Storycraft Podcast Episode 12 – Screenwriter Joey Aucoin

From writing exercises turned surprise success to the harrowing canyon run on the Death Star that is writing for Hollywood, Joey Aucoin and I share a great exploration of the screenwriter’s trade. This episode is jam-packed with tips and tricks and lots of hard-to-miss opinions. This is a movie-lover’s show to be sure, but all storytellers can gain from giving this a listen.

Find Joey on Twitter, Facebook, and his tumblr page LIFE IS AWESOME?

FYI – Joey Aucoin was the man chosen to adapt the upcoming film version of Lions, Tigers and Bears from Image Comics.

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Storycraft Podcast Speacial Episode:

Anatomy of a Kickstarter – Eugene Booker

Publisher/Writer

DIY: Do it Yourself Comics Anthology

Cover art above by Justin Jackson

With just about a week to go on his Kickstarter campaign, %75 shy of his funding goal, Eugene Booker discusses the lessons he’s learned so far, and where he’d like to go from here.

This turned out to be one of my favorite interviews so yet, because it is an incisive look at a creator ready to launch, no matter what it takes. The talk portrays in-the-moment realities of doing a kickstarter, being a self-publisher, and trying to find footing in the shifting, but growing, world of the storytelling arts.

Find Eugene on Facebook and twitter.

Before you even listen, or while you do, please head over to Eugene’s Kickstarter Campaign and give him a bump in these final days!

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Storycraft Podcast Episode 10- Craig Schroeder

writer/founder – Gentleman Baby Comics

or, “My two Craigs.”

(Er… “My two Kraigs?”)

It’s like lookin’ into a freakin’ mirror, chatting with comic creator and film geek Craig Schroeder. We never miss a beat keeping up with each other’s tangents. Talk ranges from Jimmy Pardo and Stanley Kubrick, to Michael Bay and the Maltese Falcon.

Craig also relates a brilliantly funny, but terrifying story about trying to print issue #1 of their debut comic “Hit!”- not to be missed.

This episode is a Robert-Mitchum-tattooed-knuckle-sandwich full of nerdiness, but the themes beneath reveal unique commonalities in the process of creators separated by 3,000 miles, who only JUST met on twitter.

It takes a village to raise a child, but it only takes a library to raise a storyteller!

Please pay special note to this episode’s crowd-funding current. There is an incredible project in it’s final days on kickstarter that really deserves some last minute heroics. It is the most moving campaign I’ve seen on kickstarter. Listen for details or click here.

Find Craig Schroeder on twitter and on facebook.

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Ascent of Humanity

An exclusive SNEAK PEEK at the new Speculative Fiction novel series written by Jamie Bullen, with chapter illustrations by Kraig Rasmussen

A 20,000 year old incident

Ascent of Humanity 1 Discovery

Ascent of Humanity 1, Discovery (AoH1) takes place 274 years in the future at Epsilon City, located in the asteroid belt. This city in space has a very large solar field, it uses artificial gravity so humans feel at home, and has a strong magnetic field to protect all life from the solar wind. The City is an ecological marvel with over 1 million people living there. Epsilon has large mining and processing industries, robotics, huge agricultural facilities, wild places, large seas, and human activities of all sorts.

A Discovery

EES, a mining company from Epsilon, on a routine mission, discovers a 20,000-year old derelict interstellar spaceship, with 18 dead crew-members. EES claims salvage rights and decides to sell the ship with all of its fabulous technology.  Companies from Earth and Mars realize that getting control of the alien technology will permit them to dominate the spacecraft and information technology industries throughout the solar system.

Failure to get control is not an option for these companies.

In the meantime the City of Epsilon takes the aliens to a medical facility, where autopsies are conducted, and their genetics studied.

Word reaches the world

EES makes the strategic decision to try and fix the derelict. They begin to power up the ship and weld shut the hole in its starboard side.

Extraordinarily the ship’s mind boots up and is able to work around its damaged infrastructure. The ship’s name is ♪#. In time ♪# realizes that humans must be a pre-contact species, and she uses simple mathematics to begin communication. When humans finally seal and pressurize the ship, ♪# produces a hologram to interface with them.  This hologram starts working with humans, and begins the process of repairing the ship to its former capabilities.

Finders, Keepers

The ship and her crew have lots of surprises for the humans, but the best has been in stasis, where no time passes, for over 20,000 years. This is the ship’s cyborg and her name is ♫. Humans call her A-sharp, and she has a special implant to allow her wide-band communication directly with the ship.  Once pressurized ♪# turns off ♫’s stasis field and explains what has happened. ♫ must make new friends with humans because everyone else she has ever known, has been gone for a long time. ♫ is from a race called the ♪♫Val.

