Bronchitis and Projects

Spent much of the weekend in bed with bronchitis, gave me a decent amount of time to think about a couple of new projects that are in various stages of 'going.' This week a project I'd long figured as dead suddenly came back to life, and became something entirely different than I expected. It's much more Poorly Drawn Animals than it is Elk's Run, at this point. And it's pretty refreshing to get to do something much closer to 'free expression' than what I've been doing the past few months. As it sits, it's got a feel of The Young Onesor Red Dwarf and it's conceived as sort of a surrealist sitcom in pamphlet form. All self-contained, and hopefully satsifying enough to make you come back for more without the hook of a true on going story. Alright, back off to throwing up phlegm.

Free Elk’s Run!

Over at Popthought you can win yourself a free copy of the Elk's Run Bumper Edition. Click the link and win. It's almost that simple.

Housecleaning

Woof. Today was "Take care of lingering shit" day. Got the H&B site nice and updated, just about squared away Elk's Run #5 to go to the printer, got a long awaited check, so that I could actually pay some bills, and got most of my invoicing for the week done. I even managed to finally get my writers portfolio squared away (for a last minute possible job.) I've got about four projects percolating, artists already in place on two, and then the other two are still being formulated. I spent a helluva long time prepping Ritual Homicide, and thanks to the whole "story of the book coming true" it was nixed. I'm dying to work with the artist, (the sensational Chris Burnham). My good buddy Gary and I have dueling Post-Apocalypse projects we're developing seperately, so I get to have fun "Well, when I get to blow up the world," conversations at least once a week.

Also, got my first look at the finished Dillinger, by James Patrick, which is in Previews next month, and which I edited. It turned out really nicely and I recommend you all give it an order. I'll post its order number when I get a chance.

Been giving a lot of thought to the realities of publishing lately. The fact is the comic industry is in shambles, despite some record sales for the big boys, things haven't looked much grimmer for us on the bottom in a long time. I'm in this strange place where the critical acclaim keeps on coming (although Randy Lander manages to actually match my sentiments on the first 3 issues of the book pretty well right here), but the book remains pretty much unchanged in terms of sales. The Bumper Edition seems to have been purchased almost exclusively by our fans who were already on board, and god damn to I love you guys for buying it.

Here's the thing, I can't think of any other medium that relies so heavily on its fans getting the word out. Comics... I mean, seriously, how many times have you been in a shop and some guy says, "You should check this out, its awesome," and bam. You're done. You try it, you love it. It all comes down to this Lion King-esque circle of life. If you love it, and want it to stick around, all you can do is shout from the treetops that you love it, and hope for the best.

Anyways, back to work.

Buzzscope Names Elk’s Run One of 2005’s best…

Buzzscope EIC Guy LeCharles Gonzalezr gives Elk's Run the distinction of being of his personal favorite top ten books of 2005. Go! Comment! Spread the word!

The Fused! Tales Artists Round Table

Click Here to Read it All including some details on my story with Nick Stakal.

Nick: Well, I kinda got two bonuses from this project. First, like you mentioned, it was pretty sweet to get a stab at doing Fused!. It's cool that BOOM! was eager to work with newer, less established, talent. And the second, wasn't working with Steve (since he didn't write the tale I drew) but working with Josh Fialkov, who did. I've known Josh for a little bit now, and I'd done some stuff for his Western Tales of Terror comic with other writers, but not with him. It was great to finally get to work on something together.

Elk’s Run #6 — In Previews Now!

Cover and Preview Art Below. Click Images for Full Size. Diamond Order #DEC05 3188

PLEASE PRE-ORDER, we really need the help.

Comic World News & Mark Fossen Do Elk’s Run Giveaways!

Right Here you can win a free copy of the Elk's Run Bumper, courtesy of the fantastic Comic World News and the wonderfully talented Michael May. Check it out, and make sure to fish around the site for some of the great articles the make up their archives.

AND... Here super-blogger Mark Fossen is ALSO giving away a bumper and some of the individual issues. ELK'S RUN ACTIVISM! GO!

Comic Book Galaxy on ER Bumper…

Click here for the full review...

