I’ve previously discussed how hard it can be for a freelancer to find immediate and future work. You work at the whims of others and hope you can assemble enough work so you’re constantly busy and there’s enough income on a regular basis that you can make a living at this.
The risk comes with an ever-changing environment so even when you think you’re safe and stable, things can fall apart with a phone call. I entered 2010 thinking I had half a month of work locked up and some projects to keep me busy well into the first third of the year, plenty of time to pitch to fill the coming gaps.
Instead, the management changes at DC have led fresh eyes to examine the Who’s Who project and until all the voices have been heard, I’ve stopped writing. It’s still coming out this year and I’m still writing it all, but some of the line-up will be altered and that’s an ongoing discussion. Trust me, it’ll be worth waiting for and is already taking excellent shape based on the designs and artwork I’ve seen to date.
Meantime, an artist retrospective I had begun working on for Dynamic Forces hit a snag as the artist has taken longer than expected to review, edit, and approve the interview transcript. So I wait.
My ghost writing project has a revision deadline of April 16 but I’ve received no feedback from the publisher or the subject and this may also be delayed.
This essentially leaves me entering April with no paying work on my desk. The one thing I can count on is receiving galleys for The Essential Superman Encyclopedia and the free time means it will get priority treatment but then again, I’ve also been paid for this assignment.
Since returning from Spain, I’ve been working on pitches for graphic novels and books but of course, those take time to be read and evaluated. A GN pitch I submitted months ago remains on an editor’s desk; “next to be read” I was told in February. Other spec projects which all looked promising to one degree or another have cooled off and continue to hang out in limbo.
Fortunately, one spec project will begin inching towards reality tomorrow, but we’ll talk about that then.
On the one hand, it’s kind of nifty to have time to indulge in personal projects and see where my mind takes me. Then the monthly bills arrive and the harsh reality of the freelancer’s life returns in force.
Still, I remain an optimist and can only hope that all of this is a temporary situation and that soon I will write a piece about what to do when your schedule is over-crowded.
I-Con occasionally suffers when it has massive turnover of staff, which is to be expected since it is a con largely run by students. Last year, things were a mess when they could not use the campus and splitting the show among three venues did not make anyone happy. Fortunately, this year the show returned to campus and we could happily spread out in one place.
On the other hand, the database used to schedule things apparently did not allow for cross-track guests which led to some confusion especially for those of us who straddle two or more tracks. As a result, the schedule for me was a bit of a mess and miscommunication lasted for months right up until the show.
A good con, though, carefully masks its errors and the attendees barely notice. I think, therefore, the con was a major success for the fans who were happy to be back on campus. Moving registration to the Student Activity Center seemed to work well, too.
As a guest, I loved that the Green Room was also moved to the SAC since my panels were all in the building. This let me grab a cup of coffee and sit with my fellow authors in-between events.
Peter David and I invited ourselves onto the Media Tie-in Panel and somehow I got named moderator. Go figure. What made this particularly fun was that beyond the usual suspects, we also had Mike Resnick, Barry Malzberg, and agent Joshua Bilmes at the table. Their comments were not only amusing, but added some fresh perspective to the topic.
While I had a block of free time before my next event, I never quite made it to the Sports Complex and the dealer’s room. Instead, I wound up sitting and having a long lunch talking with pals, old and new ranging from Bill Fawcett and Jody Lynn Nye to Michele Lang. Tor’s Jim Frenkel had to read my badge to place me, which has become an annual event and somehow amuses me.
With Glenn Hauman’s assistance, I hosted Trailer Park and we got a good sized crowd. They seemed to enjoy the videos and the Q&A session that followed. From there, it was back to the Green Room where a bunch of us had pizza and good times. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Even though the voting isn’t until November, people have been jockeying for office for upwards of a year now. This month, both parties are selecting their delegates to attend the various nominating conventions for the state and federal offices. One of the perks of serving on one of the town political committees is being able to become a delegate to the conventions.
The last time I attended the state convention it was a wild weekend affair as Stamford Mayor Dan Malloy and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano vigorously worked the crowds, climbing over chairs, taking people off for one-on-one chats, and so on. A fun time was had by all (except Malloy who failed to get the nod).
