Don't Let My Kickstarter Turn to Ashes, These Stories Are My Ticket to Immortality.

Below are the first three pages of my story, Ashes of the Immortals, the fourth of *FIVE* short stories in my Adventures in Pulp Collected Edition Kickstarter that I desperately need your help to make happen! This story was based on a concept by artist Matthew Childers. From his idea, I developed the plot and eventually scripted it, but it was the height of experimental writing. I wrote about it at length here: Ashes of Experimentation Requires a Phoenix. In spite of the stress, I think it came out pretty well. You can support publication of this story and the others here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adventuresinpulp/adventures-in-pulp-collected-edition There are tons of great rewards and it would make a great holiday season gift for a loved one who digs pulp, noir, sci-fi, fantasy, horror or super-hero genres. This collected edition also includes: Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men, Hawk and a Handsaw, and The Four Horsemen as well as an exclusive story not available anywhere else: Split Second featuring the character Blue Quiver! In fact, Blue Quiver is the only story that is not yet completed because we want YOU as our super villain. That's right, you get to be part of the adventure because Matt will be drawing you into the Blue Quiver story with the purchase of one of our FOUR Cosmic Packages. First Cosmic Package snagged will nab you a starring role as the villain. The other three will be supporting roles. This is your chance to be the BAD GUY  by being MY HERO and supporting this Kickstarter.

Be My Hero and Become a Super Villain: An Offer that Will Make You Quiver

Unlike a lot of comic book Kickstaters, mine is ALMOST finished. Split Second featuring the character Blue Quiver (pictured at right) is the only short story to be illustrated by artist Matthew Childers for our Adventures in Pulp Collected Edition Kickstarter that we need your help to help happen! There are tons of great rewards and it would make a great gift for a loved one who digs pulp, noir, sci-fi, fantasy, horror or super-hero genres. The collected edition also includes these finished stories: Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men, Hawk and a Handsaw, The Four Horsemen, Ashes of the Immortals. Split Second featuring the character Blue Quiver is an exclusive story not available anywhere else including our adventuresinpulp.com website. In fact, the reason, Blue Quiver is the only story that is not yet completed because we want YOU as our super villain. That's right, you can get drawn into the Blue Quiver story with the purchase of one of our FOUR Cosmic Packages. First Cosmic Package snagged will nab you a starring role as the villain. The other three will be supporting roles. This is your chance to be the BAD GUY in a widescreen graphic novel and be my personal hero by helping fund our book! So be a hero for a chance to be a villain and go to our kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adventuresinpulp/adventures-in-pulp-collected-edition

Less than Two Weeks to Fund an Adventure Beyond Time and Space!

I always loved comic books because they can take you anywhere with the turn of a page, that must be why I always wanted to do a story that literally crossed time and space. Below are the first three pages of my story The Four Horsemen the third of *FIVE* short stories in my Adventures in Pulp Collected Edition Kickstarter that I desperately need your to help to make happen! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adventuresinpulp/adventures-in-pulp-collected-edition There are tons of great rewards and it would make a great holiday season gift for a loved one who digs pulp, noir, sci-fi, fantasy, horror or super-hero genres. This collected edition also includes: Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men, Hawk and a Handsaw, and Ashes of the Immortals as well as an exclusive story not available anywhere else: Split Second featuring the character Blue Quiver! In fact, Blue Quiver is the only story that is not yet completed because we want YOU as our super villain. That's right, you get to be part of the adventure because artist Matthew Childers will be drawing you into the Blue Quiver story with the purchase of one of our FOUR Cosmic Packages. First Cosmic Package snagged will nab you a starring role as the villain. The other three will be supporting roles. This is your chance to be the BAD GUY  by being MY HERO and supporting this Kickstarter. 

Just Two Weeks Left to Kickstart an Asylum Escape!

I need your help to make my graphic novel happen. Below are pages 1 through 3 of Hawk and a Handsaw, the second of *FIVE* short stories in my Adventures in Pulp Collected Edition Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adventuresinpulp/adventures-in-pulp-collected-edition There are only two weeks left and a long way to go to get it funded. There are tons of great rewards and it would make a great Christmas present for a loved one who digs pulp, noir, sci-fi, fantasy, horror or super-hero genres. The collected edition also includes: Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men, The Four Horsemen, Ashes of the Immortals and an exclusive story not available anywhere else: Split Second featuring the character Blue Quiver where you can get drawn into the story with the purchase of one of our FOUR Cosmic Packages. First Cosmic Package snagged will nab you a starring role as the villain. The other three will be supporting roles. This is your chance to be the BAD GUY or simply appear in a widescreen graphic novel. It is the only story that remains to be finished, so this bad boy is almost done.  Not a lot of comic book Kickstarters can make that claim.

Kickstart Dick Ruby and the Rest of the Gang: Only 15 Days Left to Become a Super Villain.

Unlike a lot of comic book Kickstaters, mine is mostly finished. Below are pages 2 through 4 of Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men the first of *FIVE* short stories in my Adventures in Pulp Collected Edition Kickstarter and I need your help to make it happen! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adventuresinpulp/adventures-in-pulp-collected-edition There are tons of great rewards and it would make a great Christmas present for a loved one who digs pulp, noir, sci-fi, fantasy, horror or super-hero genres. The collected edition also includes: Hawk and a Handsaw, The Four Horsemen, Ashes of the Immortals and an exclusive story not available anywhere else: Split Second featuring the character Blue Quiver! In fact, Blue Quiver is the only story that is not yet completed because we want YOU as our super villain. That's right, you can get drawn into the Blue Quiver story with the purchase of one of our FOUR Cosmic Packages. First Cosmic Package snagged will nab you a starring role as the villain. The other three will be supporting roles. This is your chance to be the BAD GUY or simply appear in a widescreen graphic novel.

