A New Chapter Begins

Posted by Bob Greenberger on August 30, 2010

Since mid-March, I have watched as the freelance world has altered. It didn’t start then, but it’s when I paid attention to how many of my peers were struggling to find assignments. Media tie-in fiction seemed to be cut way back while publishers also cut down on mid-list authors. Fellow members of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers began reporting they were taking day jobs once more, seeking refuge and some security.

I have happily and even somewhat eagerly spent the first few months of my forced layoff to produce new pitches and do spec writing for the first time in ages. In some ways it was freeing and in some ways terrifying.

A few pitches were read and rejected and have since gone on to other points. Others continue to develop as I mentioned in the previous post.

Regardless, I need to earn a living, contributing something beyond my columns’ pay towards the household. This has led to make the career-altering switch to seeking my certification in Secondary Education. The end goal, around the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year would for me to be an English teacher.

I almost went this way once before. In spring 2002, after Bill Jemas foolishly fired me at Marvel, I had applied to Connecticut’s Alternate Route to Certification program and was actually accepted. I also spent some of that time as a substitute teacher in the middle and high schools here in Fairfield, including two days as Robbie’s social studies teacher, followed soon after by accompanying them on the eighth grade class trip.

In early May that year, I missed a call from the school on a Monday. Tuesday, before I could call them back, Georg Brewer called to hire me back at DC. After accepting Georg’s offer, I called the school to learn that the social studies teacher had to suddenly relocate to Florida with her husband and would I consider being the permanent sub for the remainder of the school year. This is one of this pivotal moments parallel worlds are based on. Had I spoken to the school first, I would have had a chance to teach for over a month and then enter the ARC program that summer. Instead, I went back into comics and publishing until I am at this point.

Apparently, for state certification, I need to present a well-rounded undergraduate transcript and I have been deemed deficient in math, science, and fine arts. Beginning today, to remedy this, I begin classes at nearby Housatonic Community College, taking Principles of Statistics and History of Theater. I am also applying to graduate schools to begin my studies for a Master’s Degree in the spring.

I will still have time to write and should any of the circulating proposals or stalled work actually receive a green light, I will still have the flexibility to write.

Last week, I attended orientation at HCC and several of the staff and faculty asked about my career change because they’re seeing it more and more people of my generation return.  And sure enough, I was not the only over-50 person at the session.

I haven’t been a serious student in over thirty years and math scares the beejeezus out of me. Still, statistics might make me a better fantasy baseball owner next year. I also recognize that with the country’s economy as precarious as it is, finding work as a teacher won’t be as easier as people anticipated only a few years back. I am still determined to go through with this and create more options for myself.

While I think I’d have plenty of fun with high school students, especially if I ever get to teach AP English (recreating my favorite high school course), Deb and Kate think I’d actually connect better with middle schoolers. I guess we’ll find out in the months and years ahead.

Work Update

Posted by Bob Greenberger on August 27, 2010

OK, so while I am thrilled to have Batman: The Brave & The Bold #20 now out, and receiving some nice comments, there’s the future to consider. Here’s what has been happening…

…not all that much to be honest. Such can be the life of the freelance writer. You hope for a steady supply of work and are prepared to handle the feast while dreading the famine.

The proposals that have been circulating continue to circulate. One is showing some signs of life but nothing concrete today.

All three graphic novels that are in development got stalled because everyone in Europe takes August off, including it seems, artists. They still need to complete their samples before publishers will consider the packages.

The new comic book story I mentioned some weeks back was written and submitted. My editor got back to me with some very constructive comments, so I did a revision and await his final thumbs up.  The second pitch for the same media property has also been revised and awaits the licensee’s approval.

Yesterday, while pitching a project to one editor, he expressed some interest and countered by suggesting a project to me. I am now putting together notes to see if this makes sense and whether or not we have a book to produce. Stay tuned for details.

A long-simmering project sat on an editor’s desk since April with nary an acknowledgment or response to e-mails and calls. I have since begin sending it elsewhere, but one person found the outline intriguing enough to ask to see sample pages. This week I have begun researching and yesterday managed the first chapter. I need to produce 50-75 pages for review and will no doubt write a lot more before honing it.

Last week, I had a fascinating session with a group of peers, talking about something that may or may not turn into something. If it happens, it won’t be until 2011, but I do like the possibilities it represents.

