Today, I forgot how many days there are in the year. Do you ever get that? A total brain-blank? I couldn't decide if it was 350 or 352. Of course, as a friend helped me out, it's 365...
Also, I had trouble with the question 'what's heavier, a ton of rocks or a ton of feathers' (as featured on America's Dumbest Model). I've since been asking my friends this question, hoping that they'd get this wrong just like me...
And finally, I turn 34 in just under 3 months time. How bloody scary is that? 33 is such a nice age.
So perhaps it's all related and I'm just going senile.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
Telepathic
Am I telepathic or what? Eduardo Risso is to draw a new Wolverine mini-series (I mentioned wanting him to do some X-stuff elsewhere). I should run Marvel!!
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The O Men 2008
So what’s in store for The O Men in 2008?
First, let’s look at 2007.
What a disaster!!! I think I managed a grand total of two issues, and the final issue there completely burned me out and I wasn’t even gonna do any drawing for the rest of the year because of it. However, the creative urge proved too strong and I’m currently getting on well with issue 2.6 - in fact there are only 11 pages left to finish off (mostly boring backgrounds to sort out, my favourite, lol). So I reckon that’ll be out in Feb, maybe. Issue 2.6 finishes off the three-part ‘Team-Building’ storyline, with a traitor revealed, a very nasty falling out, and at least one team-member leaving...
Then the plan is to release the second Volume Two collection and issue 2.7 at Bristol 2008 - yes, I’m gonna be at Bristol this year, after a year off! So lord knows how I’ll get the second collection together (it has that very awkward double-page spread issue in it), but issue 2.7 will be a really landmark issue, with some major, major developments. I’m really looking forward to this one - have been for ages - and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
And after that...there’ll be another O-break - the plan being to focus on Spandex for a year, all being well, releasing the project at Bristol 2009 (although I’m not gonna pressure myself too much - I want to enjoy it). Anyway, Spandex should be a lot of fun and a unique read - the plan is to release it as a 120-page digest graphic novel.
And after that, it’s the final storyline of O Men season two (which should consist of five issues), heading into the series finale, season three, which should be two or three large issues.
And that should really be it.
First, let’s look at 2007.
What a disaster!!! I think I managed a grand total of two issues, and the final issue there completely burned me out and I wasn’t even gonna do any drawing for the rest of the year because of it. However, the creative urge proved too strong and I’m currently getting on well with issue 2.6 - in fact there are only 11 pages left to finish off (mostly boring backgrounds to sort out, my favourite, lol). So I reckon that’ll be out in Feb, maybe. Issue 2.6 finishes off the three-part ‘Team-Building’ storyline, with a traitor revealed, a very nasty falling out, and at least one team-member leaving...
Then the plan is to release the second Volume Two collection and issue 2.7 at Bristol 2008 - yes, I’m gonna be at Bristol this year, after a year off! So lord knows how I’ll get the second collection together (it has that very awkward double-page spread issue in it), but issue 2.7 will be a really landmark issue, with some major, major developments. I’m really looking forward to this one - have been for ages - and I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
And after that...there’ll be another O-break - the plan being to focus on Spandex for a year, all being well, releasing the project at Bristol 2009 (although I’m not gonna pressure myself too much - I want to enjoy it). Anyway, Spandex should be a lot of fun and a unique read - the plan is to release it as a 120-page digest graphic novel.
And after that, it’s the final storyline of O Men season two (which should consist of five issues), heading into the series finale, season three, which should be two or three large issues.
And that should really be it.
Christmas
Well I just got back from my Christmas break. It completely flew by - but I didn’t expect anything else. Had a great time and saw loads of my family, including my 7 month old nephew Harry. It’s also a good time to do tons of drawing while watching loads of tv I don’t normally watch on my own - stuff that my mom watches. Eastenders - a daily treat of Celebrity Masterchef and Identity lol - blimey, I even watched Midsomer Murders - a programme I normally loathe - and I actually enjoyed it.
But now I’m looking forward to watching tons of DVDS now I’m back - including Battlestar Galactica season three and Deadwood ;-)
But now I’m looking forward to watching tons of DVDS now I’m back - including Battlestar Galactica season three and Deadwood ;-)
Disappointing comics
This Christmas I really indulged in vegging out and reading comics (well, there wasn’t much else to do with a bad cold!). You’ll have seen my 100 Bullets thoughts - I also read the complete Alan Moore WildCATS collection - which I’d been saving up for months and was dying to get into. Er, was this really written by Alan Moore? It’s got none of his style and none of that ‘x-factor’ that makes you realise what a genius Moore is. Maybe it’s the ropey art that doesn’t help.
