New Projects

Okay I have a few projects in the works for both print and for the Artifice Comics site.

First the AC stuff:

Talisman Saviour - With the conclusion of Wicked Game with Ars Magna #8, and the events leading up to "Book Of Shadows" (a 3 part British Rule/Chaos Court mini series), Talisman Saviour focuses on a handful of Talisman Hybrids that wish to protect their talisman bretheren from both sides of this shadow war between Humanithy and the denizens of the Chaos Court.

I'd say more on this but it'd give away plot points from both Wicked Game and BoS.

Next is an untitled project done jointly with Jac Milnestein about the years before and after the fall of the Imperial Magistrate. My portion will cover the rise of Cheryl Torrance as Lady of Shadows, the formation of the Apothecary Dragoon, and the beginning of the end for Imperial Alchemists.

Basically all the good stuff alluded to at the end of the coming Ars Magna #7.

Finally the Print stuff:

So far I've written a special kind of "prequel" story to an Anthology book covering the Siege Engine storyline that ran through 2001 to 2002 at Artifice Comics. Its really really short but they say it works well save for a teensy continuity error. I blame Jason for this. Naturally.

Also they're asking me to fill in a gap in the stories by writing ANOTHER prequel story to the Nation of Immigrants storyline, which is in and of itself the storyline just before The Siege Engine comes online in Pacific City. That story will be about Prentice and Demerite (aka Joseph Liebowitz), the dead guy who's spirit inhabits the body of Cheryl and British Rule's dead infant son.

And after all that I'm currently working on a novellette that deals with all the mess of dimensional hopping and conquering of the Imperial Magistrate and the Apothecary Dragoon.

Thats more its own schtick, not really an Artifice release but escaping the bounds of Superhero universes and tell some scifi/fantasy-noir tale in my own little way.

All in all it looks like its going to be a busy 2009.

I've become a tad obsessed

... using songs as themes, and even as titles, for the stories I'm writing for artifice. Kind of a running soundtrack if the entire storyline was a 2 hour plus movie. Also I've gone and restarted a new LiveJournal, stay away from it.

You've been warned.

It'll be where I post snippets of writing considered "too hot" for Blogger.

That is all.

DVD Night

So I picked up Fool's Gold and Juno from one of those Redbox deals stationed at every Walmart these days. I'm not really one to review films but I do read quite a few reviews of films before I go see them and/or rent them.

I have to say Fool's Gold didn't suck. It was alot more actiony than the trailers provided plus I got to see Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson in their full tanned, sweaty, bathingsuit glory. Dee-lish.

Juno, that was a surprise. The waterworks commenced at the "Can we make out now?" line provided by Michael Cera. I defintely know I'm not ready to be a parent but I'd like to think someone out there would be willing to have a child with me and stick around after the conception. One can only hope.

Enough of that, we're all here about the writing so lets get on with this.

Apparently I shall have the honor, and infamy, to be penning a joint tale with one Mr. Jacob Milnestein. It will be a prequel of sorts for the both of us. It will be set 10 years back to the reign of the Imperial Magistrate on her homeworld and my portion of the tale will be 1 year before Lady of Shadows sets foot on the our Earth. I'll be starting this project tonight with some idea files to share with Jacob, but otherwise I'm still honing Ars Magna #4.

The sewers belch me up
The heavens spit me out
From ethers tragic I am born again

AM #4 is entitled "The End Is the Beginning Is The End" (Wicked Game Act I), Wicked Game being the final tale with Sheila Torrance at the forefront of my stories. It will tie up all the loose ends of previous Talisman and Ars Magna issues and set up my involvement in the post-Pacific City world of the Artifice Comics Universe.

Right now I'm kind of on the fence about writing a straight up Team Book for Artifice. I'd really love to do a great book with all the Wham! Bam! Waffle! action but there is already going to be 3 team books out before mine even sees the light of day Chessmen, New Mages, and the upcoming SHADOWS book.

My best bet would be to change the direction of the team book as everyone else is going to be serious, possibly turning this into a more free spirited, tongue in cheek "Family" book. Fantastic Four meets Lethal Weapon meets Super Bad.

