So, I have been slowly plugging along on CARBON here and am happy to report that I have 51 pages done of Chapter 2. Not bad. I have another 25 or so to go in Chapter 2. Not sure if I will release a print version or solely run on the web. Without any shows to head off to this year, it seems kind of pointless to spend money printing books that I can’t sell. I have a few months to figure all that out. In the meantime, I will just keep working on the book and posting pages here for all to enjoy. Peace out, boy scout.
I am really excited about what’s in store for Carbon. The next chapter is really pretty awesome. It has a lot of cool surprises and I wish I could show you it right now, but, alas, we must wait. When I’m working on my comics, the one thing that keeps me going is what lies ahead. I am always excited to work on the next scene and then the one after that and so on. It is a painstakingly slow process, of course, so I do implore the tortoise’s strategy, believing slow and steady wins the race, or, at least, finishes the comic book he’s working on. So, what is the point of this? I dunno. Just…stick with me on this Carbon thing and I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. Oh, and tell your friends. Or your cat.
So, I am ever-so-slowly continuing to plug away at Carbon. I used to feel like there was this clock I was working against when making my comics, but that clock has either crapped out or been put away for now. I don’t exactly feel like there is any real need to produce X amount of pages a month or force myself to stick to some production deadline. Doing that shit just leads me to feel like a failure when I fall short of those self-imposed goals. So, screw it. The clock’s gone. Carbon is still moving forward, I’m still working on it, in some way, every day. And I’m really excited about where it’s going now. It may take years to complete it, but that’s okay with me. That’s just the kind of comics I like to make – long-form sprawling narratives.
Anyway, the scene I’m working on right now has a flashback sequence in it involving detectives. My kinda comics!
When it came to producing comics, I used to think of myself as rather prolific, producing a number of new comics every year and working on multiple projects at the same time. I would hit up five or six cons & shows every year, selling books then having to make more Xeroxed copies for the next show, which always seemed just right around the corner. But it was all very doable, because, quite simply, I had the time to do it and I really enjoyed doing it. I still do enjoy making comics and still work on them every single day. I just don’t have as much time to devote to them. Priorities change. Of course they do. I work on my comics after the kids go to bed, even though I’m exhausted from the day, even though I want nothing more than to crash on the couch and watch some mind-numbing tv. So, I would no longer refer to myself as prolific as far as producing comics goes, and I’m slowly accepting that truth, even if it hurts a little.
Seeing that I don’t have as much time to devote to making comics, I am making damn sure that the comics I do make are the best they can be. I am taking this comics-making more seriously, in a way, because I know producing one book may take five or six years. And I’m okay with that (sort of). I don’t really know what the point of writing this is. Making comics is not easy. It takes a lot of time. A hell of a lot of time. But I cannot think of anything else I’d rather be spending my time doing. And I mean that.
I will be running Carbon here as a webcomic, free to be enjoyed by all. I have already posted a number of pages from Book 1 and will continue to do so until Carbon is finished (or until I realize this is a bad idea, whichever comes first). A couple pages a week for now. Also, I have added a few notes about each page to enhance the whole experience. Ooooh, commentary.
I still do have a good amount of Carbon #1 books for sale, so if you don’t want to wait to read more here, just buy one and read it, okay?