The TWO BRANDONS interview editor JOE ILLIDGE!

THE TWO BRANDONS INTERVIEW JOE ILLIDGE!

On this episode of THE TWO BRANDONS, we welcome the illustrious former Milestone/DC Comics/Archaia Entertainment editor Joe Illidge to discuss the recent high-profile departures from DC Comics, the aborted plans to kill John Stewart, and the recent creative team announcement for Quantum & Woody. Not for the faint of heart, easily offended, etc. 

We're all extremely proud of this one, and would appreciate you helping us spread the word. Joe breaks down WHY the industry is the way it is and he pulls no punches. Brandon Thomas and I were VERY happy to listen and learn from his insights. 

B. 

THE TWO BRANDONS podcast!

 

 

 

 

 

EPISODE ONE: Not for the faint-hearted or easily offended. This is the first episode of the new podcast show THE TWO BRANDONS starring writers Brandon Thomas (Miranda Mercury, Voltron: Year One, Voltron) and Brandon Easton (WBs new Thundercats TV series, Shadowlaw, Transformers: Rescue Bots). They discuss how to realistically fix the issues of diversity in the comics biz.

http://www.buzzsprout.com/10132

EPISODE TWO: Comic book writers Brandon Easton and Brandon Thomas discuss their past, present and future thoughts about the video game industry. Things they hate (Easton hates Sony) and games they can’t stop buying (Thomas loves Madden). See if you agree or not in THE TWO BRANDONS: EPISODE TWO.

http://www.buzzsprout.com/10132

 Also available on the Writing for Rookies podcast and Itunes! 

B. 

 

MILES AWAY Graphic Novel officially on the way!

"In the latest issue of PREVIEWS MAGAZINE (Feb 2013) on page 241, there's a fantastic full-page ad for the MILES AWAY graphic novel! 


Created by STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE star Anthony Montgomery, and co-written by Me/Brandon Easton (THUNDERCATS (2011), TRANSFORMERS: RESCUE BOTS, Shadowlaw), MILES AWAY is an excellent story of a young superhero thrust into an interstellar war. From Antarctic Press, April 2013."

This graphic novel represents two-and-a-half-years of hard work and dedication. After meeting Anthony by chance at the end of the day back at San Diego Comic Con 2010, we became friends. Eventually, we discussed collaborating to transform his TV series bible/pitch into an actual graphic novel. After changing creative teams a couple of times, we managed to soldier through to the end and not only complete the book, but also find a legitimate and well-respected comics publisher to put Miles Away on the marketplace.

There are many good reasons for transforming a TV or film concept into a graphic novel. Primarily, it is to bypass the lazy development executives' assistants who tire of reading thousands of pages of bad scripts during the week. A graphic novel is a solid proof-of-concept that presents a clear visual narrative in a compact and easily understood format. Anthony's idea was excellent and I knew the moment I heard it that we could create something fun, inspirational and inventive. A new hero for an increasingly multicultural audience. 

Miles tells the story of Maxwell Miles, a typical awkward teen with the super ability of photographic reflexes: he can mimic any physical feat he watches. 

The catch? 

He has to wait five minutes for his power to kick in and he never knows when they will cut off. 

As he learns about his new powers, an alien force is on the way that will change everything he knows about himself, his family and a secret organization that has been watching him since birth. 

MILES AWAY is now available for pre-order from Antarctic Press or at your local comic book store. 

This is a great book, and I ain't just saying that because I co-wrote it. 

B. 

Piggybacking Gail Simone a.k.a. Write!!! Or get off the Pot!

Acclaimed comics writer Gail Simone wrote a great piece about breaking into the comics biz. Read that here and then come back if you dare. 

I say the same stuff to "aspiring" writing talent over and over again. The bottom line is that if you don't have a finished product to show, then shut up and go away to work on that until you DO have a finished product to show. Asking questions is great, but people need to do their research and bust their ass.

I moved to LA with next to nothing and suffered from 2008 to the beginning of 2011 and no one gave a shit until I had a product on the table. That's what it comes down to in the end: PRODUCT. If you're wrestling with your concepts and talking about writing but spend all your time playing video games, chatting online, watching TV and other non-productive stuff, you'll still have nothing to show and you're wasting your time by pretending you're going to be a professional.

