9 am: Not enough sleep last night.  Tried to do a little work on current projects, ended up with a head full of layouts to work out.  Good to have Alex begin the challenge with me though. No idea why she’s still awake after her night shift, but it’s also nice to see Jad chime in.  Started the day right.

10 am: One page down.  Jad uploaded page 1 to the site for me and came up with the title.  She’s happily asleep now.  I’m trying to plan one page ahead mentally so I build momentum.  Alex is eating chips and watching Youtube vids.  I can hear him eating over Skype and it’s making me hungry.

11 am: Page two took a little longer than it needed to.  Making page 3 a splash so I can catch up a bit.  Also, space ships are fun.  Alex has been inspired by videos he’s just seen and has begun.  Andrew Drilon is a machine.

12 nn: Page 4 is my hero shot.  Trying to keep my layouts as varied as possible to keep the delivery interesting.  My brother Roby had an anchovy pizza delivered for me.  Probably shouldn’t try to draw while I’m eating, but I’m fucking starving.

1 pm: Took too long on previous page, but detail there was necessary.  Using a bit of a cheat on page 5, combo with some basic Photoshop effects… am hoping it comes across clearly in the read.  Okay, enough pizza.

2 – 3 pm: Page 6.  Kinda screwed myself with that big exposition shot, but it had to be done.  Listening to Around Comics to keep focused.  Alex is on a break.

4 – 6 pm: Kat gets on Skype to talk me through pages 7 and 8.  And it’s just as well, coz I can’t figure out how to refill the copic markers she lent me.  Jad helps me figure out the forthcoming ‘mind assault’ scene via text message.

7 pm: Talking comics with EJ as I figure out page 9.  Taking a bit of a shortcut again, but I make sure Johnny Danganan knows about it first via YM.  He’s staying awake and online just like the rest of us.  Copy-paste zoom-in might sound like a cheat, but it ‘s the effect it has on the suspense that I’m after.  If what I have planned works, the next page will be a surprise.

8 pm: Recorded an episode or Tres Komikeros with EJ and the recently resurrected Alex.  Page 9 is in bed, and I take a breather to put some tiger balm around my wrist and on my neck.  Oy.

9 pm: The simplicity of page 10 is therapeutic, but I hope the ‘switch’ isn’t too jarring.  I probably could have delivered the transition a little better.  Also, drawing clouds with copic markers is hard.  Kat and Jad talk anime over Skype while Alex links us to 4chan crap.  Don’t they understand how serious this whole thing is?

10-12 mn: I employ a bit of a cheat again for page 11.  I spot the ‘flesh’ parts of the characters in cast black, just like Risso does.  I just recently started reading 100 Bullets.  Sue me.  I hope it works out okay.

1 – 2am: Neck and back hurts now.  My internet bugs out all of a sudden and I am unable to upload pages.  I lie down to talk to my girl over the phone and have a snack.  I entertain the idea of just going to bed now but Jad reminds me of how much effort I’ve already put in and eggs me on.

3 am: Back at the desk to draw page 12.  Still no internet.  I have Jad on speakerphone and a flock of angry ducks.

4 am: Page 13. I am drawing a raw duck embryo.  I don’t know whether to be mad or thankful that I don’t have access to Google images.

5 am: I’m gonna try to end this thing here, at page 14.  I’m chopping out a lot of stuff that I would have wanted to do… but I don’t think I’ll be able to do the ideas justice at this point.  So there it is, a dirty little bow.

— sleep —

7 – 8am: Still no internet, and three more pages to upload.  Internet cafes in my area are all closed, on account of it being a Sunday.  I find out Alex is awake, so I head over to his apartment to commandeer his laptop and upload my story’s conclusion..

9 am: Breakfast with Alex at McDonald’s.  We feel like we just got out of jail.  If jail was… y’know… fun.  And with prizes.

— pass out —

John, Alex, and Migs volt in to bring you reviews of Millar and McNiven’s Nemesis #1, Green Lantern #52, and Uncanny X-Men #522! After a round of quickshots, the boys discuss the official news about Evans being Captain America, the Image Guardians of the Globe teasers, and the Scott Pilgrim movie trailer. Lastly, the panel discussion has the boys asking the question: “Which comic character should already die of old age?”

Also look out for the new segment entitled “Spoil Me” interspersed throughout the show. Deal with it, kids.

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It’s been a bit of a headnoisey day, comic work-wise, so I’ll just drop some notes about a side project and may seem a bit more schizo than usual.  Starting to type this just as I hear Brubaker say to Siuntres that he loves the fact that whoever follows him on DD is fucked.  I’m loving the Thunderbolts, but good luck, Diggle.  Just saw the season finale of Entourage and still can’t buy that Sloan’s marrying E.  No.  Planetary #27 just came out and I want to re-read the whole thing all over again.  Yes.

