tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61896682011-06-18T20:42:48.784-05:00Odd JobsCreator's blog for the online mystery comic Odd Jobs - on all things comics, mystery and whatever else comes to mind.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.comBlogger341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1132692072514875662005-11-22T14:39:00.000-06:002005-11-22T14:41:12.530-06:00Here's a reply to T Campbell's excellent essay on mystery comics.OK, I think I know why this jumped out at me: "It's interesting that you wrote mostly about cozies and not other kinds of mysteries"I understand why you turned quickly to television - your premise regarding challenging legions of fans who are able to communicate and compare notes is stronger if you consider it in terms of a TV show Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1131125298682635712005-11-04T11:28:00.000-06:002005-11-04T11:29:09.696-06:00Come out to Forest Park on Sunday and celebrate Centuries & Sleuths 15th anniversary. A number of prominent Chicago-area authors will be there. I'll be there too, likely with my mom (a real mystery fan), signing my Twilight-Tales book.Augie runs a very author-friendly store and certainly deserves our support. Plus, Madison St. in Forest Park has developed into a terrific place to visit, have Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1129469695211349892005-10-16T08:22:00.000-05:002005-10-16T08:34:55.276-05:00I can't post at the Creator's Conference (late to the table, alas. Maybe in a few months), but there's a thread over there regarding contracts - specifically new creators giving up a majority percentage of their ownership rights in order to get published. http://www.the-engine.net/forum/messages.php?webtag=ENGINE&msg=426.121I wanted to support Lea Hernandez in that thread, and I think her Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1127753232876886442005-09-26T10:45:00.000-05:002005-09-26T11:47:12.890-05:00The Midwest Literary Festival a few weeks ago was very nice - downtown Aurora was a pleasant surprise. They're doing a good job of keeping it from being torn down and replaced by modern structures. The result is a good mixture of development from different decades. I sat in on the graphic novel panel with Stefan Petrucha and Mort Castle. They were very open to having a web cartoonist on the panelTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1126643791953061692005-09-13T15:36:00.000-05:002005-09-13T17:50:32.286-05:00Bestseller!Centuries & Sleuthsreported to Bookscan that "Something to build upon" was a top seller last month. Well, he sold all five books at least. I stopped by Sunday - he has five more on hand.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1126274434912188432005-09-09T09:00:00.000-05:002005-09-09T09:00:34.946-05:00Midwest Literary FestI'll be at the Midwest Literary Festival Saturday, Sept. 10,, where I'll be signing at the Twilight Tales booth from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, and doing a reading ... somewhere ... at 1:30 p.m. But I'm not sure about the Sunday gig. I was invited to sit in on the graphic novel panel at 3:30 pm Sunday, but I haven't been able to confirm that. I'll try and find out more on Saturday.Centuries & Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1126111359536234522005-09-07T11:42:00.000-05:002005-09-07T11:42:39.540-05:00Game onMore than a year since I posted last. Mainly because my little computer at home couldn't seem to load up blogspot.com correctly. Luckily, my wife is in love with iPod technology, so a new computer is in the future!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1079373189632407362004-03-15T11:49:00.000-06:002004-03-15T11:56:24.560-06:00I've been seriously swamped with work - the Illinois primary is coming up tomorrow and I've been kicking stuff out for that. Hopefully will resume blogging soon.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1076293226552775412004-02-08T19:27:00.000-06:002004-02-08T20:29:54.733-06:00LOVE IS MURDER mystery conference report
Friday I was in a state, as I've already mentioned. Really tense, nervous and edgy. Shouldn't have been posting.
Turned out I shouldn't have been so worried: The pitch meeting that afternoon was just fine - the agent who donated her time was SOOO nice, everyone scheduled to see her was nervous as all get out, but she set us all at ease. And she did it Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1076264181143033152004-02-08T12:09:00.000-06:002004-02-08T12:18:47.140-06:00Boy, can you tell from my previous posts that I was stressing out about this conference? I don't think they're that bad, and I won't go back and change them in anyway because I think that would be dishonest. So I'll just reiterate - I going to agree to disagree with Dirk - I really like the work he does and hope my tone wasn't too compative. I'm just passionate about the model I'm following. And Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1076081764872151412004-02-06T09:06:00.000-06:002004-02-06T09:38:27.640-06:00Dirk and I will just have to agree to disagree:
First, comics are a small part of the overall makeup of total product on offer, which means that publishers don't have the means to "flood" the market the way Marvel or DC can in comics shops.
