T Campbell's Blog

A two-week Sluggy guest story I wrote has been approved and now also needs an artist.

Helps if you're a Sluggy fan already. Sluggy has an audience of over 200,000 daily readers and Pete Abrams is offering permanent links to my site and the artist's site. I trust I don't need to spell out how these circumstances can help the up-and-coming cartoonist.

I'll be busy this weekend and Monday, but check e-mail upon my return. If I don't know your work already, send samples or a link to your portfolio or website.

(If you missed the finale of the "Orlando saga," scroll down.)

Penny and Aggie seeks guest artists and full-time webmaster. (Scroll down.)

Also, Sam Romero and I are working on a project called The Verge, which needs an inker. E-mail me here.

Graphic Smash, including Fans, is represented on the Digital Strips podcast.

Coming soon: A report on what's been done this week. Right now, bed.

"Oh, man," says Gisele. "Your friends really let you down. I mean, they must've read your blog and no one noticed you were talking about leaving this weekend?"

And I'm like "Yeah! Yeah! Why didn't anybody tell me I was an idiot?" Does anyone besides Gisele, Wednesday, DroolingFanGirl and Rebecca Cardon actually read that thing? Why the hell didn't I opt for black-on-white text? "I'll call you back."

I drive away from the convention hall to a hotel lot, park and start walking, almost on autopilot, passing a field with snuffling horses under a brilliant ice-blue sky.

Seriously. How does this happen? I've been forgetful before, but never about something I thought was so important. This was to be my big debutante ball in the print comic world, my play to relate to comic-book creators as an adult, rather than a starstruck kid.

Do I want to fail at making moves into print comics-- into a field where all my web experience counts for far less? Did I do this to myself?

"Or is this a sign from You?" I turn and ask God.

I don't make a habit of talking out loud to God in public places. My spirituality's mostly the foxhole kind... an even split between Rikk and Will from Fans. But I think this qualifies as a foxhole.

"Are You telling me to just give up? Settle for being just a hobbyist? Throw all my efforts into getting the editing job at Laurin before it's too late?

"What do You want from me?"

I walk some more, deeply distracted, and quickly find myself lost. Not in the spiritual sense, but in the "where's my car?" sense.

I spot two passersby walking their dog and carrying guitars. This man and woman look like they wandered off the set of A Mighty Wind, only their clothes are modern-hippie and they're in their early twenties. I ask them for directions and we walk back the way I came, learning each others' stories on the way. The man does all the talking.

"Yeah, we know this street pretty well, we've been walking up and down it for the past seven days. You know, you can play street music for money anywhere: Chicago, Savannah, New York... but if you try it here, they'll arrest you. We got left here by some friends of ours who weren't really very good friends at all... we've been walking up and down this street where they were supposed to meet us, and I don't think they're going to show up."

There are some holes in this story. The dog looks too well-fed to me. And there's a honeymoon vibe between the couple; they just don't look frazzled or exhausted enough. But still, nice to be reminded It Could Be Worse.

I end up giving the couple five dollars for their help, seeing Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum and visiting a (caution: audio) middling haunted house designed vaguely like Castle Grayskull.

Start the long drive back. And I think.

Think about those two, clearly chasing their musical dream to well below the poverty line, but still seemingly happy with each other and their lives.

And I think about this blog, strangely enough. Would I want to read about this experience five years, ten years from now, and remember that a glitch like this kept me from chasing my dreams? Would I want anyone else who reads it to get the wrong lesson from it?

"Signs to give up" can also be "tests."

This was a costly mistake, to be sure. It can never be repeated. (Taking everything into account, including the maintenance work I had to do on the car afterward, it turns out flying would have been cheaper than driving.)

But it may be an even costlier mistake to throw away my plans for this convention. I have much to learn, still, about the business and society of print comics that shyness has kept me from learning in years past. These are things I need to know if my print career is to prosper. And price is a factor, but I live frugally so that I get to spend when it counts.

So, yes.

I'm going back.

So I drive. And I drive and I drive and I drive.

It's about nine hours on the road on Friday. I stop for the night in Savannah, where I spent about six unproductive months in a school that's comics-friendly, but meant for artists, not writers. Pick up the business cards that I've pre-ordered at the local Kinko's, and talk to an employee about his master's in sequential art and how "manga-ish" the school has gotten since I left. I look up my old associate Lee Loughridge of Zylonol Studios (who colored the later covers for the Faans comic book), but he's not to be found (I later learn he's been snowboarding). Watch a couple of intellectually unchallenging sitcoms and get to bed.

Get back in the car in the morning and drive and drive and drive, five more hours. I talk over some details with Gisele Lagace, and we agree that Penny & Aggie will need some help in the coming months. I'm still talking with her when I reach the Orlando convention center parking lot, and ask where I park for Megacon.

"Megawhat?"

I smile and apologize to Gisele for multitasking, then say "Megacon. Comic book convention."