Last night, the Fairfield DTC confirmed its delegates and as Vice Chair, I will be attending the state rep, state senate, gubernatorial, and congressional conventions, scattered throughout May. Oddly, other than the state convention in Hartford, venues for the others have yet to be named.
From now until the conventions, I am told there will be a tremendous amount of mail, calls, and personal outreach from candidates who desire my support (and more importantly my vote).
And to be honest, I have yet to decide on my choice for governor. Connecticut got exactly what it needed when M. Jodi Rell succeeded John Rowland and restored some dignity to the office. Since then, though, she has shown a shocking lack of vision and leadership. Similarly, the Democratically-controlled legislature has been even worse, letting the state fall into deep debt and paralysis. The democratic leadership has been tone deaf to the needs of the state’s population and has opened itself up to a vigorous challenge from the Republicans.
Thankfully, my local representative, Tom Drew, has been among the level-headed moderates, trying to bring sanity to the process.
It’s the governor I’m really undecided on. There’s Malloy, who has continued to lead Stamford and seems like a good enough guy. And then there’s Ned Lamont, failed Senate candidate. Neither have convinced me they have the right plan for the state which has to include a slimmer government, a better balance between the needs of all the counties and a vision to bring business back to the state.
I’m big on people having a vision of the future and a roadmap to achieve those goals. It tells me they’ve really given this thought and are equipped to be the state’s leader. As a result, in the weeks to come, I’ll be listening to both men before committing myself.
This weekend I hit my third convention in three weeks. I’ll be back on Long Island at Stony Brook’s I-Con and can be found doing comics, literature, and film programming.
Unlike so many of my other cons, this is a real mixed bag of events with programming for all interests from science to LARPing. Marc Gunn, formerly of the Brobdingnagian Bards will be musical guest of honor, acknowledging his long-standing relationship with the show. Among the media guests will be Ronald D. Moore, the mastermind behind the current Battlestar Galactica and Caprica. I haven’t spoken or seen Ron since we did a Wish Con together something like 18 years ago.
With the support of webmaster Glenn Hauman, I’ll be doing the usual 90 minute Trailer Park both Saturday and Sunday. Additionally, I should be found doing the following programs:
Saturday
11-12: Writing Media Tie-Ins (continuing the discussion with many of the same players from this past weekend’s Lunacon panel)
3-4:30: Trailer Park
8-9: The Revolving Door of Hero Heaven
9-10: Sidekicks: The Untapped Potential
SUNDAY
11-12:30: Trailer Park
2-3: 70 Years of Green Lantern
If you’re there, please come say hello.
Additionally, I have been added to the guest list at ComicCONN, a new show in North Haven, CT. It’s Saturday, May 15 and worth a visit.
Monday the 8th had me speaking to the University of Granada students about the American comic book market; its origins and current status. Prior to arriving, I prepared a PowerPoint presentation and script, revised it once or twice and then had the titles on my slides translated into Spanish by our kids’ former nanny, Paz. I sent it ahead to Alejandro and Edu for review and both were suitably impressed so I felt good.
The University was considering adding a series of courses on comics so this was a test. They expected only 30 or so people to sign up for the week-long series of lectures but got 80 or so to pay for the privilege.
Edu spoke first, about how to prepare portfolios. The 75 people filling the lecture classroom were silent, absorbing everything. There was a flood of questions afterward. I gather it went well, but without a translator, all Deb and I could do was people watch.
Shortly after 12 it was my turn and everyone filed back in and sat still as I went through the presentation. Edu translated for me and I found myself mentally editing the script down, making it easier for him and compressing details. I had my own flood of questions including the chances for Spanish talent, which discipline might be most in need (to me, good colorists), many questions about comics for women and the chances for women as working professionals, plus we covered new technologies and marketing.
The con itself, though, kicked off Thursday. After the tour of the Alhambra, the Americans and many of the artists and publishers also coming to the con were treated to a get-to-know-you luncheon on an outdoor terrace at our hotel. There we met the first of our student interpreters, on hand to put everyone at ease. When I went to introduce myself, they laughed and said they knew, apparently, looking up the Americans on the net to prepare.
