SO! Finding yourself at this Rip Current page and wondering where everything is? Here's a quick run-down...

First off, the comic (most important) is the top tile on the left.

I've done a couple of mini-chapters on what's happening just after the comic finishes, and those can be found in the blogs (below) or by clicking on the 'Extra Chapters' tile to the left.

Deliciously wonderful fan art is also on the left; click and peruse.

And for your listening pleasure when reading all these goodies, click and start up the Rip Current playlist, a text link further down on the left.

Want to see how this all started? Check out my 'Original Pitch' - that's the script and comment/feedback process that went on way back at the beginning of this process. You can also read waaay back in the blog pages here to read my panic-stricken blogs, my life imitates art revelations and more.

And if you want even MORE... stick around! Hit the Become a Fan button and join in the fun. More mini-chapters will be added over time.

Thanks for stopping by and come back soon!

Is St. Thomas real? I want to go there now. The comic was great. Only one issue? Are there going to be more in the works? I would really like to read some more. I sent my friends the URL for the comic and they dig it as well. Usually we do not read comics online, but if you put out more issues we will read them fow show.

Congrats! Here's a celebratory Klingon!

The Exceptionals - On-Going

It all started about a year ago. I was hanging out with some friends at the comic shop. Chris was talking about something he saw on the Discovery Channel about a man who lived with bears and was later killed by them. Here's the conversation that followed.

"Ironic," Gavin said, only to have me let him no that it wasn't really irony. We then took turns throwing out words that related to what the story was. "Poetic justice" I offered, where as someone else mentioned "Serendipitous".

Finally, from across the room, we heard Scott say, "Divine intervention?" to which, Gavin responded "GodBear?"

We spent some time laughing when I offered up the fact that it sounded like a heavy metal band. We pictured the image, a furry bear paw making the metal fist.

Sometime, somehow, later in the conversation, GodBear transformed into the bear version of Thor. And, that's how I came up with The Exceptionals--writing a world for an inside joke. Probably not the best way of creating a superhero franchise, but it seemed to work.

Anyway, I've spent every moment of my day since 10:50 am until I write this at 8:20 pm editing, rewriting, uploading, and just generally fighting with myself over this script. My brain is a little fried, so forgive me if I ramble or repeat myself.

I took out 300+ words with this one. I took out an entire issue or two worth of what I wanted to do. And, I took out one of my favorite scenes. All because there were some beats I needed to hit. The reason I'm telling you this is because I think it's an important lesson to learn, just because you love something in your story, doesn't mean it belongs there.

The scene I mentioned was with my probably obvious favorite character in the book, Doppler. Doppler is my favorite because he gives me an excuse to use dialogue, which is my specialty, without needed set-up for why the characters are together. Plus, being able to play with the diverse personalities in one body really gives me an easy out for comedy.

But, back to my point, the scene was with Doppler. The origin story of Doppler was originally told three times. First, Michael tells it completely flowery and peaceful, claiming he was in control. Then, upset by how much of a sissy Pete feels that Michael makes him seem like, Pete tells the story about how tough they were, claiming he was in control. Annoyed that they were bending the truth, Tom steps in and tells the story how you see it in the final script, only with different words since they have different mind sets.

The decision to take that out had its good and bad points. It was good to be able to expand on Michael and make him seem like less of a pretentious douchebag, but it also seems to take away from Tom. Tom is the level-headed one. Expect to see a lot more of him as the issues keep going.

I feel there was more I wanted to touch on, but I can't remember what it was. Also, I don't want to pass out from exhaustion and hunger.

I need chinese food.

Okay, today I decided that I would complain to someone about something. Then, I found out that blogging on here helps Blake Undying (Which you should go check out NOW) have a better chance of winning. Since I have a few things to complain about comic-book wise, everything fit together nicely.

1. Beast's Transformation.
Although this X-Men's new appearance looks 50 times (at least) more badass than his human form, there are two things that bother me about it: the hair and the fur. I can just hear the conversation:

Person 1: Wolverine and Nightcrawler are our most popular characters. Instead of making them more prominent in the comics, let's make another character look like a mix between the two!

Person 2: Of course! Hey, why not Beast? He's not very beast-like right now. Apart from, of course, his large feet. And you know what they say--

*Person 3 kicks Person 2 out of a window*

Person 3: So it's agreed then? Right. Time to draw Beast as a mix of the two aforementioned X-Men.

2. DC Vs. Marvel (Vs. Batman)
Okay, both companies have their good and bad comics, but I like Marvel better. Why? Because Superman is a dick. www.superdickery.com

In all seriousness, Marvel's characters have real-life issues and personal conflicts on top of their superhero lives, which is cool. Sure, DC has this too, but to a lesser extent. Sure, as Clark Kent, Superman goes through the motions of everyday life, often with funny results, but speaking as someone who isn't a reporter with two potential wives, no geeky friends, and no superpowers, I can't really relate. Spiderman has to go to school. School SUCKS.

So what have we learned? Schoolchildren don't know what they're talking about, because they lack real-life experience.

Except that Batman is the exception to the DC rule.

Oh, and anything by Alan Moore wins too.

3. Anatomy

Dear Anatomy:

Screw you! Why must you spend your everyday ruining my life? Not only is there a separate set of rules for the anatomy of superheroes, but there are about fifty extra muscles in every character! WHAT THE HELL? Could you not just go easy on me for like, ONE PANEL? Aw, screw comic art. I'll con a real artist into drawing my stuff.

