrounds me in my studio is my Superman action figure collection. I collect Superman across various toylines where he’s wearing his iconic suit. I shot this little video showcasing the collection. (And when I say on the blog and in my newsletter I work in a bunker, as you can see, I work in a bunker! No smoke blowing here.)
Superman: Man of Steel 1995 Toy (Action Figure) Collection Showcase.
I’ve always been a collector of various things so shot this video for you showcasing my Superman: Man of Steel toy collection that lines the walls of my studio with my other figures. There’s something about having all those figures side by side on display that gets me excited and strikes inspiration.
Watch the video below to check out these cool figures. Be sure to subscribe so you’re notified when other collectible videos are uploaded.
As we continue barreling down the 2020 Timeline of All Things at 1000mph, we also need to remember to take time for self-care, so today will be a half day–or self-care day–because I have an appointment that needs tending to if this middle-aged machine is going to keep bringing you books and comics.
Attention is also being given to the workflow behind the scenes because, I’m learning, I can’t approach this business like I did prior to being ill. Different variables, both internal and external, have created a different climate in which to work.
Some retooling is occuring in order to not wind up bed-ridden again.
Yes, I recognize I sometimes talk a lot of publishing flow here on the blog. This is just me getting my ideas up and processed so I can try a mosaic of things, see if they work, and remove and/or add where needed until the mosaic has some form to it and I’m happy with the image.
I made a video discussing the 1000mph Club which, though commonly used to describe car speed, was also used by Warren Ellis in his newsletter, Orbital Operations, about working at a breakneck pace.
Take a look at the vLog below to see what I said about it. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to stay current on all the latest videos.
Enjoy!
Ps. Have a question for me that you’d like answered in a video? Shoot me an email and I’ll do something up for you. Thanks.
Main goals for the week include: Continue keeping the Project Rebuild wheel in motion, continue work on the new art print I started last week, and some behind-the-scenes stuff connected to my little media machine. I’m sure secondary goals for the week will pop up, but until they do, these items get the focus.
Fairly mild morning here in Winnipeg. We got hit with some real cold weather last week but it’s begun to let up.
Presently drinking coffee and allowing the brain to come on-line for the day.
Tomorrow, a new entry for the behind-the-scenes tier airs on Patreon. Get an inside look at how things work behind the curtain here at Axiom-man Central by going here and joining my Patreon journey. Thanks.