Alien Autopsy

Humans get to meet a flesh and blood ♪♫Val who comes to them from the distant past. ♫ makes new friends, and humans begin to learn first hand about life in the galaxy. Galactic culture and technology beckon, and mankind begins to learn how they may take part.

AoH1 tells the story of humanity’s discovery of intelligent life in the galaxy, and of all of the extraordinary consequences that ensue for everyone involved.

Area Map for events of AoH1:

You are HERE

Ascent of Humanity1 (AoH1) will be released digitally in the summer of 2013 and in print shortly thereafter. Stay tuned for details!

About the Author:  This is Jamie Bullen’s first book.  Jamie has a lifelong love of science; especially physics, mathematics, natural history, and planetology.  He takes his inspiration for science fiction from Philip K. Dick, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Larry Niven to name a few.  He has never been very happy with first contact stories and AoH1 and the books to come are his way of fixing that.  He lives in Los Gatos, California.

About the Illustrator: Kraig Rasmussen is a Long Beach, California based illustrator & writer.  He is founder of the crowd-funded, comic book self-publishing site monkeygong.com, and host of the Storycraft podcast.

Addittional artwork for AoH1:

A walk in the (asteroid) park.

My character Rocketboy guest stars on a futuristic beer menu.

(monkeygong.com, NOT encouraging underage drinking since 2287.)

An artifact from the recovered ship. One of many.

All story content © 2013 Jamie Bullen. All artwork © 2013 Jamie Bullen & Kraig Rasmussen.

More art and story updates to come!

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Storycraft Podcast Ep 9-

Wondercon 2013 Panel: “The Creator’s Role in the Future of Comics Publishing”

Moderated by Chris Brandt, featuring Jimmy Palmiotti, Brian Schirmer and Kraig Rasmussen

The name of this panel may be a further sign I need to consider brevity in my writing… but how else do you say that?

In the spirit of less-talk-more-listen, I will only mention that the name and line-up of the panel say most of it. Other notable things include the running theme of kickstarter/crowd-funding and self-publishing that run through the whole thing. We never got to the creator’s role within a company of the future, (other than noting a few truths about where it stands now,) and we never got to discuss the “brick & mortar” conundrum.

Many upcoming episodes will confront the future of stores in an increasingly web-oriented market, and the uncertain outlook for paper publishing. (I think it will be A-okay! Don’t despair.)

Thanks a gazillion to everyone who participated, and to the excellent and interested audience.

Special thanks to Joey Pangilinan from comicbookresources.com for writing such excellent coverage, and to Rich Johnston of bleedingcool.com  for the same!

What are you still doing here? Go listen to the show already!

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This past weekend, Wondercon 2013 invaded the Anaheim Convention Center, and as usual, the community of stellar folks working in the comics industry invaded my heart.

Sitting in the afterglow of the experience that I never want to end, despite how exhausted and hoarse I may become, it is again the influence of these amazing people that is my favorite part.

Without kowtowing or nerding out excessively, I will say it is the recent influence of two such people, that lingers most: Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner.

Not only is Jimmy’s name on probably half the comics in my collection, but he is a kinetic, dynamic writer. He’s the most excited about comics of anyone I know, and he is a stellar business person. Many can tell you, Jimmy is also a helluva lot of fun to hang out with.

Amanda, for my money, is a master of her craft, and I am enthralled by her work at every turn. The bold, crisp line-work, open compositions with interesting silhouettes, and lithe figures in the series of prints she had for sale at Wondercon, kinda turned my head inside-out. My work can get rendering heavy, and her work reminds me to step back and play with the space. Brilliant.

At Long Beach Comic Con last November Amanda & Jimmy, along with the likes of Tim Bradstreet, Tom Jane, Lance Henriksen, Jim Daly III, Kristanna Loken, Bernie Wrightson and a gaggle more, turned what I expected to be a sleepy weekend into the most intimate and inviting show I’ve ever attended. That show re-engaged my love for comics, but from the professional side, in a way I’d never felt before.

Further evidence that comics people is good people– Fun, accessible, honest and diverse as can be.

At Wondercon this year, Jimmy was a part of a great panel discussion on a Creator’s role now and the future of comics, with Brian Schirmer, myself, and moderator Chris Brandt. The talk was charged and engaging. The audience was hyper involved, and Jimmy, as usual, brought heaping helpings of personality and wisdom to the stage. We easily could’ve kept on and on, as the subject of kickstarter gave way to self-publishing, gave way to creator owned publisher collaboration, and almost forayed into distribution and the brick & mortar direct market vs. digital conundrum. It was a blast of a panel that you can find out about when I post the recording.

What really stuck with me from the show, besides our panel, was the Spotlight Panel on Jimmy & Amanda.

Their panel was just what I needed. The next step in my growth as a human is finding balance between my consuming creative work and a loving relationship. It’s perhaps the most difficult balance in life for me next to money.