They can and have flooded the graphic novel shelves. I've seen only one store that had a great selection of graphic novels that mixed everything and didn't Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1075993071921040072004-02-05T08:49:00.000-06:002004-02-05T09:45:01.340-06:00Oh Foul! Hair ref hair!
My favorite comics blogger Dirk does me wrong:
Tim Broderick thinks that recent news of manga's growth only proves his point that bookstore shelves are lost to independent publishers. I maintain that the bookstore market is not the Direct Market -- it's much bigger and more diverse, for one thing -- and there thus doesn't need to be a crossover effect between manga and Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1075907005138038532004-02-04T08:40:00.000-06:002004-02-04T09:05:45.576-06:00From ¡Journalista!:
"This is somewhere between 75% to 100% growth in just one year. To put it all in perspective, last year the same source estimated the entire graphic-novel market as being worth that same $100 million in 2002. Still think manga's a fad, kids?"
Geez, Dirk. That's fine and all, but I still haven't heard a good answer to this guy's concerns, which mirror my own often stated onesTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1075317473108121582004-01-28T13:09:00.000-06:002004-01-28T13:20:03.983-06:00Honest to god, I have to stop posting about Walmart and get ready for Love is Murder. I'm on a panel Saturday and I have a pitch meeting with an agent on Friday.
But I wanted to point out this link, courtesy of ¡Journalista!. Philips Electronics is rolling out - literally - electronic paper. Why is this significant? It's a display that uses reflected light rather than backlight - like current Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1074814771391895602004-01-22T17:32:00.000-06:002004-01-22T17:41:34.106-06:00Heard on NPR earlier this week about Disney shutting down their traditional animation studios, laying off hundreds in many countries. They're going to computer animation now. To a certain extent it's economic I guess. Going to see a feature film is expensive, and it's possible that consumers are expecting more than what 2D has to offer. Perhaps 2D is considered good enough for television, but notTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1074442859876472952004-01-18T10:19:00.000-06:002004-01-18T10:22:56.793-06:00Haven't blogged for a bit. I am working on an essay about the ideas behind my panel structure, but that's not done. The big project is getting a synopsis of my second story done. Whew!
Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1073928418293760922004-01-12T11:19:00.000-06:002004-01-12T11:27:19.160-06:00The NYT has an article they call "New Contender for the Anime Throne," looking at director Satoshi Kon.
I know him from his feature film "Perfect Blue," not a bad thriller. Still conforms to that damn anime style, but I think he's more thoughtful in his stories and that appeals to me. The article looks at "Millennium Actress", which was released in September, and "Tokyo Godfathers," due out Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1073845285830675312004-01-11T12:04:00.000-06:002004-01-11T12:25:25.286-06:00I'm not saying I will not go to a comics shop to purchase these. But here's what my list of future purchases looks like on Amazon:
(I guess you could call it my "Mighty alternative-means-of-delivery-resulting-in-significant-savings intimidation list.)
The Bloody Streets of Paris : 120 Rue De La Gare
Usually ships in 24 hours
$12.57 - You Save: $5.38 (30%)
Used & new from $9.98
The Golem's Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1073618716000767902004-01-08T21:24:00.000-06:002004-01-08T21:38:31.803-06:00I'm planning on reading this article at Salon (subscription required, but worth it IMHO) on why Ben Yagoda doesn't like detective fiction anymore. (Yagoda is identified as "the author of "About Town: The New Yorker and the World It Made" and the forthcoming "The Sound on the Page: Style and Voice in Writing." He directs the journalism program at the University of Delaware.")
This has, of course,Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1073418030150278512004-01-06T13:37:00.000-06:002004-01-06T13:40:49.256-06:00Is it time to abandon the graphic novel shelves? Seriously, this ¡Journalista! article provides some evidence of what I've been saying - the graphic novel shelves are no place for independent creators.