Catch My Soul: The Santa Fe Satan Comes to Blu-Ray

A little over a year ago I blogged about a friend of mine, Tom Mayer and his chronicling the process of getting #PatrickMcGoohan's lone feature film directorial attempt, #CatchMySoul restored and released on Blu-Ray. The first of his three part accounting is here: http://www.theunmutual.co.uk/catchmysoul1.htm I know after reading it, I very much want to see the film.

It looks like I will get my chance. The film is being released by Etiquette Pictures on November 17th (moved up from 22nd). What's even more interesting is Tom will be authoring the liner notes that will accompany the Blu-Ray/DVD combo set. All the work and research and first hand accounting of the discovery of lost prints pretty much makes him the authority on the topic of the rock opera adaptation of Othello.

You can pre-order it here through  Amazon Catch My Soul 

Here is the promotional synopsis and specs:

Santa Fe, New Mexico. 1967. A hippie commune secluded in the desert. This is the backdrop for Jack Goode's CATCH MY SOUL, the 1973 rock opera adaptation of Shakespeare's OTHELLO. Long thought lost, CATCH MY SOUL stars folk singer-songwriter Richie Havens as a traveling preacher who on his journey happens upon the commune of the sinister Iago (Lance LeGault). When Othello woos and takes Desdemona (Season Hubley) as his wife, Iago clandestinely conspires against the preacher to ruin their romance and run him out of town.

The only feature film directed by Patrick McGoohan (star of THE PRISONER, SECRET AGENT) and the brainchild of rock 'n' roll impresario Jack Goode (SHINDIG!, OH BOY!), CATCH MY SOUL features supporting performances from Academy Award-nominee Susan Tyrrell as Emilia, swamp rocker Tony Joe White as Michael Cassio, as well as musicians Delaney & Bonnie. Despite exquisite visuals by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Conrad Hall (BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, AMERICAN BEAUTY) and Academy Award-winning editor Richard A. Harris (TITANIC, TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY), CATCH MY SOUL lost its box office to the success of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR and never saw a home video release in any format, only to become the stuff of legend. Etiquette Pictures proudly brings this missing piece of cinema history to home video for the first time, newly restored from its original 35mm camera negative.

Bonus Features
1. Scanned & Restored in 2K from 35mm Camera Negative
2. "Drink the Wine, Eat the Bread" - Making-of Featurette
3. "The Deacon Speaks" - Interview with actor Tony Joe White
4. "True Soul" - Featurette on Conrad L. Hall
5. Theatrical Trailer, TV Spot, Promotional Still Gallery
6. Extensive Booklet Essay by Tom Mayer
7. Reversible Cover Artwork
8. English SDH Subtitles

Help Us Kickstart Our Kickstarter!

This is the first page of Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men
the first of *FIVE* short stories in my Adventures in Pulp Collected Edition Kickstarter and I need your to help make it happen! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adventuresinpulp/adventures-in-pulp-collected-edition There are tons of great rewards and it would make a great Christmas present for a loved one who digs pulp, noir, sci-fi, fantasy, horror or super-hero genres. The collected edition also includes: Hawk and a Handsaw, The Four Horsemen, Ashes of the Immortals and an exclusive story not available anywhere else: Split Second featuring the character Blue Quiver! 

UPDATE 10/4 You can get drawn into the Blue Quiver story with the purchase of the of one of our FOUR Cosmic Packages. First Cosmic Package snagged will nab you a starring role as the villain.

Collected Edition Adventures In Pulp Kickstarter is Live.

My Kickstarter is live! 
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adventuresinpulp/adventures-in-pulp-collected-edition
#kickstarter #comics
 
Now is where I ask for your help in making this happen! We have tons of great rewards, a fun product, and stories written by me and drawn my Matthew Childers!
The collected edition includes all four short stories from my www.adventuresinpulp.com site:
Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men
Hawk and a Handsaw
The Four Horsemen
Ashes of the Immortals
Plus an exclusive story not available anywhere else: "Split Second" featuring the character Blue Quiver! 

UPDATE 10/4 You can get drawn into the Blue Quiver story with the purchase of the of one of our FOUR Cosmic Packages. First Cosmic Package snagged will nab you a starring role as the villain.

We Talk Comics!

As I mentioned in my last blog, I recently recorded a podcast for "We Talk" series of podcasts (www.wetalkpodcasts.com). I was invited along with my Adventures in Pulp partner Matthew Childers to participate in the "We Talk Comics" podcast with hosts Chris Beck and Keith Callbeck. We talked a little about Adventures in Pulp and geeked out like we would with our buddies at the comic shop. Well, no sooner had I mentioned it in my blog and, like Billy Batson yelling "Shazam!" it appeared on the web. So for those inclined to hear me and Matt drone on about Adventures in Pulp (and just geek out in general) you can go here: www.wetalkpodcasts.com/wtc-135-adventures-in-pulp.

I do pride myself on getting the facts right and I did realize I misspoke on two occasions. When I was recalling the television series "Cliffhangers" I mistakenly said a friend of mine got it on DVD by way of England. I was confusing it with a "The Prisoner" documentary he had purchased. He did get "Cliffhangers" on disc but it was from here in the U.S. and neither were via Ebay.

Also, when I stated we decided to put Jigsaw World up at Adventures in Pulp, I mistakenly said it was because of Matt's work on a pitch with Curt Pires and Adam Knave. That was an error. His work with Curt was sometime earlier.  It was actually his work at deCoubertin Books that put us in the position that we decided to throw Jigsaw World up on our site.