Also reading the first Age of Apocalypse X-Men trade - bloody hell. I know my X-Men inside out, but I really had to concentrate to follow this. I never read this originally as it was in my X-Men wildnerness years - I abandoned the X-books when they started doing too many crossovers and when Joe Madieura started doing the art. It’s interesting that a few more things make sense now - like the relevance of having an Astonishing X-Men team, the look of Sunfire, and the importance of Blink.
These disappointments remind me of when I bought the huge Bone collection - and was soooo bored reading it.
Also reading the first Age of Apocalypse X-Men trade - bloody hell. I know my X-Men inside out, but I really had to concentrate to follow this. I never read this originally as it was in my X-Men wildnerness years - I abandoned the X-books when they started doing too many crossovers and when Joe Madieura started doing the art. It’s interesting that a few more things make sense now - like the relevance of having an Astonishing X-Men team, the look of Sunfire, and the importance of Blink.
These disappointments remind me of when I bought the huge Bone collection - and was soooo bored reading it.
100 Bullshits
I was round a mate’s house the other day and managed to borrow the first 11 volumes of 100 Bullets (it’s cool having graphic novel-reading friends). It’s one of those series that is supposed to be good but I’ve never got into.
Well I’m on book 11 now and I can’t really see what all the fuss is about whatsoever! It hasn’t gripped me in any way, and I don’t understand how the series has lasted so long or why it’s so popular.
I think one of the series’ problems, and this is why I can’t understand why people like it, is it just doesn’t work issue by issue. It works better collected (although it’s still dull).
Another problem is that most of the characters are indistinguishable from each other, and then there’s the problem that it’s just so slooooow, and the emphasis seems more on indecipherable dialogue than anything actually happening.
Am I in the minority?
Having said that, the art is really spectacular, and I’d love to see the guy working on some kind of mainstream title - that’s what we need now I think, a fresh take on things. He’d work wonders on an X-book.
Like many comics though, maybe I’ll go back to the series in a few years time and prefer it more.
Well I’m on book 11 now and I can’t really see what all the fuss is about whatsoever! It hasn’t gripped me in any way, and I don’t understand how the series has lasted so long or why it’s so popular.
I think one of the series’ problems, and this is why I can’t understand why people like it, is it just doesn’t work issue by issue. It works better collected (although it’s still dull).
Another problem is that most of the characters are indistinguishable from each other, and then there’s the problem that it’s just so slooooow, and the emphasis seems more on indecipherable dialogue than anything actually happening.
Am I in the minority?
Having said that, the art is really spectacular, and I’d love to see the guy working on some kind of mainstream title - that’s what we need now I think, a fresh take on things. He’d work wonders on an X-book.
Like many comics though, maybe I’ll go back to the series in a few years time and prefer it more.
Bank card
Did I regale you with the story of my bank card? No? Well settle back, it‘s a long one.
It was due to expire Nov ‘07, and I took this to mean the start of November. So at the start of October I went to the bank to check everything was okay - cos past experience was that they sent the new cards pretty sharpish and there was no sign. So that time they told me not to worry, it didn’t expire until the end of Nov.
Couple of weeks into November, no new cash card. Trip to the bank - ‘one’s been ordered Mr Eden, but we don’t have access to courier records so can’t tell you where it is’.
3 days before cashcard due to expire, still no new cashcard, trip to bank - nothing they can do ‘it’s on its way’.
Phone up bank day before cashcard due to expire. ‘Hello, Mr Eden here, not very happy, no new cashcard.’ ‘Sorry Mr Eden, it went out 15 Nov and obviously didn’t get to you - we’ll cancel it and order you a new one.’ ‘Great, thanks...’
So cashcard expires, and I end up taking hundreds of pounds out of the bank to tide me over. Not ideal, but shouldn’t last long...
Few days later, Tuesday, courier note turns up - please contact us and rearrange redelivery of your cashcard. Yay - get cashcard next day. Coooool! Phone Natwest, ‘hello, Mr Eden here, can I just check, is this cashcard you sent me the new one or the one I got you to cancel?’ ‘it’s the cancelled one, Mr Eden’ ‘Oh. Oh dear...’ ‘You say a new one has been ordered? There’s no record of that....’ ‘Oh dear. Can you order one then please. Now. I really could do with it. Thanks.’