As a result, my current confirmed workload looks like this: I write my twice-weekly op-ed column for the Fairfield Patch and my twice-monthly column for Westfield Comics. At leats one if not two comic book stories for a media property. Everything else is speculative in nature. I await word from DC Comics as to when we all get back to work on Who’s Who which is still happening — honest.

Batman: The Brave & The Bold #20 on Sale Wednesday

Posted by Bob Greenberger on August 24, 2010

I can’t tell you how excited I am that tomorrow my one issue of Batman: The Brave & The Bold will be going on sale. It has been nearly two decades since I last wrote a comic book and it was a great experience.

When I completed the script, my editor Michael Siglain told me he was assigning it to Robert Pope who is a big fan of Jack Kirby’s characters. I certainly knew the talented Mr. Pope’s name from the various Johnny DC tittles he had illustrated.

I was thrilled by what he had done, including his imaginative cover design. How that came to be is the subject of a blog post over at John Rozum for Kids. John, a long-time writer for Milestone and DC, explained to me, “It’s meant to cover every aspect of what goes into making a comic from start to finish, covering art, writing, editing, inspiration, lettering, and hopefully at some point the actual process at the printer.”

He’s invited me to contribute a piece on how I came to write the story and the process which I will be doing later today.

After everyone goes out and buys the issue, let me know what you think.

Me and the Attorney General

Posted by Bob Greenberger on August 20, 2010

Since I’ve gotten involved in local politics, I have found myself attending numerous events where several of the state leaders turn up. They breeze in and are usually mobbed by those they know and they seem to know a lot of the party faithful.

When you work on enough campaigns and attend the same events, your orbits wind up synchronizing with one another.

Having never worked on the state campaigns, I have been somewhere out in the distant realms, so time after time, I find myself being reintroduced to these people, which is fine. After all, I haven’t given them money or walked the streets on their behalf or done similar services. Still, I appreciate that when we hold our annual Century Club brunch, they turn out in number, genuinely happy to (briefly) be there.

When I was serving as Moderator of the Representative Town Meeting, my status was raised enough that when I was next introduced to some, such as Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, they paused to absorb the information. Blumenthal even went so far as to say that if he or his office could be of any service I shouldn’t hesitate to reach out. At the time, I had no clue how I might need his services, but it was nice to know the offer was out there.

And as it turned out, as moderator, I never needed an opinion from any attorney other than our town attorneys.

(Let me pause and express my admiration for the job he has done as the state’s AG these last 20 years. Both only has he turned the office into a proactive one for the consumer, he has tirelessly attended hundreds of rubber chicken events a year for two decades. He extends himself town by town and has a staff attending to needs both great and small. The kerfuffle over the handful of misstatements about his service as a reserve means he’s not perfect.  Even with this mortal flaw, he is still light years ahead of his opponent in terms of qualified to be a senator.) WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

Gotham City 14 Miles Coming in October

Posted by Bob Greenberger on August 18, 2010

The official page for Gotham City 14 Miles is now up at the Sequart website and will be in the next Diamond Previews catalog. The book is not yet available elsewhere, so I call your attention to this fun volume.

Editor Jim Beard invited me to write for this in the spring of 2009 and I delivered the essay in July of that year. The publishing process is a mercurial thing, and there were some delays from its initial spring 2010 release date.

The book will be available by the New York Comic-Con and there will be a panel featuring several of the contributors, including yours truly.
The contents will include a handy episode guide plus the following essays:

“Bats in Their Belfries – The Proliferation of ‘Batmania’” – by Robert Greenberger. Covering the genesis of the show and the explosion – and quirky substance – of Batmania. From the show’s popularity to the spinoff products and beyond, he characterizes this particular form of insanity that gripped the country — the world — from 1966 to 1968.

“Batman – From Comics Page to TV Screen” by Peter Sanderson.

“Such a Character – A Dissection and Examination of Two Sub-Species of Chiroptera homo sapiens” by Jim Beard.

“Notes on Bat-Camp” by Tim Callahan.

“Aunt Harriet’s Film Decency League” by Becky Beard.

“POW! – Batman’s Visual Punch” – by Bill Walko.

“Known Super-Criminals Still at Large” by Chuck Dixon.

