Ever wonder what visuals inspired the artists working on Rip Curent? Well, today's your lucky day! I've just created a brand new gallery, with images of the real-life actors I 'cast' as the main characters, juxtaposed with their counterpart from the comic.

I'm so pleased with how Patricio captured the essense of Rip Current in the pencils -- he used the references I provided but managed to bring a special life to everyone... soon after I saw his sketches, my imagined scenes with them changed to match their new 'selves'.

Just one of the many ways Rip Current was brought to life by the artists involved, Patricio, Christian and Aya, for which I'm eternally grateful.

I'd love to hear what you think!

Well, it's been two weeks since the start of D2D2. You folks have crafted some fine pitches, and we come to the close of the first round of voting.

But it's not over yet!

There's still a second round of voting. So if you're not at wits end after these past few days, don't give up yet.

To help keep your spirits up, here's a nice motivational speech: http://www.overthinkingit.com/2008/12/10/40-inspirational-speeches-in-2-minutes/

I think it was Autolycan who asked this, I am not sure, but in the last week someone asked what was the origin for some of the pitches that are in D2D2.

So here it is;

The main character in Nexus Rising is Eric Mar (aka Mainstream, by his character profile).  I dreamt up this character in the early 90s, he didn't really have a costume, just wore everyday clothes,and could generate huge amounts of energy.  From there I remember seeing Fantastic Four and the sound that Doctor Doom made when he powered up, sounded like an engine powering up, that was pretty cool so I rolled that into my thoughts on Mainstream.  Over the years I would toss the character around in my head but nvever really had any ideas on how to make a story work with him that didn't sound like Superman or (shudder *Supreme*).  Regardless - there was going to be no cape.

So it was around this time last year I was working on some of my other pitches in Z2H and I started thinking about this character again, and I had this image in my head of this guy who was forced to power a ship through space.  From there things kept snowballing, what if they didn't ask his permission?  What if they forced the awaknening of his powers on him (note shades of Harbinger here, only just realized now).  And lastly what if it was all hidden from everybody else?

At the end of the day, I wanted the driving force of the story to be about choices.  The choice to enslave others, the choice to benefit from ignorance, the choice to save oneself, the choice to fight back.  This is the guiding theme of the story.

Thank you to everyone who has been checking out Nexus Rising and sending me great suggestions and tips for making this ptich work.

I remember when I first started writing Fox Goddess and when the inspiration hit. I was watching Pom Poko, a film by studio Ghibli. If the name sounds familiar is because that's the studio where Hayao Miyazaki works. Another source of inspiration came with the release of the PS2 game Okami. Both products delve deeply in the world of Japanese myths and storytelling. Check them out if you have the change.

A good friend of mine just sent me a short demo of a song he's working on with his band. It's kind of a raunchy clip, reminiscent of Soundgarden. It's pretty awesome.

Many many years ago, before I fell in love with trying to write for TV, I was a comic kid.  I would devour graphic novels and single issues with a ferocity that bordered on lunacy.  

For hours I would lie in bed, enthralled as Weapon X clawed his way free from his watery prison, as Superman made that final, desperate sacrifice, as Dream faced down Lucifer himself for the love of his life.

The mere pittance I was paid for my paper route at the time could never support my habit and so I spent many great years hanging out at my local comic shop and just... reading.

As I grew up and figured out what I want to do with my life - I'm a TV writer in my soul, I know that now - I always held a special place in my heart for the comics that set my young imagination ablaze and soaring into the night.

You know, now that I think about it, it's funny how similar Television and Comics are - I mean, once you get past that whole 'moving pictures' thing: the potential for epic, engrossing story lines, the complex characters that grow over time, the soul-crushing wait for the next chapter/episode... 

And yet that challenge to convey emotion and intrigue without sound or motion, to imply these effects and form a direct connection with another imagination is one that I can't help but find thrilling.  It stirs something inside me, something dormant for far too long.

When I found out about this site (thanks Jennica!) my heart skipped a beat.  There are stories that I've wanted to tell - fantastical stories that no television producer would touch - and that's the freedom that I believe Comics can offer.  Combining that with the potential that this site offers - the sheer concentration of creative minds and enthusiasm - well, I have to say that I'm hooked. 

I hope that you will come along with me and Samuel as we explore the world of Shaderin and the dark secrets hidden within, with any luck we'll scare ourselves silly in the process.

Cheers,
Brandon

I'm trying to write a novel.  I have many ideas, I know where the story is going and I already have a good chunk written.  In the past two months, my life has been overwhelmingly insane; I've been running everywhere, getting involved in way too many projects. I found myself really craving some free time to write down all my ideas and continue what I have done so far.

On Saturday, I finally had that chance! I had the whole day to myself, I was at my family's cabin in the woods, without distractions (aka internet & a DVD player), so I figured I'd finally get a lot done.  I sit down to write and... nothing.  Uninspired.  I know what I want to write, but the words don't come to me like they do when I get my sudden bursts of inspiration.  Since I know what I want the story to be, I still write random sentences, try to build something, thinking that the inspiration will come as I get back into it.  

I did write 5 very mediocre pages.  Re-reading it, it feels choppy, forced, simple boring sentences, like it was written by a 10 years old. I hate when that happens.  I felt driven, inspired, but nothing good came out. 

Does that ever happen to you?  It always seems that I write my best stuff in situations when I don't have time to write, I have something else to do, I'm not a 100% focused. I can't keep on relying to these types of situations if I want to get a bigger project done.  So, tell me, anyone has any suggestions as to how to cope with this?  Does that ever happen to any of you?