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“Where’s the Beef?”

September 10, 2007 By Bradley Weber

JMS pal and Fine Arts Guild brother, Mystic Mark wants to know, “Brad where is the update?”

Good question. Here’s the long answer:

This past weekend was set aside for my monthly attempt at a 24-Hour comic. As this issue was going to be done virtually — totally rendered in the computer — one would have expected 24 staggering pages of storytelling genius posted today for your reading pleasure.

Whoops.

Don’t get me wrong: the September edition is indeed a great comic, or will be when it’s done.

Stay with me here.

As outlined in one of the earlier posts, I try not to spend more than an-hour-and-a-half scripting a 24-Hour Comic. Well, the script on this one took a little longer to write. Like six hours longer.

Eight hours is ridiculous, I know. But it was one of those rare and all-but-forgotten occasions when the story took me over. And it was exhausting.

(There were also some new-user induced difficulties with the drawing program I was using, so that an additional 4+ hours of work resulted in only two finished pages and a borderline migraine. So, rather than work myself into a vomit-inducing headache, I decided to quit. Yes, I’m willing to suffer for my art, but not to the point of puking.)

People talk about “lost time”. Usually it’s chronic drunks, UFO abductees, or crazy artist types, but it all amounts to the same thing: You’re doing something, a little time passes, you look up and — Holy Crap! — it’s five hours later!

But the crazy artist types tend to have something to show for their lost time. Not a huge bar bill or a bloody hand print on the hood of the car or the vague feeling of being violated by small gray hands — although those things do happen.

No, I’m talking about pages and pages of writing, or a painting, or nine hundred snow angles. You’ve done something. The proof is tangible.

In this case, I’ve got the writing.

I started out as one thing and then, I don’t know, just got away from me. The story demanded to be written the way it was written, told the way it will be told. I couldn’t help it. You’ll see what I mean when it’s done.

Or you won’t. Whether you understand it or not isn’t my problem.

The story is what it is. I will not defend it or explain it. It was written for nobody but me.

All of the other 24-Hour comics, in fact all of my stories, are written/drawn for somebody besides me. I get satisfaction from them, but there is always someone else I’m trying to please with my work, an unknown reader looking over my shoulder.

Not this time. This one is all for me.

It gets done when it’s done and gets posted when it’s posted.

In the meantime, expect greatness. Expect to be amazed. I know I was.

As for the regular stuff? The usual reviews, oddments, tidbits and whatnots? More of that will be up starting this week.

Thanks for staying tuned.

bjw

Filed Under: 24-Hour Comics, Comics, JMS Labs, Writing

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