The Story Behind The Writing: After Effects

With the fifth and final issue of The Overman now squared away with the printer, and knowing that this last issue will be on shelves in April, I'm having a weird depressed moment, a kind of creative decompression, a sense of closure, and certainly some semblance of validation for working so long on this project, and seeing it finally realized exactly as Shane and I intended.

The marketing engine continues, of course. I'm working on a new flash trailer for Book III for the first week of February, to coincide with the publication of the 3rd issue. We'll be updating the preview section of the site to include a few pages from that chapter, so you'll at least be able to brace yourself for what lies ahead in this story. But there's a strange quiet, an emptiness that I can't quite define, a shadow of a reminder that I can't shake loose. I feel drained. Perhaps I should read my own disclaimer on the inside front cover of the first issue. What if that disclaimer is true, after all? If reading this book may cause psychological or physiological 'alterations', then surely it has had some effect on its writer.

In the meantime, I've been doing 'busy work', in a sense. I'm revamping http://www.websbestcomics.com/ from the ground up, and working my way through a number of private commissions. I'm doing a little bit of writing on the side. But there's still that translucent void, a reflection of a shadow. I feel a little like Nathan Fisher, as he glimpses The Atomic Clock out of the corner of his eye, and is shown a symbol; a broken circle, with an arrow pointing down. If you've been reading The Overman, you've seen it too. We're all in this journey together, really. I know how The Overman will end, but I don't really have the answers to the mystery of it, or what its true purpose might be. It will always remain on the horizon, I think, a mirage, forever out of reach.

The Overman Book III arrives in comic shops February 6.

The Story Behind The Writing: I Am Not The Overman

Despite their choice of title for the new interview with me at ComicsBulletin.com, I am not The Overman. Regardless, go check it out, as there are a few additional bits of info about upcoming issues that I haven't talked about elsewhere. No actual spoilers, sorry. Incidentally, The Overman #2 is in stores this month of January, not #3 as they reported in the interview. Book III hits shelves February 6th.

Notes from the Field: RE:READABILITY

I woke up this morning with a revelatory thought, something that may not have occured to anyone buying our book. We certainly know comics are expensive these days. And discerning buyers really have to make tough choices of which books to pick up or drop.

But let us talk about REPLAYABILITY!

My day job is working as a Cinematic Director at Sony Online Entertainment. Regardless we make games that people will want to play...over and over again. It's called replayability and a lot of game sites actually have that as part of their overall scoring mechanism. You probably already know this, since many comic readers tend to be gameheads too. I think the disconnect is we don't consider comics as a RE-READABLE resource. Which inherently can be if the work is deep and rich enough.

Our first logo way back in 2005.

Scott and I are big fans of a lot of the same kinds of entertainment. From films to comics we generally agree on the highwater marks and why they deserve to be as such. I believe this is our starting point when we jump into any creative endeavor, and =THE OVERMAN= is the first of it's kind. Meaning, we knew what wanted to do, and in our minds eye I think we were striving for something that could be re-visited time and time again.

We wanted =THE OVERMAN= to entertain us long after we finished the series.

Most modern comics are done on a monthly basis. The creative teams do not have the luxury of time to produce that kind of work time and time again. They may have a creator-owned series that they've really been able to develop. But I challenge you to find a comic today that has that REPLAY quality to it?

My initial attempts at modeling Dmitri in Maya.

By no means am I comparing our work to WATCHMEN. Watchmen is it's own comic culture icon. It was the perfect storm at the right time. However all things being equal we all know it's a dense story. I've reread it a couple of times and always pick up new things in it. Scott I believe has gone through three collected trades of the thing because he reads it so much. There's a lot to learn in that book.

You may say to yourself I'll wait for the trade when it comes to =THE OVERMAN= and I really do hope there is one. But because this series is so short I think you'll find that REREADABILITY factor creeping in and rewarding you sooner rather than later. We pack a lot in each issue and when you get the next issue, it may require reading the ones previous to it again, and then you'll start to see a much bigger picture emerging. By the time you get to the end...well I'll just say it's bigger than you think.

=s=

Notes from the Field: Can I Get A Witness?

So =THE OVERMAN= BOOK II hit your local LCS today! I saw it and was really impressed at the way it turned out. I didn't want to spoil the experience when I get my comp copies, but at the very least I let myself flip through it to make sure it was all there.

During the course of getting the word out you never really know if you're being loud enough. Now two books into the experience and I'm still not sure if loud was the right note. Through my experience as a consumer, I'm a big fan of the underdog, the creator whose got promise and when I see something fresh, unique and well-done I want to be the first to 'discover' just how cool they are and let my friends know too. That's the marketing nobody can predict or plan.

So how does it happen? Are all consumers the same? Who knows for sure, and no we're as different as the number of products out there. That's the tough part of this game.

Take a book like Northlanders by Brian Wood. I don't remember the artist's but he's really good. The reason why I remember the writer, is because he's done a lot of stuff. He's been writing for years. So why didn't I buy DMZ? or LOCAL? I did buy The Tourist, and it was fine, I bought it more for the art of Toby Cypress. But what was the tipping point to get me to buy Northlanders? Oddly enough Vikings are hot this season...with two Beowulf based films on the tale end that Pathfinder movie...and now this comic. It was the first issue, so I made it a point to give it a try. His other stuff, the themes or what I know about them didn't intrigue me enough.

So it comes down to a matter of personal taste and the discretionary dollar really. Advertising I think is more like those carnival games you see at amusement parks. The fat chance that you're money and skill to beat the game for that big stuffed chemically-made animal has wide margins. The rarity is the same that your marketing assault will hit its intended audience.

Before Scott calls me out for being a bit of downer, let me just add this one thought. Wouldn't it be better to get in on the ground floor of a startup with very little risk, to see something grow and become profitable? What fosters creativity for us is that people are enjoying what we're doing...more to the point A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING WHAT WE'RE DOING! And the more that do the more we'll create. It's not like we're looking to run to Marvel or DC...(well I can't speak for Scott but considering the cool projects he's got cooking he wouldn't have the time) we're committed to doing the kind of unique quality books that just aren't out there.

We are floored that sooo many people have been on the forums and contacting us by email to say how much they love the books. My local comic shops ordered just as many copies of =The Overman= as they did Northlanders, hard to believe, right? But it's true, and they sold out of them as of today, when I went to find Book II.

Believe me we're not looking for hand-outs, everyone knows comics make little to no money. We're looking for an audience who isn't afraid of change. Who thinks that comics don't have to repeat themselves and 'fool' you again to believe that the story is going to be different when it's not. We really want to create an outreach program for wayward comic fans who at the very least love a great tale and don't mind coming back for seconds.

Much like theater, when the performance is done the play is only a memory of a moment in time.

=s=