Mea Culpa. 

Again I want to shout out to Chris Beck and Keith Callbeck. They are a great couple of guys and going on their show was an absolute blast. It really was like hanging out in your local comic shop with old friends. I can honestly say it's the most fun I have had with my clothes on this year. If they ever temporarily go nuts and want me back, I will do so with a whoop and a holler. Again that's www.wetalkpodcasts.com/wtc-135-adventures-in-pulp.


And here is one for a kindred spirit!

Pipedreams and Podcasts!

REVIEW!

If you haven't done so please check out the 5 Star review of my work by Pipedream Comics at http://pipedreamcomics.co.uk/review-adventures-in-pulp-presents-volume-1/

Author of the piece, Alex Thomas, uses words like "brilliant" to describe my writing!

INTERVIEW!

You can follow that up with a Q & A I did with Alex at http://pipedreamcomics.co.uk/intervew-adventures-in-pulp-brett-harris/ In the interview, I discusse the difference between style and genre of Pulp!

PODCAST!

I recently recorded a podcast for "We Talk" series of podcasts (www.wetalkpodcasts.com). I was invited along with my Adventures in Pulp partner Matthew Childers to participate in the "We Talk Comics" podcast with hosts Chris Beck and Keith Callbeck. We talked a little about Adventures in Pulp but mostly just geeked out like we would with our buddies at the comic shop. Once We Talk gets the We Talk Comics show edited and posted to their site at www.wetalkpodcasts.com/we-talk-comics/ I will give a shout out here and on twitter with a direct link, so please give me a follow @BrettTHarris

The Pipedream of Writing (aka Alex Thomas is My New Hero)

Writing is a very solitary endeavor. 

Frequently comic book scripts are sent off with no response from publishers or editors. Screenplays, likewise, go off to a production company with nary a word. Even when you find a vehicle for your work like I did with Adventures in Pulp, you put it out and, save for the electronic clicks, you don't hear much back. Once in a blue moon a reader might post a kind word and for days I would find myself bounding around with glee. 

Me (left) on The Comics Movie Panel from RobCon 2015.

Someone read my story. 

Last year at RobCon someone told me they loved our stories. I was floating in orbit. 

They read it and LOVED it. Sweet, sweet validation. 

This year a reader called me his favorite writer. If there hadn't been a table between us when he came up to me at the convention, I would have kissed him. 

There are some pretty damn good writers out there. He chose ME as his favorite. Hearing something like that would put other people's head in the sky (or squarely up their posterior) but all I could feel was humbled. My little stories, stories that are fun little adventures, spoke to him in some way that elevated me to his "favorite." Now I have to write for him and the others. I have an obligation to put out work that they will hopefully continue to love. I have to give my best with each plot, each character, each line of dialogue. 

That's the way it goes... just when I think everything is getting lost in the media buzz, someone with a kind word or post picks me up. It flatters the ego but it makes me buckle down and try to improve. It makes the silence of rejection worthwhile.  It dulls the sting. But it's still just the opinion of a passing stranger. A kind word that peps you up but it can be fleeting. Eventually the wheels spin and doubts creep in.

Today I got something a little more. A good review. 

Alex Thomas of Pipedream Comics gave one of the best reviews I have ever received.
You can read it here: pipedreamcomics.co.uk AIP review. As you can see, it's not just a line on twitter or a single post in a comments section. It's an in depth review and analysis. In just a few short paragraphs he dissected two stories and explains why he likes them which showed me "he got it." That's a tricky nebulous thing. People can like a story but did they "get" what you are trying to do? Alex did. He nailed it, which means perhaps, maybe I did too. Maybe I actually achieved what I set out to do. It's the type of review I want to frame and put up near my computer.

Maybe there is hope, for today Alex Thomas made me feel mighty. Alex Thomas made me feel vindicated. Today writing wasn't solitary. Today was a good day.

Thank you, Alex Thomas.

Countdown to Rob-Con '15

As I have mentioned before, I'll be making my third appearance at Rob-Con on August 1st and 2nd at Viking Hall in Bristol, TN.  This year my Adventures in Pulp partner and illustrator, Matthew Childers, and I will debut Adventures in Pulp #2 (featuring The Four Horsemen and Ashes of the Immortals) as well as a full color final-edit edition of Jigsaw World #1 (two years ago we had a black and white Rob-Con exclusive of the mature readers work print). We will also have new printings of Adventures in Pulp #1 (featuring Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men and Hawk and a Handsaw). Matt will also have some exclusive prints available and I'll be sitting in on several panels, but I don't have the complete schedule yet. I have been invited to attend one of the two writer's panels and a self publishing panel as well. One thing is set: I will be in Matt Shaffer's Comic Book Movie Panel along with screenwriter Tommy Bryant and several others. That panel starts at noon on Saturday. I'm told it will cover The Marvel Cinematic universe, DC Cinematic Universe, Fox's X-Men/Fantastic Four Universe and finally Star Wars. Rob-Con will be expanding to two days this year. I was hoping to make an announcement at the con but alas I could not get a contract I was comfortable signing.  Some other potential opportunities have opened up though and as soon as I can go public with the info I will, it just won't be in time for Rob-Con. For more info on Rob-Con, check out  Robcon.net or their listing on Facebook/RobCon. If you are at the show, please come by and say "hi," especially if you are an artist. While Matt is a talented guy, he has a full plate and I am always looking for other artists to partner with on submissions to the major and minor publishers. In fact, don't feel you have to wait until the convention; e-mail me or contact me via twitter @BrettTHarris. 

Upadate: 7/27: Here is a pic of the books we will have available!