The talk was very candid about the emotional mechanics of their personal relationship amidst being two very prolific, passionate creators, essentially breaking down “a day in the life” at their house.

It was a testament to the way people can compliment each other, to the fact that we don’t need to be together at every moment in order to be happy. Taking into account that these are two icons of comics, it was beautiful to discover that their career success occurred IN TANDEM WITH, not TO THE EXCLUSION OF, their relationship. I connected to that, especially because Amanda and I have the same sleep habits. She’s a vampire like me, drawing into the wee hours, cringing at the morning light, and really, really in need of coffee before much conversation! That schedule can play hell on relationships, (but it is awesome for getting art done). It was a kick to hear that their contrast in methods only makes things more interesting. (Maybe there is hope for me after all!)

I felt the chat was a unique, personal glimpse that went beyond the usual accessibility the community is known for. Their veracity was compounded by, even more moving because of, meeting them socially in the past. It proved yet again that I must be in the right place at the right time to be a part of something so cool. (Also, they’re cat people, which in my book is excellent and a sign of personal grace.) Best of all, the conversation taught me things the way I like to learn them, through a story.

Comics have always been populated by the best minds, the most colorful personalities, because it is a medium that requires diverse understanding and skill. Comics folk are a breed of self-actualizing originals. Amanda Connor and Jimmy Palmiotti are two of the finest examples we have. I could not think of anyone better to learn from and work alongside.

Thanks to both of them for sharing so openly. Drinks are on me at the next show!

Special thanks to Jimmy for joining me on our panel. It was a super fun time, more engaging than ever.

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Storycraft Podcast Episode 8 – Chris Brandt

The documentary [Comic Book] Independents was very influential in my move to create this podcast. From it’s insightful interviews to whimsical ruminations on the “source” of creativity, and it’s palpable love of comics, the whole package speaks to my own heart. It is a movie I frequently recommend.

To my recollection, I met Director, Cartoonist and Storyboard Artist Chris Brandt at a screening for his film at The Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco a few years back. Soon thereafter I learned he is as much a fixture in the comic convention scene as I am, and we’ve now been friends for a number of years.

We discuss the nitty-gritty of structuring freelance work, storyboards and much more, in this hyper detailed examination of the practical side of art for a living. Chris also goes in depth on the creation of COMIC BOOK INDEPENDENTS.

Since I had to cut so much out of this episode for time’s sake, Chris will be back again in the near future to discuss movies, his upcoming projects and who knows what else?!.

Chris was also kind enough to do a slam-bang job moderating our panel at Wondercon this year “The Creator’s Role in the Future of Comics Publishing.” We had an amazing time with that, and the recording will be up very soon!

Thanks to Chris for joining both this show, and Wondercon.

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Storycraft Podcast, Episode 7 – Jim Mahfood (Side B)

In part 2 of our talk, we take a look at comics business models past, present and future. Plus a bunch of other stuff… But you’re not here to read about it, are you?

Keep an eye out for the hardcover collection “Everybody Loves Tank Girl“, and Jim’s animated series for the relaunch of MTV’s Liquid Television, DISCO DESTROYER, (with Scott Mosier, Joe Casey & Titmouse animation.)

Thanks to Jim for joining me for this discussion! Check him out online:

jimmahfood.com

Follow @jimmahfood on instagram and twitter.

Missed part 1? Go there first!!

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Storycraft Podcast, Episode 7 – Jim Mahfood (Side A)

In part one of a layered, insightful conversation with COMIC BOOK ARTIST and future ANIMATION MOGUL, Jim Mahfood, we dissect the comic book career like a frog in science class! We get into Jim’s early start in comics, the art-life hustle, influences, art books, and Batman. We also discuss his upcoming animated series on MTV. But I’ll let the show do the talking…

Keep an eye out for the hardcover collection “Everybody Loves Tank Girl“, and Jim’s animated series for the relaunch of MTV’s Liquid Television, DISCO DESTROYER, (with Scott Mosier, Joe Casey & Titmouse animation.)

Thanks to Jim for joining me for this discussion!

Follow @JimMahfood on twitter and Instagram

Click here for part 2!

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My Lando Calrissian Moment

To all my friends and supporters, this is a special catch up mini-episode with a few important announcements.

Participants of my Breaking Bread shirt sale should take special note. This episode is dedicated to you, as a token of my appreciation and a promise of near future delivery of goods.

The last two months have been the busiest in my art career so far, with freelance clients coming out of the woodwork. About this, I have no complaints. I am grateful for, and inspired by a string of projects that are challenging my every skill. The downside is only that there isn’t enough time for it all.

Despite being unbearably close delivering a horde of new products, artwork and updates from monkeygong.com, the occasional delay is simply a part of the puzzle for now.

Just remember: “Lando’s not a system, He’s a man.”

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