It isn't that complicated. Do work. Finish it. Edit it. Finish it again. Get it drawn up. Then market yourself smartly. You cannot market yourself with just pinups or concepts or nervous conversations at a convention. You have to have a product in hand. There's NOTHING that Gail Simone wrote in that piece that hasn't been repeated by hundreds of other acclaimed writers on multiple occasions.

More often than not, there's NOTHING holding a writer back other than their own crappy personal life habits. When I was starting out, the internet had little to no information about breaking into the business as a writer, and this meant that I had to do my own footwork, my own research, I had to shake a lot of hands and have a lot of people scoff at me for trying to learn more about the path to success. Now, google.com can provide you that same information for free. Without the cynicism and snark from petulant jerks.

There are many sites like my WRITING FOR ROOKIES podcast that provide you a ton of information for free. If you're still wringing your hands and wondering why your career isn't where you want it to be, it's usually because you're sitting on your ass wringing your hands instead of writing with them.

I am one of the most supportive professionals out there when it comes to working with new and unpublished writing talent. Me and a few of my comrades regularly give panels at conventions like WonderCon, Stan Lee's COMIKAZE, PopCon LA, etc. and I will continue to be a resource for new writers. 

However, there comes a time when you need to move beyond the "fledgling" status and move to becoming a producer of content. It's really that simple. 

For those serious about learning the comic book writing format, I am teaching a course on February 2nd, 2013 in Los Angeles. Check it out: 

PANEL-TO-PANEL: Writing Comic Books and Graphic Novels. 

Here's some other articles I've written about breaking into the business as a writer - 

THE PARADIGM SHIFT: Part One - Moving From Being a Consumer to a Producer of Content.

THE PARADIGM SHIFT: Part Two - Preparation. 

NAVIGATING THE CON: Get Yourself and Your Work Noticed.  

Good luck out there. 

B.

DOMINION'S LIGHT: The Graphic Novel Kickstarter!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brandoneaston/dominions-light-the-graphic-novel

The development of Dominion's Light began back in 1998 when I looked around the pop culture landscape and realized that there was no fantasy/sci-fi series that combined the elements of all the stories I love.

I wanted to tell a story of adventure, excitement, friendship, sacrifice and daring that took place in a world never seen in the graphic novel arena. While there have been many fantasy-based comic book titles over the years like Elfquest, Dragonlance, Elric and Battle Chasers, but none of them have collectively touched on themes that mattered to me nor did they feature an ethnically-diverse cast of characters.

Heroic fantasy like Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time and the Dragonlance franchise have influenced and mesmerized writers for many years, but the core criticism is that they present high concept Western European adaptations of reality that omit the vast diversity that exists in our own world.

After a lengthy search for a conceptual designer a few years ago, I discovered Jeff Stokey (http://jeffstokely.deviantart.com/), a very talented artist who shared my love of unique science-fiction and visually stunning fantasy universes. Jeff immediately understood what visual aesthetic I wanted for the story because of his own immersion in gothic and heavy metal artwork, science-fiction and fantasy cinema as well as the complex conceptual art of major RPG video game franchises.

Unfortunately, Jeff's schedule quickly became crowded and we were forced to push Dominion's Light further and further away until we decided to amicably part ways as colleagues on this project.

After an exhaustive search for a new artist, I found DAWID STRAUSS (http://dawidfrederik.deviantart.com/) - who worked in gaming and comics for seven years on projects like the MARVEL SUPER HERO SQUAD trading cards, DUNGEON RUNNERS and the smash hit sequel DARKSIDERS II.

Dominion’s Light is the story of three young people who are united by tragedy. Reso is a young man betrayed by his own father in order to alleviate gambling debts, Kyshia is a woman whose mysterious powers get her labeled as a witch and nearly executed by a mob and then there is Hammerius Rex, future prince of the LizardMan kingdom who is exiled by his peers.

And finally, there is Lord Valgon, sure to be a controversial character as he will be the first African-American villain in a fantasy setting since James Earl Jones in the original Conan movie.


Our story begins as the nations of Graid'yan are healing from the last great global conflict between the Lizardman kingdom and the race of warrior-sorcerors of Cerist Lunisia in the North. The war ended in a stalemate with both sides retreating to their respective lands and leaving the rest of the world in ruin.

The combatants were in search of the mystical power source known as the CYCLEAN BIBLE - a power so great that it can bend the nature of space, time and reality. Allowing the user to reshape the universe in their own image. Unbeknownst to the majority of people in Graid'yan, the only way to access the Cyclean Bible is through the use of the KEY ULTIMA - a device that reveals the true location of the Bible and the only thing in the universe that can unlock those energies.