Steampulp: Pulpy Sci-Fi Steampunk with a Dash of Horror

Writer's Commentary: Ashes of the Immortals

Nos from the digital cover of Ashes of the Immortals by Matthew Childers.

 When I first started doing the writer's commentaries for my short stories at Adventures in Pulp, I did one per page. It worked well that way because both Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men and Hawk and a Handsaw played out weekly, each page a mini-cliffhanger like the old fashioned adventure strips in the Sunday funnies. Because of the repetitive nature of The Four Horsemen, it got put out in multi-page pieces. Jigsaw World, likewise was done by scenes since it was a traditional long form story. I just can't do any of the above with Ashes of the Immortals. Unlike the others, there is no way to go a page at a time or in chunks without spoiling the end of the story. So here it is all in one. If you haven't read the last page, spoilers abound. You can read the whole story starting here: Ashes of the Immortals. In my January 15th blog, Ashes of Experimentation, I discussed at length the experimental nature of scripting this particular story AFTER it was illustrated, so I won't chew that particular piece of cabbage again. Instead I discussed it's origins and some of my thought process and even include the original outline.

Back when my AIP partner/illustrator Matthew Childers and I first started working together I pitched him four stories. Destined, Jigsaw World, The Outer Worlds, and an untitled vampire story. He flirted with Destined (he even drew a single page), before he decided he preferred my Jigsaw World concept. He never really commented on The Outer Worlds, but roundly denounced the vampire genre and chose not to even read the script to the untitled vampire story I provided him. Flash forward a year or so later. We were eating dinner and I was tossing out ideas to him. We had done, noir sci-fi, superhero satire, and fantasy, so I now wanted a horror tale to bring it home. He looked me dead in the eye and said, "We should do a vampire story." I'll be honest... as soon as I stopped coughing (my wife had to Heimlich the onion ring from my throat because my reaction was so severe), I had to double check to see if I had heard right. He asked that I hear him out. I did clutching my butter knife tightly. It had better be a good because you really have to work hard to get a butter knife through a breast bone.  Allow me to pause here. It is in poor taste to refuse to read a story a writer has pitched you only to turn around and ask them to do a similar story. It's like asking an actor to do something they did for another role or asking an artist to imitate another artist. Just imagine: No Mr. King, we didn't read The Shining. Instead we want you to do a supernatural story about a hotel care taker who gradually goes nuts. But I digress. Anyhow, he said: "They are vampires from space. They come from a world that orbits a dim sun."

I put down the butter knife. 

The bastard hit my Achilles heel: Sci-Fi. I'd write Sharknado 4: Water Planet if it involved a spaceship. It wasn't a bad idea. It had been done before, Planet of the Vampires is one of those guilty pleasure moves I can't help but watch when it's on. I even like that crappy Buck Rogers episode "Space Vampire." Don't look at me that way. I'm not proud of it. So I have: Space vampires from a world that orbits a dim sun and twelve pages to fill. Twelve? Yup. When we started Adventures in Pulp, Matt and I agreed to 52 weekly pages. Four 13 page stories. My first script (Dick Ruby) ran a page over so the plan was to run this one a page short. I also decided another sci-fi detective story would be fun and so it could be 180 degrees from what we did with Dick Ruby.

PAGES 1 & 2
I decided that the vampire angle would best be severed as the final page twist. So now I had to construct a story that would build to that climax. Vampires are immortal, so I have a planet of immortals.  What would be a good starting point for a story about immortals? Murder, naturally. Matt decided to make the page out to two pages, for some breathing room. It works great visually but softened the cliffhanger aspect. I really struggled with the text on this one. My original outline for the first page: I recommend a series of panels establishing the alien world around a dim sun, pushing in on the world, then land mass, city, all the way in to an alley behind a tall building. There are alien police officers standing around a body shaped pile of ashes. The last line will be our hero responding to a line that will go: "Congratulations, Investigator Nos.  It looks like you were just assigned the first murder case since our people became immortal a thousand years ago." 

PAGE 3
Part of the outline for this page was put at the end of the previous page, but we get back on track here. I wish the data port had been a little less obvious but, it works overall. Note Matt's decision to use the quasi-Victorian look. It contributes to the overall vibe and he came up with the term "Steampulp" for the Pulp Steampunk style. From my outline for the page: Nos, and another investigator, goes through the victim's effects found nearby and sees an ident card with complete info. It takes them to the victim's apartment where he finds her computer records have been wiped. They continue to look around until he finds a hidden compartment and inside a plug in data storage device. When asked what he found, Nos will reply: "It may be nothing, or it might contain a motive for murder."

PAGES 4 & 5
Note my shift in gender here. Originally Nos' partner was going to be a man, but Matt recommended we go female. After catching grief for having the woman (in true Femme Fatale fashion) turn out to be the bad guy in two back-to-back stories, you all can blame Matt for this one (I kid, we had discussed the world being matriarchal in nature). Also note the names: Nos was selected for Nosferatu and Ah'Rella for Vampirella. We were already putting vampire elements in. The "carbon bullet" the "organic blade," by the way were both wood like a wooden stake. Again, Matt pushed the outline from the previous page to two pages which gave the action much needed breathing room. From my outline for the page: The other investigator attacks Nos. Nos manages to toss him out the victim's window. He looks dead after the long fall. Nos looks on the data device. He is shocked to find out the victim worked in the State Temple and that she discovered that the Temple was manipulating the nourishing serum that is provided by the Temple to everyone on the planet. As he takes this in, he looks back out the window to see the other investigator is gone.