“May I Have This Batdance?” by Michael Miller.

“The Best Dressed Women in Gotham City” by Jennifer K. Stuller.

“Holy Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor!”  by Michael D Hamersky.

“Gotham City R&D” by Michael Johnson.

“Theatre of the Absurd – Batman: The Movie, 1966″ by Rob Weiner.

“Jumping the Bat-Shark” by William Patrick Murray.

“Some Days You Just Can’t Get Rid of a Bomb” by Paul Kupperberg.

Revisiting my Childhood via Video

Posted by Bob Greenberger on August 16, 2010

One of the great pleasures of the digital revolution is having the chance to relive our childhood.

Slowly, but surely, I am revisiting many of the touchstones heroes or programs that I adored as a kid. In some cases, such as the 1960s cartoon collections from Warner Home Video, I see the flaws but can’t help but feeling warm and tingly as I see my Saturday morning companions once again.

I’ve been working my way through the complete M*A*S*H and am halfway through the Banacek series.

This morning, I completed the final two chapters of Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, finishing the three Universal serials. As a kid, I first encountered Alex Raymond’s comic strip hero when Chuck McCann hosted a Sunday morning show on WPIX. With his sense of humor and frequent use of the Sunday Daily News comics sections, I found myself preferring this show to WNEW’s Sonny Fox-hosted Wonderama show (setting up some fights with my brother over the family room television).

McCann would be on from 9-11 and would show at least one chapter of Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, The Phantom Empire, the Masked Marvel, and The Purple Monster Strikes.  New York’s local television stations seemed to take turns licensing and rebroadcasting many of these so I was riveted by these all through the 1960s.

Since these informed my image of Flash, Dale, Zarkov, and Ming I was delighted by the set design but appalled by the 1980 feature film version and even more disgusted by the unrecognizable SyFy travesty.

A few years back, McFarland Books published a history of the serials which I read with great interest and it’s a wonderfully informative tome. Them, about a year back, I finally splurged and bought a box set of the three serials. Bit by bit, I’ve worked my way through them, recalling scenes and moments, along with the music.

I can certainly see today the flaws, beginning with weak stories and characters. Most of the recastings throughout the series were to the detriment of the saga, and they certainly could have been better – even then. But, what a thrill to see Buster Crabbe once more in his imaginative costumes, running, leaping, fighting, and grimacing. Charles Middleton had the perfect voice and demeanor to be his merciless opponent but he never had a chance to really be evil.

Still, it’s been great tripping down memory lane. Next up will be the semi-obscure one season wonder, Search.

Two Years

Posted by Bob Greenberger on August 14, 2010

I have trouble comprehending that it was two years ago that we lost Robbie.

The first year was certainly difficult and this past week, Deb and I were preoccupied with thoughts about him and this day. On the one hand, we still can’t believe he is no longer a part of our life, and on the other, it also feels so long ago.

Time heals and it hurts less now but he remains a constant presence. I haven’t changed his picture from my wallpaper and reminders abound throughout the house. We talk about him but still find it difficult to tell new acquaintances that he lived and died. Our friends and family do look after us. Messages of remembrance began arriving yesterday and family has already called to check in.

We want to remember him today but not wallow in a deep depression. Today will be quiet, punctuated with some contact. We already walked this morning with our neighbor Tom and Deb has gone to her weekly knitting. Later, Jim and Jennifer will come for dinner and join us for a local jazz trio performance in town. In between, we will go visit his resting place and sitting quietly and contemplating what was and what might have been.

He remains much missed, not just by us, but by all he touched. That’s a pretty good legacy to have.

Election Night

Posted by Bob Greenberger on August 11, 2010

In the past, all of my political efforts were directed at Fairfield. This time around, not being in office, I found myself drifting into working on behalf of Ned Lamont and was therefore invited to attend the Election Night party. Throughout the day all I heard was that turnaround in town and across the state was depressingly low.

I spent a few hours making Get Out the Vote calls only to discover that some homes had already been called two or three times. No wonder people had the election season. They’re inundated with mailers and calls. It got so that while in the car last night, a cell phone rang Lindsay Lamont cracked that it was probably another Lamont robocall. Sardonic humor as it turned out because despite the polling to suggest a tight race, Dan Malloy bested Lamont by a sizeable margin.