Lord Valgon and his ruthless forces - the Valgonath Reapers - are scouring the world searching for the Key Ultima at the same time Resoloth goes on a quest to help his wayward father. After a deadly confrontation, Resoloth is on the run from the Reapers and comes into contact with the recently exiled Hammerius Rex and Kyshia, a teen girl condemned as a witch.

Can these three overcome their differences and survive the upcoming onslaught? Or is destiny playing a role in uniting such disparate creatures?

Dominion's Light will be a journey unlike any other you've seen before. From the windswept prairies of NERISTAD to the Las Vegas-inspired party islands of NEYONEEM to the lush Lizardman kingdom of MILLSREX to the strange, frigid wasteland of TERIST MALHAVIK to the final battle on the shores of GRAYHOLD. 

Our goal of $20,000 (US) is meticulously and carefully budgeted to cover the expenses of the art team of the graphic novel (pencils, inks, colors) as well as the cost of the nifty rewards you see here. Rest assured that your donation will 100% go toward the production of my dream.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brandoneaston/dominions-light-the-graphic-novel

B.

WRITING FOR ROOKIES EPISODE 15: Dale Wilson of BuyIndieComics.com

In this episode of WRITING FOR ROOKIES (the only podcast dedicated to the aspiring sci-fi, comic book and Hollywood screenwriter), I interview Dale Wilson of DWAP Productions, The Antidote Trust and BuyIndieComics.com.

Dale Wilson is one half of DWAP Productions, founder and Editor in Chief at BuyIndieComics.com, a Creative Editor at The Search Agency, a founding member of The Antidote Trust & a comic book creator/publisher. Dale has written several stories for DWAP Productions’ four-issue anthology Caffeine Dreams, the online comic collection MagnificentCreatures.com & other cutting edge sequential art.

Dale is not only a connoisseur of fine heavy metal and hard rock, but he has been in the American independent comic book scene for ten years and has seen so much in terms of how the business operates and the sacrifices a creator must make to survive. 

If you haven't gotten the chance to listen, Writing for Rookies is the ultimate resource for sci-fi and comic book writers who are new to the scene and want to learn how the business works from an honest perspective.

Writing for Rookies gives you real advice that you can actually apply in the real world for results. Check it out and let your friends know if you like it!

 B.

"I'M BROKE" (a.k.a.) Economics and the Indie Creator...

The New York Comic Con is on the way and in my humble opinion, it is the best comic book oriented comic book convention in the country. That might sound like a weird statement, but the reality is that most of the bigger conventions would be better described as POP CULTURE celebrations than anything remotely to do with the world of comic books. 


The NY Comic Con is still overbooked, poorly-organized and thirty-degrees hotter on the floor. The lines are outrageous and there is no true customer service. However, there is tremendous support for the indie comic book creator, and that alone makes it worth the trip.

The few times I've gone the floor has been packed solid, easily taking ten minutes to walk ten feet. And that's just the thing, the entire floor is packed with rabid fans of comic books. It's not the kind of show where the big budget Hollywood booths get all the attention. No, more often than not, you'll have just as much of a struggle getting to see someone on the "indie creator" side of the Hall as you would at the Marvel Entertainment booth.


Friends of mine who had never done a show before went to NY Comic Con 2011 and were blown away. One guy I know never had a table at any show in his entire life and was genuinely affected by the amount of recognition and respect he got for his comic and CD.


The point of this particular blog entry isn't to sing the praises of the NY Comic Con, nor is it to provide a recap of the proceedings. Rather, I want to provide a guide for my cohorts in the world of independent comic and graphic novel creation to consider new and exciting ways of getting to this convention despite a notorious lack of cash flow. 


To begin, I am 100% understanding of life getting in the way of our dreams. Kids, sick parents, bad marriages, sibling wars and a general lack of income can stop the most determined and talented creator from networking on a professional level. As with so many things, the comic book industry is a double-edged sword: on one hand, you get unprecedented levels of access to decision-makers and admired creative teams, and the other, you must be able to afford to show up in person. 

And there's the rub.


