Adapting

I've always got a few different projects going.

Because I, and the artists I work with, generally do this in our free time for fun and because we enjoy it, it can take a while for a project to come together. I'm always pushing projects aside that have stalled out for one that might need a jump start or begins to move forward again. Some of my friends and peers don't understand how or why I do that.

personally, I'm not at a point where I can complete a script that has no artist attached and my never get done and be happy with it as it is. So if things go awry, I start something else and if someone comes along that suits an older idea, I have it on hand to jump into again.

And that's kind of where I am right now. I have a few projects out there cooking, all of which are a ways off from being completed. So while I wait for the right time to switch gears and complete things, I've started to work on an older concept I haven't touched in some years. Part of that work includes taking a short that has already been illustrated and published and re-working it into another script as part of a larger story.

Adapting your own published work is not as easy as it may seem. The story I'm tinkering with isn't all that bad but after almost six years I can go back and see things that could have been done differently. I've learned and grown in that time as a writer. I still don't think I'll be winning any awards anytime soon but I've managed to prospect a couple of nuggets of information in that time.

The trick (for me at least) is to make sure that as you adapt it, you don't fall into a pit and just "copy" what was illustrated by the original artist as you look at the page and begin to translate it back into a pure script for for the new artist. The same goes for the dialogue. It's easy just to re-use the dialogue word for word but you shouldn't. Make changes and utilize the freedom to do things over again.

Sorry there's no art this time around. At this moment there's no artist attached to the script I'm re-working and I want to keep it under wraps for the time being, just in case it doesn't pan out like I hope.

Keep reading and I'll keep writing...

The Last Paladin Rides Again...

Well I've finally forced myself to sit back down and post another update for my faithful followers (all six of you... the checks are in the mail). Right now in Ohio the weather has turned colder, the leaves have all fallen off the trees and even though my Detroit Tigers are in the World Series there hasn't been any kind of cataclysmic repercussions. Yet.

Things have been very hectic and that's slowed me down on a lot of projects. Slow however does not mean stopped. Things are still being worked on and I always have at least three projects in various stages of completion.

Presented here is the first page of Mahmud's final Last Paladin story (for a while at least) colored by the amazing Joel Seguin of Image Comics.

This quick tale will take place in our past and fill in a little history about who he is and what was going on before the events of his debut in DWP #20. Over time, as I have the chance to tell more Paladin stories, more history will be filled in and I hope a larger tapestry will be woven for the character.

Look for this short to hit the pages of Digital Webbing Presents sometime in early 2007.

The Future of Last Paladin

Since my last few posts some things have been shaking the Last Paladin Universe.

The first and biggest is the departure of Last Paladin artist Mahmud Asrar. As important to the creation of that character as I was, Mahmud helped develop the look of all the characters and the world they walked in. Mahmud has moved on to a regular monthly gig that I'll announce here as soon as I get the ok to do so. Sadly, that means he won't have time to illustrate the Last Paladin for the time being. However, he knows he's always welcome back and he's even agreed to try and fit one or two more stories into his schedule somewhere along the line. Both tales are one's I've promised to him and him alone so I know he's eager jump on them.

That brings me to the new Last Paladin artist. Please give a nice, warm, welcome to EJ Morges.

EJ and I have wanted to work together on something for a long, long, time but schedules have never really clicked. Now with Last Paladin it seems as if everything will come together. EJ is known for his dynamic figure work, some of which puts Bart Sears to shame. Check out the quick character deigns he's done for a few of the existing characters here.

For now, The Last Paladin will continue to run as shorts in the back of Digital Webbing Presents but you just never know when or where the Last Paladin will show up.

Till next time...