The mood was cautious as I arrived at Testo’s restaurant with a giant screen projecting one local channel’s coverage while another screen had constantly refreshed election results via the Internet. When I arrived there were 17% of the votes counted and Malloy was leading 57%-43%. People milled about, bought drinks at the cash bar, and nibbled on the hot appetizers, eyes fixed on the screens. By 9, with over 30% counted, Malloy was up to 59% and it seemed Lamont was never going to mount a challenge. Deb had joined me by then, and we watched with fellow Fairfielders.

Around 9:40, things hadn’t changed but the room was filling with people filing in from the VIP room. To me it was clear they were coming in to watch Ned concede to Dan. Sure enough, the screens went dark and Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch took the podium, accompanied by New Haven Mayor John DeStefano. They spoke rousingly, making it clear Dan had won and it was time to come together as a party. Finally, the Lamont and Glassman ticket arrived with their families in tow. Mary Glassman spoke first, continuing Finch’s theme, then thanking her family for their support. Lamont took the mike, recounted Lindsay’s joke, and said we all needed to keep some humor about us. His speech was note perfect, congratulating Dan, thanking the party and his family, and speaking of the need to have a Democrat look after our interests. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »

Go Out and Vote in CT Today

Posted by Bob Greenberger on August 10, 2010

Over at the Fairfield Patch, I wrote a column about the importance of getting out the vote. To me, it is a duty incumbent upon all eligible adults and why we get such low turnout never makes sense. We have a chance to select who we want our respective parties to run as candidates for state and federal offices. Whoever wins in November, will be charged with directing our state’s future and since the recent past has been fairly poor, we can make a fresh start.

I’m supporting Ned Lamont for Governor along with Mary Glassman for Lt. Governor. I hope Democrats will join me in voting for them today.

Lamont is a businessman, who has also been a Selectman in Greenwich, a university professor, and a long-time resident who brings a variety of experiences to the job. I am desperately hoping he wins in November so he can do for the state what Michael Bloomberg has done for the city of New York. Lamont has concrete ideas and plans for making the state more business friendly, for retaining our children when they are ready to enter the workforce and for revamping how we spend our money. He and his opponent, Dan Malloy, have many similar ideas, but their sharp differences can be found in their plans. Among them are Ned’s plans to revamp the state’s broken nursing home system and his strong belief in wind turbine technology helping solve some of our energy needs (Malloy says he believes ion the technology, but not on Long Island Sound, virtually eliminating the entire state’s coast line).

I’ve made my support tangible, hosting phone banking at the house along with a barbecue for fellow supporters, attended by Ned’s wife Annie, and his delightful daughters Emily and Lindsay.

Glassman is a longtime First Selectman from Simsbury which gives her the day to day knowledge of dealing with the state and helps balance the top of the ticket.  During the campaign season, I’ve enjoyed talking issues with her and feel she could make an excellent Lt. Governor.

There’s something smug about Dan that personally rubs me the wrong way. Yes, he ran Stamford for 14 years which gives him some idea of what it will take to run the state, but he’s also too much the insider for my taste plus he ran an ineffective campaign costing him the governor’s mansion in 2006. I also disliked watching his campaign staff strong arm Fairfield delegates during the state primary. Dan also went negative first, lowering the discourse. Sadly, every other candidate has also gone negative in vicious or embarrassing ways. The sole exception may be Secretary of the State candidate Gerry Garcia, who also had the single most creative piece of campaign lit mailed out this season. I’ve enjoyed his campaign and his thoughts on the role and he earned my support some months back.

Lamont and Garcia, if elected, will bring some fresh perspective and some fresh energy to Hartford, which, frankly, could use a swift kick in the pants.

Regardless of your personal feelings, if you live in Connecticut, get out and vote today.

A New Book in the House

Posted by Bob Greenberger on August 9, 2010

The joys of my freelance career include being able to mesh my writing and history interests. Most recently, I did several essays for my pal Bill Fawcett for his latest anthology. The mailman just dropped off my contributor’s copy to How to Lose World War II: Bad Mistakes of the Good War. It focuses entirely on the European Theater of Operations with a projected companion volume covering the Pacific.

I wrote about things like intelligence errors and the mismanaged training of Luftwaffe pilots.

The book officially goes on sale tomorrow and Amazon has it listed right here.