Where is the shelf space for creators who don't adhere to the restraints of the two publishing styles - superhero and animanga? And no, I don't care to get into a flame war on the benefits of Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1073275360112957172004-01-04T21:56:00.000-06:002004-01-04T22:04:26.240-06:00Two entries for the death pool from my family: here our picks:
Pts - Name
10-Pope John Paul II
9-Ronald Reagan
8-Kirk Douglas
7-Fay Wray
6-Harry Morgan
5-Charlton Heston
4-Harvey Korman
3-Jerry Lewis
2-Billy Graham
1-Don Knotts
Under 40 pick: Eminem
Kennedy pick: Eunice Kennedy Shriver
Pts - Name
10-Eddie Albert
9-Marlon Brando
8-Mickey Rooney
7-Tony Curtis
6-Zsa Zsa Gabor
5-Bob Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1072373921910319752003-12-25T10:22:00.000-06:002003-12-25T11:38:57.823-06:00Happy Holidays! The new year will have me working on a submissions package for Something to Build Upon. I'll be sending that to agents or publishers specializing in the mystery field. Any responses will get them the POD book, which looks and reads a whole heck of a lot better than anything I could do at kinkos
This means, of course, that the comics publishers I've submitted to have taken a passTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071935347539452242003-12-20T09:48:00.000-06:002003-12-20T09:49:22.033-06:00This story (link via ¡Journalista!, but I guess it's temporary) gets into the dying profession that is editorial cartooning.
Not really news for me of course. In college (80-84) I was considered a pretty good editorial cartoonist. Won some national awards and got a lot of positive reinforcement. Many of my friends thought sure I'd go in this direction.
I was lucky, my college paper was a dailyTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071796363034190602003-12-18T19:10:00.000-06:002003-12-18T19:12:57.606-06:00Slate has a story on Alan Moore, calling him "the most important mainstream comics writer of the last three decades."Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071796107332182072003-12-18T19:06:00.000-06:002003-12-18T19:08:41.953-06:00Geez, how embarrassing. I meant to have a number of blogging links up by now, but the already mentioned workload kept me from doing that.
Anyway, thanks, Dirk, for the link - I check out ¡Journalista! first thing every morning.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071795803269292872003-12-18T18:53:00.000-06:002003-12-18T19:06:04.223-06:00Wow! What a week. Saddam captured and state school report cards - both just a lot of work for yours truly.
In between the crunch, I managed to have lunch with Joe Konrath.
Let me tell you about Joe: He's written nine novels and during that time he worked as a waiter to help support his family. Nine novels that did not sell, countless short stories that weren't accepted.
Until not long ago whenTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071590078212192442003-12-16T09:04:00.000-06:002003-12-16T10:04:42.663-06:00I'm a really good reader. Seriously, in some ways you might say sophisticated. So when people in the team comics sphere tell me "this is great!" I give it a try with as open a mind as I can muster.
But it's difficult to discuss why you don't like something when the tide is so huge against you. "Bridges of Madison County" on the best-sellers list? It was a story of a woman cheating on her husbandTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071514705540113492003-12-15T12:49:00.000-06:002003-12-15T12:58:38.603-06:00Monday and I'm brain dead. That's because I was called in to work the big story yesterday - such is life for a daily-newspaper man.
Luckily, today's episode was really simple - maybe deceptively so? I needed to convey the passage of time, and perhaps recall in people the difficulty of driving in a bad storm.
So last week's page, where David describes the driving conditions and his own personalTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071261621815365342003-12-12T14:35:00.000-06:002003-12-12T14:40:34.360-06:00I'm going to stop by Rob Walker's book signing at Brain Snack Books., 5221 Main St., Downers Grove, IL
It runs from 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., I'll probably be there closer to 3 p.m.Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071239508118758962003-12-12T08:29:00.000-06:002003-12-12T08:32:00.703-06:00Don't forget to bring this song along to the caroling party!Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071167552483186492003-12-11T12:31:00.000-06:002003-12-11T12:32:44.970-06:00Hey, I passed 400 pages a few weeks ago and didn't know. Happy anniversary to me!
Speaking of anniversaries... Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071154508902181802003-12-11T08:54:00.000-06:002003-12-11T08:55:21.700-06:00What? You haven't voted in the Thrillies yet?Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071098835659236002003-12-10T16:28:00.000-06:002003-12-10T20:57:47.343-06:00This thread over at TCJ forum touches on a subject I've been wrestling with: Backgrounds.
When I started Odd Jobs, I was very character-specific: I would spend a lot of time working on people and frankly I didn't focus on their immediate surroundings. That was pointed out to me in a very usefull critique session.
Anyway, two schools of thought came up in this thread, both characterized in this Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189668.post-1071068333073566302003-12-10T08:56:00.000-06:002003-12-10T20:58:26.873-06:00Let's start out with a serial killer, shall we?Timhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18113087090153343048noreply@blogger.com0