Sadly, money is everything, and everything is money. To understand the significance of ME saying that you'd have to know me personally. I'm not a money-grubbing person. I don't place a lot of value on what people drive, what they dress like, how much they own or where they live. I could care less about "bling" (such a stupid word, it's onomatopoeia for Christ's sake) and care everything about content of character. 


That said, the indie comic creator is - for all intents and purposes - dooming themselves to a life where a "real" gig is necessary and the act of creation is done in between long shifts at a job we just can't stand. I know the story. I did it for 15 years. It never got easier. 


However, even during the darkest times, I managed to get to a few key shows that would later be revealed as major turning points in my life. 


For example: 

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 1999 - I begged, borrowed and scraped together enough money for a round-trip ticket to San Diego from Boston. I didn't have a place to crash, but I managed to rely on the kindness of a college pal. Because of the connections I made at that convention, it would eventually lead to my first gig at Dreamwave Productions. 

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 2003 - I had scraped together money for airfare, but I had no place to stay and no ticket to get into the con. I stayed at the filthiest YMCA on Earth for one night and then crashed on floors and hotel lobbies, pretending to be locked out of my room. It was the first time I ever signed autographs as a creator and I made strong connections that would lead to me learning about indie comics studios looking for more talent. 


WIZARD WORLD CHICAGO 2006 - Again, scraped money together for airfare, but no place to stay. I crashed on the floor of my then-artist partner on Shadowlaw for one night. I stayed up until 4am and then slept at the airport the following day before leaving. At this con, I signed the contract for Shadowlaw to be released through Arcana Comics.


I can't speak on or give solutions to anyone's financial problems. It is not my place and I wouldn't disrespect anyone by suggesting otherwise. My core point is that you never know what can happen when you go to a convention. Especially a convention that is mired in the love of comic books and where there is a massive crowd voraciously buying independently-produced comics and animation.


I know a lot of ridiculously talented creators who (for all intents and purposes) are locked into their native region or their current habitat because of financial limitations. Creators with work ten times better than the stuff cranked out by the Big Two who can't get enough traction with the fans because of market invisibility. 


As a side note: I firmly believe that Wizard Magazine - for all its shortcomings - did a good job in hyping up new and unknown writing talent. Social media can only go so far and for an indie comic book creator to gain a large audience, they need to have some kind of mainstream validation. Whether working on a big title or having someone else in pop culture let folks know you exist (like Entertainment Weekly).


So what is the solution? Other than taking on a slew of part-time jobs and/or getting involved in illegal activities, there's no other way to get money quickly these days. However, there are ways for the struggling indie creator to make it to the big shows. 


1) Cheap airfare. Believe it or not, you can find good round-trip deals if you book well-enough in advance. I just checked for a round-trip flight from LAX (Los Angeles) to JFK (NYC) airports and the going rate is $299.61. That. Ain't. Bad. I used Lowestfare.com but you are free to use Cheaptickets.com, Hotels.com or Priceline. I've always had the best luck with Lowestfare but good luck with your search. 


2) Lodging. Now this is the tough one. Especially in NYC. The best thing to do is: a) hope you know someone who can put you up for a few days in NY/NJ; b) Book a room and then split it with 5 other people; or c) Show up in NYC and check out the hostels and motels around town. They aren't the best environments, but you will get a place to sleep for a reduced price for a few days. 


3) Ask someone for the money. I know. It sucks. It sucks ass. However, think of it as an investment in yourself. Swallowing pride now means that you won't be swallowing Ramen later. 


Again, I don't wish to tell anyone how to live. But NY Comic Con is worth it. 

Trust me. 

GEEK RACISM (a reaction based on experience)

ME AT COMIC CON 2010

READ THIS FIRST!!! (hate to give you homework, but nothing will make sense unless you explore these words):


STRAIGHT WHITE MALE: LOWEST DIFFICULTY SETTING THERE IS...


This is a great exploration of race privilege. As a man who has been into the geek stuff for years, I enjoyed that article because the comments section reveals something else about American life - hardcore geeks can be the most racist people on the planet. 


This is a subject that has plagued me for decades. Being the only Black guy in a room full of White geeks who have no desire to get to know me and share our collective passion for Sci-Fi and Fantasy properties feels like crossing the valley into the promised land only to find it filled with Donkey carcasses and biting flies.


I've long been the kind of guy who is willing to accept anyone in my life, regardless of race, class or gender. I used to catch a lot of heat for being friends with "weirdos" - my high school years were renown for me keeping a motley assortment of buddies. We were outcasts, not "cool" enough for the in-crowd, but nowhere near physically repulsive enough to be included with the truly marginalized around campus.