PAGE 6

Note the guard uniforms, I love how Matt designed them.  They look like the battle armor Dracula wore in Francis Ford Coppla's Bram Stoker' Dracula. I also love his high priestess. Her design evokes Ventress and the Nightsisters from Star Wars: The Clone Wars with the face stripping reminding me of blood down the corners of the mouth. The way the last panel is framed I felt the need to add another exit line from Nos, but I feel it weakened the cliffhanger. From my outline for the page: Nos is on the steps of the Temple. This is clearly a church run government. The Temple is part Vatican, part White House and Capital building. He walks in and is immediately surrounded by priest-secret-service-esque guards. The High Priestess herself comes out, flanked by priest-guards and Nos' "partner". He is led to the main sanctuary where he is told, "You can earn her fate and be the second person to die in a thousand years or you can learn the truth, but be warned everything you know will be changed forever."

PAGE 7

I had to deviate from my original outline on this page to fit the art. I worried about leaving too much out, and still worry if it all hangs together. The spot color red helps hide the nourishing serum is blood (or a blood replacement). From my outline for the page:You can set this up as talky or flashbacks.  The thrust will be that the priestess explains that once their people stopped aging and achieved immortality, problems arose. Food sources started to deplete and the population started to rise. The Temple of Immortality gained more and more popularity as people sought comfort. Eventually it got so universally accepted, it took control of the government itself. Once that happened, it was not a problem to make the populace take the Priestess' Holy Serum. It was both a nourishing protein that would keep people from starving and it would also make the people sterile. Population and starvation were no longer a problem. We will end the page with the following exchange: Nos: "Why not tell people? Why kill this woman?" Priestess: "Nature has adapted. The serum no longer works. We are on the verge of dying again." 

PAGE 8
I was able to get some of the left out info from the last page into this one. It answers the big question: What do vampires eat once everyone is a vampire. Matt left me a lot of room to breath so I could get it in. If we had not been doing a page-at-a-time I would have scripted the previous page differently. From my outline for the page: This will be flashbacks. Scientists working as the Priestess explains that they tried to adapt the serum. Her assistant saw the latest numbers and asked that they go public so they could bring in private sector scientists. When refused, she planned to do it anyway. She is surrounded in the alley behind the tall R&D building. "We are immortal, but we can still be killed. Because we have cheated nature, all that is left after death is ashes." 

PAGE 9
I'm a big fan of this page, not only does it go just as planned Matt crams a ton of action into a choking eight panels. Very impressive regardless if you are going vertical or horizontal. From my outline for the page: Nos makes a break for it.  They try to stop him and, in the process, he kills one of the priest-guards by impaling him. He turns to ashes. Nos is shocked and the guards use this to seize him. The priestess tells him, "You can join him death, Investigator Nos."

PAGE 10
This is the page where I start setting up the finale: New food source and the professor. It also let me kick the story back to the sci-fi element. I loved the guard in the first panel. He ALMOST looks like a vampire getting ready to bite but not quite. From my outline for the page: Nos is ready for the killing blow. The Priestess hesitates.  They can kill him or they can send him to find a scientist who may have found a protein that can be developed into a new source of food. He has no real choice. He asks where he will be going. "The professor had to go faraway for the protein. In fact, he is on another planet." 


PAGE 11

I like this page a lot. From the last line to Matt's retro space ship. I'm a sucker for retro sci-fi. From my outline for the page: The Priestess shows him the small one man vessel that will take him to Earth. She will explain that the voyage will take years and that VR equipment will keep his mind active and the coffin like sleep tube will slow his body's need for food and preserve his body. A slow release version of the nourishing serum has been developed.  It will line his sleep tube and absorb through the skin. Nos asks the name of the planet. She tells him: "The inhabitants call it Earth." Note the line: "We also have a dry slow release version of nourishing serum that will absorb through the skin." It was going to have a payoff on the next page but things went off course (no pun intended).

PAGE 12
I have a severe love-hate relationship with this page. On one hand I had spent 11 pages trying to squeeze in all plot points to fit the story, which left very little room for colorful writing. Matt designed this page and it was a gift in those terms. I got to turn a phrase or two and pause for some character driven moments rather than plot specific moments. But this is a big lesson learned. While discussing the story I told Matt that the sleep tube should look coffin like and the dry version of the serum should look like dirt lining the tube (like in vampire lore where vampires have to sleep in earth from their native lands). We discussed it but I neglected to put it in the outline only in the dialogue. Note to writers: No matter how much you talk to your artist, make sure it is in the script or outline they are working from. It was a real missed opportunity to put more lore in the set up for the finale. From my outline for the page: We will show the voyage of the ship through space and as it approaches a recognizable Earth. Nos is in his sleep tube, VR keeping his mind active (lots of dream like images). A computer display says: Target located. 


PAGE 13
This is a great page. Matt does a great job of showing the ship go invisible from panels 1 to 2 and I love that he has Nos enter Sterling City. From the rough thumbnails that I was scripting, I was convinced that Nos was in the woods on panel 3, so that was even a surprise for me as well as readers. From my outline for the page: Nos exits his downed ship, setting it to cloak (invisible) and at the edge of the woods he can see a sleepy small town main street. He is looking at his hand held tracker. He has the professor's location, but first he must find some food (focus on a Chinese restaurant on the main street with a neon "all you can eat" sign). A woman is walking past it. Emphasis should be on the restaurant so we can sell the shock of the next page. Last line will be something like. "Tracker has located the professor but I have to get something to eat before I pass out."

PAGE 14
Originally we discussed doing this page as a single panel page, then Matt recommended 3 panels: first a close up of the fangs in the neck, then the full shot of the attack and finally drops of blood on the tracker with the Dracula reveal. Ultimately he decided on this and boy did he knock it out of the park. From my outline for the page: Big reveals. Nos is biting into the woman's neck. He is holding the tracker so  we can see the tracker face and it reads: Target location of Professor Dracula found. 