There were three conference rooms with one hosting a series of professionals’ only panels and the other two rooms were for the pros to mix and talk, network and do business. Instead, most congregated at the bar. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Ask the natives, and they will tell you that the people of Seville considering themselves to be the best Spaniards in all of Andalucía. Our host, Alejandro, worked for some time in Seville and looked down his nose at them in what appeared to be a good natured rivalry between towns.
Still, he gifted us with bus tickets to spend Tuesday in Seville. We took the three hour bus ride, getting to see much of the countryside as we headed for the city.
For the first time since we landed in Spain, the sun shone and was quite pleasant. After stepping off the bus, we oriented ourselves with maps and decided to stay in the older part of the city, which made it the tourist section but saw the botanical gardens, the Alcazar, and the Cathedral along with many shops, and lovely homes.
The area included the university so the streets were filled with students and many Americans on Spring Break. Turns out we toured the Alcazar with four UConn students which we thought was pretty funny. It’s a large set of buildings along with gardens so once the tour ended; we spent another two hours wandering around.
In fact, by the time we were done there, we had lunch, leaving us just an hour to see the cathedral. Now, I thought the one in Granada was pretty amazing, but this structure dwarfed it. We were especially impressed with the crypt for some of Christopher Columbus’ remains along with the spectacular view from the bell tower. Thankfully, the law prevents any building from being taller than the cathedral so the view will never be spoiled.
Walked a lot, took many pictures, didn’t eat anywhere near as much as the last week and were better for it.
Granada is a beautiful city and thankfully, the weather cleared more often than not, allowing us to see the buildings and surrounding mountains in glorious sunshine. But first, the rain had to leave.
Last Monday, it was cloudy and drizzly and thankfully, I had the school talk for the first half of the day. After our lunch, though, we hit the streets and began exploring. We headed for the center of town and the cathedral. En route, we wandered past an interesting looking building and discovered it was an old, somewhat rundown hospital that had three attractive courtyards, old frescoes and other decorative touches. And it was open so we could wander freely around the grounds.
After hitting a plaza, we turned around and Deb happily found one of the city’s many yarn shops.
Let me tell you, Europeans knew how to build houses of worship. We saw many throughout our stay and just about all of them were incredibly decorated. The cathedral here was large and heavily decorated within with nooks, crannies, and corners filled with carvings or paintings. I was overwhelmed by the sheer size and scope of the structure.
Wednesday we got to tour some more and the sun shone brightly. We walked past the cathedral and towards the Plaza Nueva which had the legendary Alhambra overlooking the area. We walked up the hills, through numerous barrios and kept climbing, exploring narrow streets and alleys. We reached the top of one hill and found a flat park that provided us with amazing views of the snowcapped mountains to one side and Alhambra to the other.
Our walking led us to see how the people really lived and worked and it was pretty informative. In time, though, hunger called, and we headed down and settled on an outdoor restaurant in the plaza.
Thursday, before the con really opened, the Americans were taken on a tour of the Alhambra. This structure was rescued from neglect thanks to Washington Irving visiting it and staying to collect stories which he turned into his book Tales of the Alhambra, which reignited interest in the former palace of the Sultan along with Renaissance English structures. Maria, our tour guide, was terrific in explaining things to us and we followed along, gape-jawed with most snapping away with abandon. No wonder this is the most visited site in all of Spain.
Deb took advantage of the convention to wander different parts of the city while I worked until Sunday when we together took one last walk through the city. We went through the plaza again, in new directions and came across a small but nicely filled archaeological museum with artifacts pulled from Granada and the surrounding portions of the Andalucía region. While the placards were in Spanish, the accompanying illustrations were more than sufficient to give me a better idea of what was being described. I, of course, was fascinating and studied everything. That day, we also saw more churches, sampled local baked goods and walked quite a bit.
AcademiaC10 is a relatively recent art school headed up by painter Carlos Diez. It has grown to include nine instructors and teaches a variety or related subjects from comic book art to painting, model photography, movie makeup, and so on. They are spread across three buildings, including two store fronts.
When Carlos heard I was spending time in Madrid with Edu, he asked if I’d be willing to speak to his students. I, of course, agreed and we spent a lovely Friday afternoon at the school. Some 15-20 people gathered including Mariano Saura ad Carla Berrocal, two of the instructors. The school’s admin, Eva, was incredibly gracious and despite being on staff a mere month seemed to fit right in.