My in-crowd friends never understood why I, a somewhat "good looking" guy, spent my spare time around a bunch of losers and wimps. What they didn't grasp was that the only thing that mattered to me was whether or not someone "got" my jokes and obscure pop culture references.


That was it.


In fact, that's all that matters to me NOW.


I can vibe with anyone as long as they know what a Flux Capacitor is; or know what I mean when I say the words "Tears in rain..."; or when I say the "matrix of leadership" that I'm not referring to the Keanu Reeves movie; or I don't have to explain anything after uttering the phrase "Dark Phoenix Saga." If you understand any of that, we could be friends.


Alas, that's not how the real world works.


You see, there's this thing called racism. Or a better term would be Western White Supremacist Psychological Hegemony. It's the ingrained and unspoken belief shared by just about anyone born in the Western hemisphere that White skin is "better," white people are smarter and imbued with inherent virtue, poor people are the victims of their own stupidity and laziness, gays and lesbians are afflicted with deep mental imbalances and that anything other than the standard nuclear family structure will engineer the downfall of a society.


This mode of thinking is like the force of gravity. It's everywhere, affecting everything. Pushing and pulling on us at all times without us ever realizing it. However, without it - like gravity - life would be much different, and like gravity, it takes an extraordinary amount of force and effort to resist and counteract its influences (see Frederick Douglass, MLK jr., Malcolm X, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks).


I used to be the world's biggest naive idealist. Captain America without the irony. Superman before 1980. Yea, that was me. I used to believe that anyone into comics, sci-fi, animation, video games etc., would be automatically "better" than the layperson. I figured that anyone with the mental faculty to connect with the lofty intellectual and societal concepts within most decent genre material would be above the petty contrivances of race and ethnic strife.


Enter big boot kicking me squarely in the ass.


I've had far too many situations to relate here. Too many examples of how uncomfortable I've been made to feel at conventions and panels. Too many stories of how I've made someone visibly uncomfortable with my presence. Once you learn how to read human body language, you can immediately identify those who fear you and/or are deeply bigoted individuals. While I won't give you an academic treatise on how and why folks behave this way, I can sum it up this way:


Some White sci-fi/fantasy fans look upon sci-fi and fantasy as a "refuge" from a constantly "browning" pop culture that automatically (in their minds) alienates and confuses them. These all white fantasy worlds are their only respite from the (imagined) Black hordes of pop culture and the moment they hear that their pristine genre worlds are going to be "touched" by Blackness, they lose their minds because they feel that we are "taking" something else from them. I call it the NASCAR/NHL effect. Hardcore white fans of both tend to react negatively to increased participation from Blacks and Latinos. 


These folks also tend to ignore the existence of Black nerds, preferring to assume that we all are gun-totin', blunk-smokin', Sam Jackson-soundin' hip-hop junkies without the intellectual ability to imagine alternate worlds and other modes of thinking. Whenever the subject of race comes up, they cannot understand why this conversation exists in the first place. Why should we care about race: 1) Blacks don't read/write sci-fi, 2) the author/creator can put anyone he/she wants into their story, 3) diversity shouldn't matter in xxxxxxxxx setting because xxxxxxxxx, 4) the thematic intent and plot of the story doesn't need to include race, it's already a comment on oppression. 


Anyone who has been to a big comics and sci-fi convention recently can tell you that the crowds are super diverse with many Blacks, Latinos, Asians and Native folks engaging in cosplay and involved as professionals in the business. What's hilarious about many geeky people of color is that they also don't prefer to read sci-fi/fantasy with a racial element, preferring to enjoy the all-white universes of Tolkein and his ilk. If some of these White geeks could get past their own racist mental programming, they would realize a fundamental truth - we are all the same at the end of the day. Sure, there are some differences, but if two folks can kick back and enjoy AVENGERS or RANGO or STAR TREK  together, regardless of their station in life, haven't we moved toward the progressive worlds we love exploring? 


I shouldn't react so strongly to the comments made on the internet. Cowardice is the rule of the day online. Anonymity is liberating for the phony tough. But it wouldn't sting so much if I wasn't 100% sure that for every person behaving like a racist neanderthal online, there were another 1,000 silently nodding their head in agreement. 


B.