I hope you enjoyed our little tale.  Most of all I hope you never saw the end coming and on a re-read see our little clues. If we can get it back from the printer in time, We will debut the print version of  Ashes of the Immortals (along with The Four Horsemen) in Adventures in Pulp #2 at Rob-Con August 1st. We will be doing a Kickstarter to fund printing a collected edition will all four short stories soon. You can sign up for advance notification at Adventures In Pulp.

Oh, and yes on page three that is the Klingon logo. I'm a Star Trek fan and Matt thought it would be a great tip of the hat. I love it.

Counting down to the French Revelution and a Homecoming!

LES MISERABLES

A publicity still for Les Miserables.

Tomorrow night, Les Miserables opens to the public by  Theatre Bristol at The Paramount Center for the Arts in Bristol, TN. Xander (pictured at right holding the flag) has been putting in a lot of late nights getting ready for his role as Gavroche. He is sharing the role with another actor. Xander gets Friday night and Sunday matinee performances while Zaiah Gray performs the role for tonight's Gala Fundraising event and Saturday night shows. My wife has the soundtrack on CD and once he heard a kid performing a solo he declared, "If there is ever a performance nearby, I have to try out." He did and he got it. I knew he was serious when he found out taking the role would mean taking his name out of consideration for baseball All-Stars. He made the team last year and this year he not only improved his batting average by over 200 points but emerged as the most accurate pitcher on the team registering the lowest percentage of walks among our pitchers. It was a big shock that my little catcher spent more time on the mound than behind the plate. Xander has been involved with troupe at his school and performed last year at Lamplight Theatre's production of "G.L.O.W.: Go Light Our World" so he is no novice to the stage but Theatre Bristol is really stepping up to put on such an ambitious show. Even when he is not there he is constantly singing tunes from the Boublil & Schonberg epic. It's good that it came around when it did, since his first chance to play the role will likely be his last as I have noticed his voice starting to deepen. I hope anyone who comes enjoys the performance as much as he has been enjoying the preparation. He really loves the role, and he should. How many roles are there for kids where they get a solo and (warning: spoiler ahead) a death scene? If you are in the area and have an itch that only a three hour epic musical about the French Revolution can scratch, you can find out more about the showtimes and purchase tickets at www.theparamountcenter.com.


ROB-CON

I'll be making my third appearance at Rob-Con this year August 1st and 2nd at Viking Hall in Bristol, TN. Rob-Con is like a homecoming for me. I made my first personal appearance there and debuted my Convention Exclusive of Jigsaw World (the black and while mature readers edition) as well as the first print copy of Adventures in Pulp #1 (featuring Dick Ruby and the Case of the Little Green Men and Hawk and A Handsaw). This year my illustrator, Matthew Childers, and I were hoping to have the collected edition of Adventures in Pulp available but alas we are still a couple of weeks away from wrapping our final short story Ashes of the Immortals, and have not even started the Kickstarter funding. With a month to go we MIGHT be able to get Adventures in Pulp #2 back from the printers in time to have it available (it will feature The Four Horsemen and Ashes of the Immortals) as well as a full color final-edit edition of Jigsaw World #1. It will be close but I REALLY hope we can get it done. I'll probably be sitting in on several panels. I have been invited to attend a writers panel and possibly a self publishing panel as well as Matt Shaffer's Comic Book Movie panel. Robert Pilk puts on a great show and this year it will be expanding to two days. I'm glad it's going well for him. He is the owner of one of the first comic shops in the area (Mountain Empire Comics) and I got most of my books there as a kid and still get pay a visit every week picking up books for myself and my son. So he really is a multi-generational dealer in the arts and family entertainment. I hope I can make a few announcements by then, but we will see.  Nothing is for sure in the entertainment business until you put a signature on a page. If you are at the show, please come by and say "hi," especially if you are an artist. While Matt is a talented guy, he has a full plate and I am always looking for other artists to partner with on submissions to the major and minor publishers. In fact, don't feel you have to wait until the convention e-mail me or contact me via twitter @BrettTHarris.

Phoenix from the Ashes (or Collected Edition from the Web Series)

A mock up of our collected edition by AIP Illustrator Matthew Childers.

We just have a few more pages of Ashes of the Immortals before that short story wraps at Adventures in Pulp. It will be the fourth and final short story that was originally planned for the site. Once it wraps, we will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to fund the printing of a collected edition. We are still working out the details but if you go to the homepage for www.adventuresinpulp.com you can sign up for e-mail notification for an advance viewing of our extras and goals. As writer and creator of the stories, I have loved doing these tales. I would love to continue. I have both a short story as well as a full length tale set in the Hawk and a Handsaw universe that I would love to tell, three more chapters to Jigsaw World to complete that series' initial story arc, and about 22 story ideas to continue the case files of Dick Ruby. (I would love to spin Dick Ruby off into his own ongoing series). But truthfully things are up in the air in terms of the future. You can make the difference. Go vote in our favorite character poll.  Leave comments on the site and follow Adventures in Pulp on twitter@adventureinpulp (no s in adventure) or you can follow me @BrettTHarris.I always love hearing from fans so please reach out. I won't bite (unless I haven't been feed).

From Grappling on the Mats to Diamond Thief to Treading the Boards

The pace of life never really slows down. Especially if you have kids. The older Xander gets, the busier he he seems to get. Wrestling. Baseball. Theater. Some days I feel like I need an assistant to keep HIS schedule straight.

Yup, that's me going for my second District title waaaaay back in '91.

