Below is a list of my ten favorite superhero movies in no particular order.
1. Superman: The Movie
2. Wonder Woman
3. Batman (1989)
4. Watchmen
5. V for Vendetta
6. Iron Man
7. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
8. The Dark Knight
9. Ant-Man
10. The Avengers
Of course, there are many more. I reviewed 100 superhero movies in my book, Look, Up on the Screen! The Big Book of Superhero Movie Reviews. It’s worth checking out if you’re a superhero movie nut like me. (http://bit.ly/1NRR4Gh)
Usually, I have a mental road map as to where things are going with my career, projects on the docket, and other things that need tending to. Using this foreknowledge, I try and automate as much of it as I can, then clear off the small tasks so I can then work on the bigger projects. For me, this has been a good method to get time working for me instead of me trying to find the time to get it all done.
And, of course, setting up a planned chunk of time to be offline also helps because the Net’s rabbit hole is deep and addictive.
Presently, there are things that are on my “looking ahead” agenda, things in motion, all to be revealed and/or released in due time.
I used to work on one novel, one short story, and a poem at the same time. Then I switched to working on one book and/or item at a time. Now I’m back to working on multiple things at once. It’s a stretch of the mind, to be sure, but also a method of getting a lot done because you are multitasking. These days I usually have one personal project, something freelance, and something art-related all happening at the same time. Thus far, things are working out okay. This will probably change in the future as the project schedule changes, but until then, I’ll stick with this method of working.
On a personal note, I am looking forward to things slowing down a bit. Can only go hard for so long until you burn out and, frankly, that’s already happened several times over. Gonna need time to recuperate but this going hard is all part of my masterplan so you gotta do what you gotta do.
There are days when your head feels like it’s filled with sand or some sort of concrete lump instead of a brain. It makes you tired and you don’t feel like writing or drawing, and all you want to do is take a nightcap and go to sleep.
But you have to work anyway.
You have to.
Books and art don’t make themselves. You let yourself slide one day, then the next time it becomes two days, then three, then four. Soon, you’ve got nothing to show for your year.
Brick in the head or not, the work needs to get done. No way around it. We live in a society where a lot of people don’t want to work for something. Too bad. Whether you feel like it or not, work is a required part of life and, especially, in the art business where it’s highly competitive.
If you play your cards right, the publishing business can bring you notoriety and fame, whether big or small. For me, except for a brief period when I was starting out, fame wasn’t on the radar. Personally, I’d hate to be famous. I don’t mind my name being famous, but me, myself, and I? No thanks. Life in the all-day spotlight isn’t a want for this introvert. It’s nice to visit fame, like at shows, but when you’re done, you’re back to being Joe Schmoe on the street, which suits me just fine.
It also begs the question: At what point does someone become famous in our digital age? I’m not sure if there’s an answer to that.
One of the questions writers get asked is, which of their own books is there favorite? It’s a difficult question to answer because each book has its own charm and special qualities. However, if I were to be hard pressed and had to give an answer, I’d say it’s my first book, A Stranger Dead, simply because it was my first book and the one that kicked off this book-writing career of mine.
It’s the story that asks the question: If you found out who the Antichrist was before his season of power, would you kill him? It’s like asking the famous question if one would go back in time and kill Hitler.
The story is solid and one I’m proud of. Looking back, the writing needs work, which is why I plan on one day rereleasing the book. Perhaps on my twentieth anniversary of being a writer.
There’s something about that first book that was atmospheric, both in the story itself and in the air whenever—and wherever—I wrote it. It was my first special world, one I had complete control over. It was my first attempt at making a book.
The first book in my writer library.
Firsts, no matter what they are, good or bad, will always stand out as the benchmarks of our lives. A Stranger Dead was one of mine. What is one of yours?
It’s a small niche and is outside the mainstream, but I’ve been giving a lot of thought to alternative reading and how important it is. It’s the stuff that’s not controlled by big corporations or publishing houses. It’s the stuff where money isn’t the primary objective. It’s the stuff that has the freedom to be open and honest—an industry not run by greed, but one run by love.
I encourage you to check out zines, check out bizarro literature, check out off-beat publications, and support that side of the industry by not only getting the books and comics, but by also spreading the word about them. This world is so brainwashed it’s sad. We’ve been force fed the same shit over and over and all we do at the end is smile with our crap-covered faces and say, “More, please.”
Time to shake things up, but we have to do this together. But it’ll never happen. It’s easier to sit in shit than to actually get moving and find a better, alternative spot.
I love comics. Below are my top ten graphic novels and/or graphic novel series in no particular order.
1) Alec by Eddie Campbell
2) From Hell by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell
3) Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
4) The Crow by James O’Barr
5) Sin City by Frank Miller
6) Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson
7) American Splendor by Harvey Pekar et al.
8) King-Cat by John Porcellino
9) Cerebus by Dave Sim and Gerhard
10) Sunnyville Stories by Max West