So today I sit at my desk and letter pages of two comics - well, Graphic Novels, really - The Phone Goes Dead, for Hachette Children's Books, an adaptation of an Anthony Horowitz book, drawn by Dan Boultwood - and the final pages of The Gloom, for Arcana Publishing. again, drawn by Dan Boultwood.
I've done a lot over the years with Dan, The Gloom, Hope Falls, The Prince Of Baghdad - the list goes on and, letting his latest work against some of his older work, I can see the marked improvements in certain areas, the confidence that has grown in him. The guy is seriously one of the most underrated artists out there at the moment - which of course makes The Gloom more of a Director's Cut than a Collected Trade, as we'll talk about the changes between the early pages and the redrawn for the trade pages that Dan's also done.
Lettering is a peaceful thing for me, which is good as it's about to become hectic again. In a month I attend Gallifrey One, the largest West Coast Doctor Who convention - and I'll be bringing IDW with me, where we'll be making two, if not three top secret, uber-uber important announcements about the Doctor Who comic - ones that might or might not involve me, a Final Sacrifice of a Time Lord and Matt Smith.
(which of course could mean two things, as Matt Dow Smith is a Doctor Who artist, also attending.)
As you can understand, once the news is out, things will become rather busy. Added to that my Pride & Prejudice & Zombies adaptation comes out May, and there'll be pre-release marketing to do. And I have several things that I'm still currently writing.
One thing I'm not writing at the moment, however is a novel. I finished Dodge & Twist last week and, after first draft revisions sent it to my literary agent, the long suffering Julian Friedmann who for about two years now has, every time we've met asked me oh, so politely when he'll actually have a book to sell. It came in at 83k word count and I have to say I'm quite happy with it. Which of course means that Julian will hate it and I'll have to re-write the whole thing from scratch. But I'm already starting to twitch on what I should be writing next, it feels odd waking up and not sitting down to write prose, especially after the final day where I wrote 11k in one sitting. One very long, arse numbing sitting.
2010 is the year of new beginnings - I'm still staying in comics but, with a minimal amount of love being shown to me by the big two, I'm looking at other areas to start moving into. Of course this might all change next month, such is the quicksilver world of the freelancer - this time last year I was convinced I was out of comics and going to be getting a full time job by the end of February - in actuality it was my most profitable year ever. Go figure.
But currently I'm lettering. I always (if possible) letter my own creator owned stuff, if only for the sense of freedom on final-edit proofs. Things that were funny in 2005 but not now? Changed, removed, struck from the record. Hopefully with funnier things replaced, but I can't promise that. I'll be seeing Arcana head honcho, Sean O'Reilly when I'm in Los Angeles next month, and the whole book should be ready to print at that point - so expect a late summer release, possibly even by San Diego.
And so I cut and paste and shape and alter and I whistle merrily along. Tomorrow will be a different day. Next week involves meetings with three different types of media. And a drink up with a celebrity chum.
What will happen to me in 2010 as I travel along the yellow brick road? You're welcome to come along and find out.