Xander ended his first season of wrestling last month. He alternated between 70lbs. and 75lbs. weight classes, and did okay for a rookie. When he stepped on the the mat he alternated from looking impressive to looking lost. He ended the season with an 11-20 record. As a hard core wrestler myself I was proud to see him out there. I don't think there is anything to compare with it in terms of pressure, physicality and toughness. No matter what you do, if you walk into a wrestling room at the beginning of the season and walk out at the end, regardless of your record, you are better. Not just better athletically, but emotionally. Taking an ass kicking daily, will toughen you up inside and out. It's a sport where you are constantly pushing yourself beyond what you thought you could do. I think the only thing that could be harder would be military training. I'm the first to admit I'm tough on Xander when he messes up, and I hold very high expectations of him. Conversely, I cheer the loudest when he does well and am first to step up for him when he is getting the shaft. Too many kids today are coddled, but conversely too many kids have zero support systems. As typical Americans we seem to swing from one extreme to the other. But I digress...

Xander going for 3rd at the Bristol Brawl Jan. 4th.

Xander. Wrestling. He started the duel meet part of the season with a rough 1-6 record but then went into tournament part season earning one 4th place, four 3rd place wins, two 2nd place finishes, and took the Gold in two tournaments. Considering some kids are starting in kindergarten these days. I was impressed with how hard he wanted to work and how well he ended up. One of the dads at the first practice was, ironically, the Varsity team captain of my high school team the first year I wrestled back in middle school. He gave me good advice: "Relax when they lose. Any kid who wins more than he loses his first year, is wrestling the wrong kids." He was right,  but sometimes it was just hard to watch.

After wrestling, Xander went straight into Baseball, returning to last year's team. I helped out as an assistant coach last year but was asked to take over as the manager this year because the previous manager had one of those work schedules that just made it too difficult for him to be there. I jumped at it because I had gotten so frustrated with seeing kids who struggled get left behind to play only in the outfield and/or sit the bench. Everybody plays and everybody sits out on our team. Every kid rotates into the infield. Sure the more advanced kids will play regularly at the more difficult positions. Everyone will play or learn at least 3-5 positions by the end of the season. Sure, it will make us less competitive but in the long run, the kids will learn more and have more fun. But again, I digress...

Xander just before his CF RBI double in the April 11th season opener.

Xander. Baseball. He is off to a fantastic start. Four games in and he has 1 double, 3 singles and 3 walks with his only non-hit being a ground out to first in game 3. He is already 16 for 17 in stolen bases. He played the season opener behind the plate where he got one third of our outs nailing runners attempting to steal. Game 2 he got his very first start as pitcher. I was stunned at how well he did. I have always said he is a far superior catcher than a pitcher. He has accuracy but not power. It can very easily become batting practice for the other team when he's on the mound. He pitched 3 2/3 innings before hitting the pitch limit of 75 pitches. He got a no-decision because it was 5-5 when he came off the mound. In that time he only walked 3 batters, struck out 7 batters and only gave up 5 hits. It was an amazing start. In Game 3 he played first base where it seemed the opposition were all hitting the ball (lefties and late swings) right at him allowing him to get 4 outs on his own including a double play where he caught a pop-up and nailed a runner before they could get back to 2B. Game 4 he started at Short Stop but ended up pitching 2 and 2/3 of relief. Unfortunately it was not as strong as his first outing to say the least. He gave up 12 hits, walked 7 and struck out 2, which is closer to what I expected. Sadly, we are pretty weak in the pitching department so my little catcher may be one of our main pitchers much to the delight of several other team managers I am sure.

Sadly he is going to miss Game 5. Practice starts on Theatre Bristol's production of Les Miserables. which bring us to...

The first cast meeting of Les Miserables. (Xander is in black on the left).

Xander. Theatre. Ever since he first saw Les Miserables, he has wanted to play the role of Gavroche. What kid wouldn't, he gets a solo and (spoiler alert!) a death scene. When we heard Theatre Bristol was going to have a performance right in our own backyard, we knew we could not stand in his way. Considering his voice is starting to deepen, we knew it would in fact be his first chance to play the character would be his last chance. Even now we are starting to worry since he is occasionally sounding like Peter on that episode of Brady Bunch when he tries to hit the high notes. He will be sharing the role with another child (common practice to double cast kids roles). He's excited. right now it appears he will have the opening night performance. We have OUR tickets.

So it was a busy winter that turned into a busy spring and will undoubtedly morph into a busy summer, I'm not even touching on all his school related activities like safety patrol, troupe performances, and the school news/weather broadcasts. At least in the summer he won't have to worry about keeping that straight "A" average he manages. That's the really impressive part. But he is an impressive kid.

He just needs a personal assistant to keep up with it all.

RIP Leonard Nimoy: The Humanity Behind Our Favorite Alien

Leonard plays a death scene over three decades before his actual passing.

It's been almost two months since the passing of Star Trek star Leonard Nimoy and I've been contemplative. I have thought a lot about what is so appealing about the actor beyond the character that made him famous: Mr. Spock. I'll confess much like the character of Mr. Spock himself, I'm conflicted. My emotional side and my logical side are having a tug of war. My emotional side is very bummed that Leonard is gone. I was only in the same room with him a single time (along with a throng of giddy Trekkers) so do I have the right to be so familiar as to call him Leonard? You betcha, I invited that man into my home hundreds of times every time I fired up my TV, VCR or DVD player, so I'm going with Leonard. Anyhow, watching the multitudes morn seems kind of silly. Illogical if you will. Leonard lived a long life, passing less than a month before his 84th birthday. He was healthy enough to work and make personal appearances through 2014. He had a successful career both in front and behind the camera, and created a character that is so iconic that he will be remembered generations from now even when other aspects of 20th century pop culture have long been forgotten. He was wealthy, loved, respected and by all accounts happy in his later years. Life was pretty good to Leonard.

