In the past week my work load really has kicked into full gear. One of the things that I neglected to mention on here was my issue of Vincent Price Presents from Bluewater was FINALLY released. Want proof? Here you go.
Every Wednesday, hundreds of comics come out. Some great. Some not so great.I have no clue where this one fits in. I do know that overall I like how the issue came out. It was just a silly little yarn and one of many comics that will not even make a dent in the sales charts. It was created almost two years ago for a company that is now mostly known for making biography comics about teen celebrities and politicians. Having said all that, the book meant a turning of the corner for me creatively.
I’ve learned in comics that doing everything on the production end can sometimes be counter productive. In the last few years I’ve really enjoyed the process of being self sufficient creatively. Working from home full time I sometimes think I need to get out and attempt working in a more populated environment. I usually try this once a year and realize creating in my comfort zone by myself is preferred. Not sure why. I know I’m pretty social, but when it comes to putting ideas down I’d rather be left alone in my own little world than share with others.
For this small single issue project that was done more out of love than anything else, I knew I would need to rely on someone else to help me finish the final product. As far as working with other people in comics, I’d have to say I’m pretty lucky. I have worked with writer’s who are not just talented folks, I can also call them friends
For some reason though I have always felt that a truly good comic artist should be able to do all aspects of making a comic. I don’t think you have to be a good writer to tell a good story in comics. I think the key is knowing your strength as a storyteller and keeping it simple starting out. This Price story was exactly that. Years of devouring EC Comics and listening to old radio shows instilled a fairly solid confidence in me that I could tell a decent morality play in twenty four pages. Getting the end result was harder than expected. If writing is a muscle it certainly wasn’t one I had flexed in a long time. Ultimately what I typed up was what I had envisioned in my head though. Something that almost never happens with drawing. Speaking of the drawing aspect, I’d be crazy not to mention how pleased I was with how that part turned out.
As I mentioned, the book is almost two years old. I know I am a better artist now than when I made these pages but the best thing to come out of this project was getting inked by artist Stacie Ponder. I really love how she worked a brush on these pages. The most fitting compliment I can give is that I felt like I inked them myself on a really good day. Not bragging about my inks by any means but that the inks still look like my pencils, only better. Deciding to write was easy for some reason. Handing off the inks was not. I hadn’t really been inked by anyone else before and I was very nervous about it. After seeing what Stacie did I am now more than willing to hand that part of the process off. Especially to her.
In the end it was a nice transition of the workload. Something I never expected I’d do. The book may be destined for quarter bins at comic conventions but it will always be something for me to look back on and see a turning point for myself.
Brent