I missed out on Elk's Run #1-3 in the original floppy editions published by Hoarse and Buggy in 2004. But, judging by Joshua Fialkov's letter to his readers (printed on the final page of this collection), Elk's Run flew under the radar of most comic book readers, so I'm not alone. But, again like most of those who have finally become aware of the existence of Elk's Run, I'm pleased to have finally discovered it, and dismayed that such a quality piece of work has eluded the attention of so many readers thus far. So far, Elk's Run has delivered the goods - characters to care about, a great story that keeps the pages turning, artwork that draws the reader into that story, and colouring that sets the mood beautifully.

ER 4 First Look Review at The Comics Review

Click Here To Read the Rest

Congratulations. You’ve just won a prize. If you’ve bought previous issues of Elk’s Run, or if you’re thinking about picking up the Bumper Edition (that collects issues #1-3) and/or issue #4, then you’ve already won. You’ve laid down a pittance, only $3 dollars, for the mother of all cupie dolls—something to pat yourself on the back for, because you took the chance; and now you’ve brought home something more valuable than what you put on the line. Your money doesn’t come easy. You worked hard for it. So, congratulate yourself.

And, while you’re at it, congratulate Joshua Hale Fialkov, Noel Tuazon and Scott Keating, for being the barkers of a shell game, where the only slight-of-hand is in the end product, rather than your investment. It’s a no lose situation.

Elk’s Run — Update

To the left is a page of pencils from Elk's Run 6, No Spoilers, so click, and enjoy the brilliance of Noel.

So, Issue 7 is written. It came out of me in two days of intense scripting, and I think it's about the best thing I've ever written. It's a fucking whirlwind of action, so much so, that I'm actually suprised. I'd always envisioned issue 7 as a bridge between 6 and 8, but, instead it took on it's own life. This is me letting go. J-Rod's going to have a lot of cleaning up to do on it, but, it's easily the tightest (and one of the shortest, it's right at 22 pages) scripts I've ever written.

I'll be honest. Elk's Run is a schizophrenic book. It's partly due to my creative procss, and partly due to the construct of how the book's set up. The shifting POV's mean that I can't tell a linear story, no matter how much I want to. The device was picked as a way to present the story in an interesting way and set it apart from the rest of the art in it's medium. That thought process went all the way down into our artist choices in Noel and Keating, and into how Jaco letters the book. Every issue has a unique feel, and I think that's part of what people identify with in the book. This ISN'T just another indie book, and certainly not one of a sea of superhero lit.

That's what I'll be proudest of. I think the book has managed to tell a story that appeals to both sides of the fence (even if neither side has really adopted it as it's own.) I think, and maybe I'm crazy, that that's what you have to do in order to make something that lasts and has meaning in this industry. The unfortunate reality is that the most sophisticated and daring pieces of comic literature are generally ignored till after the fact.

This is much more pompous than I mean it to be. The fact is, I love this book. Dearly. At the end of each script I feel like I've given birth. I'm more than a little sad to know that in under a month, there's a distinct possibility that I'll never write these characters again... But, I think that at the end of it all, there'll be a pretty outstanding book made by a bunch of people who love it more than a sane person should.

Through all the financial problems, low orders, and general malaise the book's received with the comic reading public, we have a dedicated fanbase who 'get it.' So, whenever I read about things like, ahem, "Apocalypse vs. Dracula" coming from Marvel or a 300 part crossover epic that will 'Break the internet in half,' it heartends me to know that there's still an audience for comics like mine.

So, in short. Thanks for the love and for letting the book exist. I promise not to disappoint you.

And, if we do... it's totally j-Rod's fault.

Millarworld Magazine on Elk’s Run

Read it here

"The Elk’s Run Bumper Edition is a collection of the first three issues of Elk’s Run, an independent comic book with too much press and not enough sales. This trade paperback is designed to bring new readers to a sagging miniseries that should be at the top of the independent charts.

Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and illustrated by Noel Tuazon, Elk’s Run is one of those rare stories that appears every few years that changes how the medium is looked at. It’s not the best book on the market—though it’s pretty close to it—but Elk’s Run is a uniquely told story deserving of every amount of praise it has received."