I've got some character names floating around my head like "Ice Ifrit", "Justice Vanguard", "Creeping Cadaver", and "Holli Jin". A fictional city and I should be all set for a good pitch to the editors.

Also note I've been reviewed, again. Also again by Saxton Brenton who reviewed my first piece, for AC, previously. He enjoyed it apparently, which is good considering the continuity muck I had to deal with. Kudos to him.

ttfn

Ahhh The Transformers Theme

I truly am loving Black Lab's take on the Transformers Theme. It took the damn movie to make me go and do what I should have done back in my childhood, get a damn Optimus Prime toy. I was more a Tinker Toy and Lincoln Log child than a full on "pink aisle" and "tea set" girlie girl. Instead of My Little Pony it was the Etch-A-Sketch. So here I sit at my computer desk casting longing glances at my 7 inch plastic dream man.

So full on nostalgia aside, or at least partly, I find myself wanting to write a new story. I've been nursing a mad-on for some of the shit team books trade paperbacks I've perused at the bookstore. The only ones worth their salt is Volume 1 of the Ultimates and JSA. Goyer and Johns bring me joy with their runs on the Justice Society. Its why I harbor a bicurious longing for Power Girl, its not the breasts is the brain matched with brawn.

So down this line of thinking, and full access to the Artifice Comic's universe I've been "jonesing" to write a team book. While, as I've already lambasted dearest Jacob about the post-modern/grim and gritty/mystic punk-silver age homage that is Artifice I'd like to write some non-fucked up characters. So I proposed a series idea that'd begin at the very end of my tenure writing Talisman and Ars Magna. (Yes, I want the series to end properly not drag it on. I'm only human.)

Right now its only purely a concept but I plan on taking a handful of characters and. instead of carving a niche out for them ala AM/SW, plopping them right in the middle of a Post-Pacific City world. As a nod to the Ultimates and JSA its a team consisting of my takes and amalgamations on various archetypes. There will be a: Doc Savage/Captain America, Mr Fantastic/Flash, Dr Fate/Power Girl, and a type of Steampunk-Optimus Prime.

Yes this idea is another spawning from the whole Talisman mythos but its more of a classic take on heroes. Sure they'll have problems and issues but like Captain America displaced, as the team will be coming from a Pre-WW2 period. They won't be familiar with computers, nazis, civil rights, but they will have an unspoiled mindset of right and wrong.

It probably won't see the light of day until winter but I'm psyched for it, kind of a goal to help me realize nothing is over yet for me with Artifice. I like it here.

Insomnia cum Wiki work

So I stayed up a bit tonight to work on the Artifice Comics wiki entries for Talisman and Ars Magna, respectively. Here is the link to the main page itself. Its a bit lacklust at the moment but free time abounds these days so I look forward to giving it the old college try.

I find it to be noble endeavour as I really detest the timeline system set up on the main artifice site. These wiki entries will be way more newcomer reader/writer friendly and allow for better explanations of concepts and creations that abound in the ACU.

Well its time for sleep. G'night boils and ghouls.

Rhetorical Ponderance

I've a bit of fascination with the whole superhero/metahuman lifestyle. Not the slam-bam-thank-you-mayor part but the coping with the "having of powers and abilities beyond mortal man".

In X2 and X3 we see Bobby Drake/Ice Man "chill" Wolverine's drink and turn a fountain into a skating pond for Kitty Pryde (Juno was wonderful, Ms. Page, keep it up). In Spider-Man we see Peter Parker use his agility and "spidey-sense" to recover Mary Jane from a fall and rescue her lunch (how gentlemanly and dorky at the same time).

Also in My Super Ex-Girlfriend (thank you Eddie Izzard and Anna Faris, i love you both with all my blood-valves and chambers), the super intercourse and flying ... well... f*ck was both awkward and painful to watch, but instills in me the wonder how that would really work out. In Dark Knight Strikes Again we see a similar scenario with an aged Kal-El and Wonder Woman, where they literally moved mountains while a kryptonian pelvic thrust sent the entwined couple from the heights of the lower-edge of space to ocean floor (talk about rug burns, ouchies).

Sorry if these are random but its just bits and pieces of thoughts I'd like to get down somewhere for future explorations. Tah tah.