Once got started, I began talking (with Edu translating) about my background and the role of the comic book editor. I described what editors looked for in talent, how important it is to pick the right people for the right assignment and how vital it is for artists to be professional by staying in communication and making their deadlines.
The questions followed and flowed with people curious about prospects for artists in the States, some of the differences between companies, and who was stronger: The Thing or the Hulk (Jade Jaws wins every time). I then spoke to some of the students and looked at a variety of portfolios and I gather everyone had a good time. I’m told the write up on the site is most complementary but I’ll have to take their word for it.
Overall, I was made to feel welcome and they seemed to hang on my words, soaking it all in.
Carlos has even asked that write up my impressions about the Granada con for the students so I gather I’ll be keeping in touch with him and the school in the future.
As most of you know, Deb and I were in Spain for 12 days mainly to attend the Granada Comic Convention otherwise known as the Salon del Comic de Granada. For the last 15 years, the guests have included a mix of Americans and I was lucky to be invited this time around.
For the first time, the con partnered with the University of Granada for an academic program that saw several of us talk to students who signed up. I was invited to speak on the American comics market as a part of this.
But first, we went to Madrid. Edu Alpuente, agent, con organizer and all-around swell guy, invited us to stay with him for a few days so we could see the city before flying south. So, after a red eye on the 3rd, we arrived the morning of the 4th and were whisked by Metro into the city and his home. After getting things settled, he took us from the outskirts into the city to begin wandering about.
He took us to Plaza del Sol to begin seeing the city and we wandered from block to block, taking it all in. After lunch, we went and saw the King’s palace and the cathedral. Both places were quite fascinating to see and hear about.
Afterwards, we returned to the apartment where we met his patient wife Monica and their 3.75 year old daughter Valeria. Monica is a marvelous host and made us feel most welcome while Valeria claimed she was too shy to use the English she was learning so quietly and enthusiastically babbled to us in Spanish, not caring at all that we barely understood her. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
OK, you’ve seen plenty of the Superman cover and I appreciate the comments this has garnered both here and at Facebook.
This has been a pretty good week overall with lots of details to follow in the coming week but suffice to say all has been good.
On Tuesday, I had a really good call with Dan DiDio and Bob Harras, as Bob steps up to edit the Who’s Who project. Bob joined DC back when I was still in Collected Editions and he was a good team leader and we got on fine – of course it helped that I’ve known him since he was an assistant editor at Marvel and we’ve both come a long way. Bob is genuinely enthusiastic over the project and he’s coming up to speed quickly while I keep pounding away on entries. It now looks like the series will debut in July, not May as previously mentioned. And no, I have no control over the art assignments. Yes, I will consult and lobby in some cases but it will be handled by Bob and co-publisher Jim Lee.
On Wednesday, the Democratic Town Committee met for its bi-annual organizational meeting. As Mitch Fuchs stepped down as chair after eight strong years, Devon Pfeifer moved up to chair so I was elected Vice Chair. What does this mean? Well, rather than just being a District Leader, I will be a lot more involved in Democratic issues in town and that will force me to think politically, which is going to be new for me. It also will allow me to help recruit and train candidates for town and state elections which will be interesting.
Speaking of which, I’ve also been helping my state rep, Tom Drew, gear up for his re-election campaign and the formal announcement comes tomorrow morning. He’s a good guy who has done a lot after two terms and still has a list of things to accomplish. Best, he’s not in lockstep with the legislature’s clueless tone deaf Democratic leadership, instead he’s taking point on a moderate (saner) caucus that will try to actually get things done.
Finally, some columns I’ve written for a website have gotten good marks from my editor so I’m very encouraged. The site is scheduled to launch March 31 so we’ll talk about it more in a few weeks.
The 2 sidebars have been placed within an element so that you can enter information here at the bottom or up at the top that exists outside the 2 sidebars.
![[Bloglines]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/bloglines.png)
![[del.icio.us]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Fark]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/fark.png)
![[Faves]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/faves.png)
![[LinkedIn]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[MySpace]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Propeller]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/propeller.png)
![[Reddit]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[Slashdot]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/slashdot.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Technorati]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/technorati.png)
![[Twitter]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/twitter.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://bgbwp.malibulist.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