And this is where it starts to get annoying. Not only do you end up carrying 100s of pounds around with you, plus permanently carry your passport and a cheque so you can get cash out if you need it, there are a lot of things you take for granted that you can’t do without a cashcard - you can’t top up your phone, you can’t buy from Amazon, you can’t buy a travelcard the night before work from the machine, thereby avoiding the morning queues, etc, etc, etc. Very annoying, and I don’t know how people coped before holes in the wall.
So anyway, the cashcard finally turns up the following Monday, just dropped through the door, not recorded delivery as it should have been - but let‘s not worry too much about that. One snag though...no new pin number. Since I’m still surviving on my withdrawn money, I don’t even realise I need the new pin number until I try to use it later that week and almost get the card cancelled by entering my normal number twice. Oh dear... Another phone call ‘hello, I need a pin number don’t i’ ‘yes mr eden’ ‘can you send me one then...’ So this doesn’t turn up until the following Tuesday...
So I’m not normally one to moan about banks etc, and I’ve never had trouble with Natwest before, but they really dicked me around this time, and i had to last almost 3 weeks without a cashcard. towards the end, i saw an ad in the paper saying how people who’d had their cards stolen could get an emergency card straight away - wish they’d told me that earlier...
So anyway, I just thought I’d tell you, cos it’s interesting how you take these things for granted, and what a pain they are when you don’t have ‘em.
Still awake? Hello? Oops...
It was due to expire Nov ‘07, and I took this to mean the start of November. So at the start of October I went to the bank to check everything was okay - cos past experience was that they sent the new cards pretty sharpish and there was no sign. So that time they told me not to worry, it didn’t expire until the end of Nov.
Couple of weeks into November, no new cash card. Trip to the bank - ‘one’s been ordered Mr Eden, but we don’t have access to courier records so can’t tell you where it is’.
3 days before cashcard due to expire, still no new cashcard, trip to bank - nothing they can do ‘it’s on its way’.
Phone up bank day before cashcard due to expire. ‘Hello, Mr Eden here, not very happy, no new cashcard.’ ‘Sorry Mr Eden, it went out 15 Nov and obviously didn’t get to you - we’ll cancel it and order you a new one.’ ‘Great, thanks...’
So cashcard expires, and I end up taking hundreds of pounds out of the bank to tide me over. Not ideal, but shouldn’t last long...
Few days later, Tuesday, courier note turns up - please contact us and rearrange redelivery of your cashcard. Yay - get cashcard next day. Coooool! Phone Natwest, ‘hello, Mr Eden here, can I just check, is this cashcard you sent me the new one or the one I got you to cancel?’ ‘it’s the cancelled one, Mr Eden’ ‘Oh. Oh dear...’ ‘You say a new one has been ordered? There’s no record of that....’ ‘Oh dear. Can you order one then please. Now. I really could do with it. Thanks.’
And this is where it starts to get annoying. Not only do you end up carrying 100s of pounds around with you, plus permanently carry your passport and a cheque so you can get cash out if you need it, there are a lot of things you take for granted that you can’t do without a cashcard - you can’t top up your phone, you can’t buy from Amazon, you can’t buy a travelcard the night before work from the machine, thereby avoiding the morning queues, etc, etc, etc. Very annoying, and I don’t know how people coped before holes in the wall.
So anyway, the cashcard finally turns up the following Monday, just dropped through the door, not recorded delivery as it should have been - but let‘s not worry too much about that. One snag though...no new pin number. Since I’m still surviving on my withdrawn money, I don’t even realise I need the new pin number until I try to use it later that week and almost get the card cancelled by entering my normal number twice. Oh dear... Another phone call ‘hello, I need a pin number don’t i’ ‘yes mr eden’ ‘can you send me one then...’ So this doesn’t turn up until the following Tuesday...
So I’m not normally one to moan about banks etc, and I’ve never had trouble with Natwest before, but they really dicked me around this time, and i had to last almost 3 weeks without a cashcard. towards the end, i saw an ad in the paper saying how people who’d had their cards stolen could get an emergency card straight away - wish they’d told me that earlier...
So anyway, I just thought I’d tell you, cos it’s interesting how you take these things for granted, and what a pain they are when you don’t have ‘em.
Still awake? Hello? Oops...
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