DYNAMO 5 teaser

Here's a look at a double-page spread from DYNAMO 5: SINS OF THE FATHER #2. Art by Julio Brilha, colors by Ron Riley.

Julio's almost finished with issue #2, and right now we're hoping to solicit the first issue for a June release. We won't make a final decision until the June Previews deadline, which is in mid-February. But as you can see from this fantastic page, (1) work is continuing and (2) we've got some very cool guest stars in this arc.

RIP: Robert B. Parker

I've blogged before about my feelings towards Robert B. Parker, certainly the earliest -- and possibly biggest -- influence on my writing, and to say the news of his death came as a shock would be a severe understatement. It's no secret that I've felt his books over the last few years have left a lot to be desired, especially where the plots (or lack thereof) were concerned, but I still eagerly awaited each new Spenser or Jesse Stone novel. And way back in high school it was the Spenser novels that showed me how fun reading -- and writing -- could be. I've literally never been the same since I read Ceremony, my first exposure to Parker's books.

The cause of death has yet to be determined, but it sounds like Parker went out doing what he was most known for: writing. He was literally found dead at his desk.

He'll be missed.

X-MAS update

I mentioned awhile ago that I'd written an 8-page Christmas story featuring the X-Men that was scheduled to be available on Marvel's digital comics subscription site the week before Christmas. Those of you who subscribe to that service have probably realized that the story never materialized.

Obviously, the story's been delayed due to some unfortunate circumstances. It's currently nearing completion, but the jury's still out on what Marvel's going to do with it. The window of opportunity has kind of passed, since it's a Christmas story. So they may end up holding onto it until next Christmas, or they may go ahead and run it sooner than that. I really don't know.

But the story will be published. Somewhere. Someday. And I'll be sure to give you a heads-up whenever that happens.

Republic of Doyle premiere

Back in November, I blogged about an upcoming show on Canada's CBC channel, called REPUBLIC OF DOYLE. Well, it premiered last night and was everything I hoped it would be. Smart, funny, fast-paced, with likable actors and a great setting -- St. John's, Newfoundland. The show follows a father-son PI team, and as the CBC's website describes, "REPUBLIC OF DOYLE combines the retro cool crime vibe of classic investigative shows like THE ROCKFORD FILES with the contemporary dramatic/comedic edge of RESCUE ME and CALIFORNICATION, producing a blend of intriguing episodic mysteries woven with the always evolving (and sometimes regressing) relationship turmoil and dynamics of the fiery Doyle clan."

I think that's a pretty apt description, although I think it has even more in common with USA's slate of character-driven shows. In fact, if the people at USA Network were smart, they'd snatch this show up. It would fit in perfectly alongside WHITE COLLAR, BURN NOTICE, IN PLAIN SIGHT, and the rest of their line-up.

I realize most of the people reading this won't have access to CBC, but the channel's getting better about releasing their shows on DVD, so if/when that happens, I'll be sure to post another heads-up.

The Commune

A couple months ago I blogged about a great new horror movie I saw called HOUSE OF THE DEVIL. Along those same lines, I've been meaning to pass along another intriguing horror movie with a 70s vibe. It's called THE COMMUNE and it looks fantastic. It's written and directed by Lis Fies, and is a true indie movie. I haven't seen it yet (my DVD's on the way), but it looks fantastic. As soon as I get a chance to watch it, I'll be sure to post a follow-up.

In the meantime, check out the trailer:

2010 - The Year To Come

Since my last post looked back at the past year, I thought now would be a good time to look ahead. I won't be making predictions, of course. Instead, I'll be talking about what I plan and hope to do.
DYNAMO 5: SINS OF THE FATHER will debut this summer. It's a 5-issue mini-series that continues the adventures of everyone's favorite dysfunctional super-hero family. It also features some damned cool guest stars from across the Image universe.

If we're lucky, GEMINI will finally wrap up this year, too. I know Jon and I are certainly trying to make that happen.

That's probably all you'll see from me at Image this year. I've got a couple other Image projects in the works, but they're on very, very slow boils and we won't be soliciting until we have considerable work done on them. So it's possible we might see these projects start by the end of the year, but I wouldn't bet on it. The artists involved all have other priorities, and they're working on these things in their spare time.

I'm also talking with a couple other publishers about various work-for-hire projects, but it's impossible to tell how these things will turn out.

Diversity is the name of the game for me in 2010. I really want to branch out into other mediums. Last year, I wrote a TV pilot and the first draft of a feature spec, and this year I plan to revise them and try to get them sold somewhere.

Another goal of mine is to get a short mystery story published somewhere. I've been a fan of crime and mystery novels since high school, and I spent most of my time in college working on mystery stories with the intention of pursuing it as a career. But shortly after graduation I got bit by the comics bug and comics has been a distraction for me for over a decade. Not an unpleasant distraction, of course. And not something I regret in the least. And as I've said before, I have no plans to leave comics. But it's about time I turned some of my attention back to my love of prose. As fun and rewarding as collaboration is, there's something to be said for prose work. Succeed or fail, it's all up to the writer. I can't pass off a mediocre script to a great artist and have him save me. With prose, there's nothing between the writer and the audience. No one to hide behind. So the idea of jumping back into that pool has me both excited and, frankly, nervous.

This isn't quite related to writing, exactly, but I hope to do some more traveling this year. I'll almost certainly be attending the New York Comicon in October, and I might even do Comicon in San Diego this summer. I'll certainly be at the Emerald City Con in March. There's also a chance I'll be attending the Roanoke Comicon in April, but that depends on some circumstances that are beyond my control. And with any luck I'll be visiting my friends in Los Angeles sometime this spring, as well. I'll be sure to update the blog with my convention appearances as they become confirmed.

Here's hoping all you guys have a great 2010!