But...

I miss him. The idea that he will not be in the next Star Trek film due out for the 50th anniversary in 2016... makes me... illogically sad. The idea that he will never make the movie about conjoined twins Chang and Ing Bunker makes me sad. The idea that he won't again challenge traditional views as he did with his photography makes me sad.

The man behind the ears: Actor, director, photographer & poet.

 There is probably a little placing of the actor on a pedestal because of the devotion and love his character inspired. Leonard was not perfect. There were reports that he fought with producers of Star Trek, even being so narcissistic as to think that Mr. Spock was the central character. Spock was clearly the break out character because he was so identified with by fans. His character along with Dr. McCoy served as emotional and intellectual counterbalances. Ying and Yang. Logic and emotion. The two characters illustrated the conflict within the main character (Kirk). He was important, instrumental and necessary, but not the main character. He initially shunned his fans, because of typecasting going so far as to write a book condescendingly called I'm Not Spock. He clearly resented the character and felt it hurt his career, and only returned for a big payday (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and again later for the opportunity to put the character away by killing him off (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn). He would allow the resurrection of the character only for the opportunity to direct (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock). By all rights he should be hated by Trekkers.

Except...

When the Star Trek animated series was on he refused to participate unless George Takei and Nichelle Nichols participated. He realized the ethnic diversity was important to the show and the ideals of Star Trek. He was ready to let a payday slide by if the project didn't live up to it's own ideals. He ensured his co-stars who didn't get big paydays in the early movies got equal pay in the latter films. He would again push the ideals of Star Trek when he directed his second feature by promoting an ecological message (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) and pushed a allegorical tale for the final film of the original franchise when executive produced Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. It wasn't until Star Trek star William Shatner published his autobiography Up Till Now was anyone aware of how much Leonard tried to help Shatner's late wife deal with her alcoholism. His philanthropy is now well known but was not overtly advertised for public relations purposes.  Only years after the fact did it trickle out that he gave to charity, provided grants, and contributed to restoration projects. Who could hate a man like that?

So, I guess what I'm saying is that Leonard wasn't perfect; he was self centered one day and self sacrificing the next.  In other words, he was a perfect example of a human being: flawed. To his credit he never stopped striving to improve and do better. In the process, he left a legacy steeped in the arts and humanitarianism and that's more than most of us get to do.

It's illogical to be sad, yet I am, because part of the appeal of Leonard Nimoy was that we identified with his personal flaws and admired his striving to overcome them.

Personal Appearance: Marble City ComiCon in Knoxville, TN

My Adventures In Pulp partner Matthew Childers, has been burning up the comic book convention circuit of late. I'll confess it's a little harder for me. Xander is older and therefore and I'm trying to be as involved as I can before he gets too old for me and moves on to middle and high school, which means my weekends are packed with wrestling matches, baseball games, play performances, etc. There are other considerations as well. As a writer, when we sell issues of Adventures in Pulp, those are a break even situation where we hope we can recoup the cost of printing and hopefully have some copies left over to give away to editors and publishers. I'm not a Grant Morrison or Mark Waid. The super stars may get paid to appear or at the least get accommodations and travel taken care of. I'm no where near that level, so any appearance I make comes out of pocket. On the flip side Matt can do commissions, sell prints, or sketches and he can break even on his hotel, food and gas. In fact, if the show goes real well, he might even have a little extra for his pocket.

I shoulda learned to draw. But it is what it is. Sometimes self promotion costs a little.

Matt asked if I wanted to join him for Marble City ComiCon in Knoxville, TN.  The timing is right in the heart of baseball season, so I told him that I probably would not be able to make it. I never gave it another thought until one day I was on twitter and saw the con mentioned. Ironically, I was going to ask Matt if he was free for dinner. We used to go out pretty regularly, but it was such a busy winter with Xander's wrestling, we never seemed to be able to work out a definite time. With the exception of ETSUCon back in February, Matt and I have not been in the same room since before the holidays. So I asked if he was going to the Con over the weekend and he told me that it was the following weekend on April 25 & 26th.

My heart skipped a beat. It's rare when things work out. April 25th was the ONLY Saturday for the 3 months of baseball season that Xander didn't have practice or a game. Serendipity steal my heart. So it looks like I will join Matt in Knoxville on the 25th. Please come by and say "hi." We will be at table #701.

To find out details on the convention go to: www.marblecitycomicon.com

Don't forget to check Adventures In Pulp. We are up to Page 8 on our current short story ASHES OF THE IMMORTALS over at www.adventuresinpulp.com.

You know, now that I think about it, I got distracted by the confusion over the dates and never did ask Matt about dinner...

Opening Up a New Venue...

Just a few quick notes. 

My comic book work over at www.adventuresinpulp.com is going to expand over to www.comixology.com. Starting today you can purchase a digital copy of our story, HAWK AND A HANDSAW, as the first issue of ADVENTURES IN PULP PRESENTS at this link: http://bit.ly/1MADC8C. Since it is only a 13 page story, the cost is really low (only $0.99). We still have a few first printings of our hard copy flip book (which also features DICK RUBY AND THE CASE OF THE LITTLE GREEN MEN) available at our site store.

Also, we have a poll up on the site. This time we are voting for favorite ADVENTURES IN PULP character. In our last poll for favorite story, JIGSAW WORLD won with a staggering 40% of the vote, which shows that readers either like more traditional long form stories or like most "Doctor Who" polls the current doctor always gets an unfair bump.

We may do it again after the current story, ASHES OF THE IMMORTALS, wraps.