Sincerely,
Me

4. Cosplaying

Dear Cosplaying:

STOP COSTING SO MUCH TIME AND MONEY.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Me

So I had a couple of pitch ideas while I was on my trip to the west coast and I started one in the pitch doctor before I left, Worlds Asunder. You might have noticed the name change a little from World Asunder to Worlds Asunder as I toyed with it in my head.

Right now I only have a synopsis up.  I'm reaching into the depths of all my Star Wars, Star Trek, Space Channel and anything else SciFi I have ever watched to pull this off so yes, at first it will be rough.

Here's the idea if you think about an Egg, throw a rock at it and it would explode, now compare this to all those disaster movies we have seen of asteroids hitting the Earth.  Yup it would hurt and yup it could probably blow us all into the next eternity.  But then what if  you cut the egg with a very precise laser?  Or if you cut it from the inside-out?  And therein lies the idea for Worlds Asunder.

The Earth has been carved into different islands but their orbit is still maintained by old core of the Earth (think about that Voyager episode where they encountered the planet made of water).  The image popped into my head while on the plane, a swirling ball of Lava surrounded by three floating rocks formerly pieces of the Earth.  I just couldn't shake the image and knew I had to write about it.

And do the inhabitants of these mini-worlds want to put the planet back to together?  Why of course, but all 3 pieces need to go back together (not just 2 of 3) because this might cause some inbalance in it's orbit, etc and all 3 would perish.

I know there are many possibilities and I think I need to bone up on some of my space knowledge to make things coherent but I think it will be an interesting ride if it's your thing.

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!!!!

Looking at the finished comic again, I noticed something strange.  The date is September 15th, yet the leaves on the trees are in bright oranges and reds.  While some may take this as an artistic decision meant to contrast the blue tones of the nighttime scenes, I disagree.  If one takes Alma as a historical document, (and I do) this is evidence of a different phenology for the trees of Elgin county in past centuries.  Evidence is now shown that the trees of the Great Lakes Carolinian forest changed their leaf colour much earlier in the year then compared to now.  I suggest climate change as a likely explanation.  Any influence of evil spirits can be ruled out as the base level of psychokinetic energy has been clearly shown (Tobin, 2007)  to have not changed in recent eons.

open for debate.

Just a quick reminder that I'm looking for community feedback on the entries in the Mind Crimes short story contest. It's not an official Z2H contest, but it's meant to have the same people's choice vibe.

Very good work Tom! The atmosphere is superb and the art complements it very well. I could see this become a movie, no doubt.

Keep 'em coming :)

Attention all! I'm going to premiere, for YOU, the first 4 pages of Alma: The Griffin Part One. This would be arc 2 [a shorty one] which would logically make it issue 5. Read, comment, critique, debunk! That's what this is all about, right?

ALMA: The Griffin Part One, Part One

PAGE 1

17^th century map of the great lakes and upper Canada [as it would eventually be known].

 

CAP [as journal entry]: Luc, Pilot in command of schooner Griffin,

 

Having departed from Potawatomis the morning of Tuesday, and entering a fog thicke as pitch the evening last, as we have been asea for two days I have not a sign of where we might be headed. I am to direct our cargo south to the Niagaras, and yet the direction has eluded me. The fog remains through the night unto morn, and hangs about us still. We hear the drumming off the starboard bow again, and the Jesuits have taken to prayer. The men, reliable as one must demand, becoming unhinged at the manic droning beat, have taken to drink. Would that I could join them~

 

Above I hear a clamor, and I am away to investigate--

 

PAGE 2

A haggard sailor in 17^th century attire stares off the bow of the ship. In the distance is a deathly thick fog, and deep within it appears to be a glowing sphere containing three burning globes arranged in a triangle.

 

HEADER: SSEP & Z2H Present ALMA: The Griffin Part One

 

CAP 1: 21 September, 1679

 

CAP 2 [as journal entry]: I see it! Even now. Off the prow, in the thickening mist, ever closer! The eye! The three-lobed burning eye!

 

PAGE 3

 

Panel 1

Looking at the front of the Griffin, a small-to-mid-sized schooner, listing violently to its starboard as a wave crashes into its port side.

 

Panel 2

The ship rocks violently and the sailor struggles to hold on to the mast. His eyes are wide with terror.

 

Panel 3

Behind the sailor, a huge head appears to just be cresting the side of the ship, water still rolling off of it.

 

PAGE 4

 

Panel 1

Mallory holds his hand up. He looks incredulous. He is seated in a tavern.

 

MALLORY: A moment, sir. What, if I may ask again, is the source of this tale?

 

Panel 2

A bald, grizzled man sporting an eye patch [how piratey!] stares Mallory down.

 

MAN: The journal, man. The pilot's logs.

 

Panel 3

Two-shot. The man holds a tattered journal up to Mallory, offering it to him across the table. A lead stein sits in front of him.

 

CAP: 6 October, 1885

 

MAN: Great with French I'm not, but I can read a good amount.

 

Panel 4

Mallory examines the weathered artifact.

 

MALLORY: Then you've a leg up on me, I'm afraid.

 

Panel 5

Mallory looks up at the Man.

 

MALLORY: I'd appreciate it greatly if you would continue.

 

 

That took -far- less time than I thought.

I've got the script transcribed to a Word doc with some small edits, so now's the time when we go private...The Ashen Man should be back public in a day or two, hopefully with quite a bit of annotation to help people out.

Parmesian fries for everyone!