As I’ve probably spilled once before, I’ve been slowly piecing together this flash-animated online RPG with Tres Komikeros accomplice Alex Cipriano; and it’s taken months to get to the place we’re at now, but I can honestly say that it’s been a fun and interesting experience.  It’s a breath of fresh air, literally just being given lists and write-ups of creatures and environments to design, with free reign to just go nuts with every detail.  Hell of a fun gig.  I’ve never been much of a gamer though, so Alex has been indispensable in helping me understand just what the client’s been asking for.  We’ve worked out a sophisticated system of chirps and grunts to suit my specific comprehension skills… or lack thereof.
Half way through the creature design phase though, it dawned on us that we simply couldn’t still have lives and do this well… so about two months ago, our buddy Leandro Panganiban came on board as a colorist, with Michael Dizon following shortly after.  So what started out as two guys pooling Mignola and Madureira influences spread out into this Falcoon and Phil Noto mishmash.  Between the four of us, we’ve magically got everyone believing that we know what we’re doing.  Go us!

Naturally, it’s a bit of a pain playing the wrangler in any bunch, and this herd can wander like nobody’s business, but seeing the work just come together is just a thing of beauty — certainly not bad for my first experience in game design.  I hope to be allowed to share actual designs from the game soon, but until then it’ll have to be vagaries and hush-hushitudes.

Comic talk in a coupla days.

Bed now.

Okay so things are looking busy — between Orlando losing to LA and Hillary fracturing her elbow, I actually have a lotta stuff going on that I’m actually involved in. Whoodathunkit?  So I’m gonna keep this short so I can get back to work and my characteristic self-loathing.  But mostly work.  Schwing!

Quasi-religious Existentialist project with the ever-dashing William Prince just needs a couple more pages to wrap up my part in the pitch process.  Here are some concept sketches from that story.

Steam punk Battle Chasers-esque Zuda proposal with the well-oiled machine Gabe White is about half way done.  Shouldn’t be long now.  Here’s a peek.

Crime-horror saga 1888 with Wolfgang “People Pleaser” Parker is practically ready to pitch.  Just a coupla character sketches needed from the only slow guy on the team.  Oh wait… that’s me.

Justin “I know where you live” Jordan is juggling the pitches for OVERTHROW and JENNY STRANGE.  All appendages are crossed.  Do not activate webcam.

The yet unnamable period piece with lord and master Alexis Nolte went to pitch last week with some friends across the pond.  Initial reaction has been positive.

Just getting into the groove of what’s shaping up to be my first solo series after MASK of MANOLO.  I’ve somehow attracted the attention of the lovely Rod Hannah, with ties to cerealgeek.com, to illustrate a three-issue mini about wee super-heroine SOVENA RED.  Designs have been approved.  Scripts have been read.  Layouts have been… laid out.  More on that as the weeks go by.  Here’s a peek though.

On the homefront, the online game Alex “You should really be drawing” Cipriano and I were hired to do is plodding along politely.  The worst is probably over, with all the human characters done and approved… now it’s just a buncha cool monsters and we’re home free.  After a fashion.

Speaking of monsters, my HORROR CLASSICS are on hold.  Personal projects… bah!  That werewolf sketch I showed off a month ago is here in Fort Bastard somewhere under a pile of Invincible back issues… I hope.

Just got back home from a… well… a “creative summit” with Jad “Why am I still with you?” Montenegro, at her end of the island chain.  HARBINGER WAR is currently in the conceptualization stage, and we’re giggly as fuck about it.  A lot.  Here’s a sketch from the trip.

There’s that Comic Book Creation Seminar I got invited to speak at, for all the good that’ll do them. HEHAH! That’s set for next month still, but plans are solidifying.  Like a flan.  But creamier.  Maybe I can give out tax advice.

Should look into cloning myself.

More updates as they happen.

Kinda old this, but I feel like avoiding the work desk just a bit longer, so hey!  Why the fuck not???

Here are the instructions:
1. Open up the music player on your computer.
2. Set it to play your entire music collection.
3. Hit the “shuffle” button.
4. Tell us the title of the next ten songs that show up (with their musicians), no matter how embarrassing. No skipping that Carpenters tune that will totally destroy your hip credibility. It’s time for total musical honesty.

1.)  That’s Just the Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby)
2.)  Enchanted (Patrick Wolf)
3.)  Man on the Moon (R.E.M.)
4.)  Last Letter (One Day as a Lion)
5.)  Tired of Saving Souls (Neverending White Lights)
6.)  Please Don’t Tell Her (Jason Mraz)
7.)  The Fastest Guitar Alive (Roy Orbison)
8.)  Shopping (Duncan Sheik)
9.)  Faust Arp (Radiohead)
10.) Burning Man (Third Eye Blind)

So yeah, that tharr list is a peek at my work soundtrack.  Needs more Britney.

Tagging Justin Jordan, Gerry Alanguilan, Alex Cipriano, Heather Harris, and Massacre Mike to do the same in their blogs.  Leave a link in the comments if you feel like wasting time and doing this as well, fuckers.  That is… if you haven’t already done this.  I’ve a feeling Justin has.  At work no less.