"Comic book?" the black, early-thirties woman responds, apparently unaware that comics exist in book form.

Gisele offers to check the Internet for me. I tell her it's megaconvention.com. And I wait an awkward moment, smiling at the woman who's not sure whether I'm all there, or not.

"T..." her voice hesitates on the line. "That convention is next weekend."

To be continued.

I'm in transit most of today, and my Net access will be limited, so this'll be the last post till late Sunday, at least.

Done recently: Got contacted by a headhunter for a job good enough, and well-paying enough, to actually make me reconsider the "all-comics, all-the-time" stance I took in this blog earlier. It's... tempting. I won't say much more till I get to know the company; I'm ever mindful of the fate of Mark Jen.

More work on the book. (Yes, I'll tell you more about what the book is soon!)

Busywork on Fans & Rip & Teri.

Another Penny and Aggie strip, and some communication about the strip's future on the Wisenheimer private message board (sorry, folks, cartoonists only).

Didn't get much done about recording tech for Megacon, which would have helped out Meanwhile: The Comics Podcast nicely. Here's another one of the podcasts, though.

Statistics homework.

Time to defrag, I think. Doing all this different stuff in a day is good for the ego but not necessarily the most efficient use of time. 'Pon my return, I'm going to try to focus on one item per day.

And meanwhile, I'm off to make the most of time... Mark Waid and Joe Quesada await. Keep well.

Don't think I did all that well in a roommate interview today (I kept putting my foot in my mouth), which is a shame because the place looks wonderful and I really like the landlord. Of course, I could still be taken out of state at the drop of a hat, so perhaps it's a blessing in disguise.

Done today: Progress on a proposed critical review of comics (a BOOK-book with lots of comics excerpts). Minor publishers have been extremely forthcoming and helpful, and major publishers have been fairly standoffish so far. No big surprises there, but I'm hoping the big dawgs will change their bark when we have a publisher lined up. Discussing it with Steven Withrow, who knows a trick or two about this kind of thing.

Plan for a Comixpedia roundtable discussion well under way. I'll be heading up this one.

Nursed two proposal ideas for Marvel. Gotta get those out the door tomorrow...!

Scripting a story with Brian Daniel. Brian's the only guy I know who collaborates on scripts by IM, but it seems to work for us.

And brought a proposal under the nose of Jonah Weiland.

A lot of little stuff, basically. More accomplishment than it feels like. Good to get it all written out so I can see that! Man, I feel great about this day now!

And so to bed.

The blogger's uncertainty principle: the more of interest goes on in any given day, the less the ability to blog about it.

I'm off to Megacon this weekend. My initial accommodations have fallen through, though, so I'm looking for crash space on short notice. I have my own port-a-bed and I'm willing to pay for my space. So if anybody who reads this is goin'...

Accounting exams are tough. Really, really I-don't-wanna-talk-about-it tough. But I'm hangin' in there-- I've beat bigger challenges than this.

And done, well, yesterday: Got the Rising Stars of Manga 5 submission in with i's dotted and t's crossed... juuuust in the nick of time. It really embarrasses me that I hit "five minutes till deadline" syndrome when the art came in much earlier-- but better that than the "five minutes PAST deadline" syndrome, I guess.

The History of Online Comics, Part 9, is up for public consumption.

Consume!

As usual, visiting my family always leaves me feeling newly determined to succeed, to make them proud of me and proud to know me.

It was a lovely wedding, 300 people there, with some of the groom's friends showing off their choir-singing talents. My little cousins are finally growing up, and I guess that means I am, too. Ally, 14, is dancing nine hours a week; Margaret, 16, fearless as ever, has taken a keen and surprising interest in genealogy. Suzanne and Graham Whedon, 19, are college freshmen broadening their minds with classes like philosophy, psychology, macroecon and organic chem. Lizzie, 21, is on her way to becoming a photographer. And Sarah, 23, is now a wife.

As I said at the rehearsal toast, I still remember when Sarah was young enough to be entertaining all my aunts and uncles with her creative mispronunciation of "niney-two." She's got a career now, and a college degree, but I think her #1 dream was always a happy marriage. And here she is.

I love her so much.

Done today: Discussed the remote possibility of a graphic-novel family history with Lizzie-- just a germ of an idea, right now. Finished Graphic Smash edits for the week, including the full Lovarian Adventures archives-- so see if you can spot the Lovarian typos now, before they vanish forever!!! Or, you know, go play outside instead.

Still sick. And up way late.

Got a fair amount done today, though-- visited a possible new place to live and bought a couple of suits to take care of my formal-wear needs for this wedding party and the next seven years or so.

Also done today: Five of the six P&As, an advisory session with an aspiring Sherpa 'toonist, and an application for a REALLY GREAT COMICS JOB being advertised as of today. I'll tell y'all what it was once I know I won't be sworn to secrecy.

Not done today: I'm sorry, Brian Daniel. This Tuesday, I promise.

Got a wedding present for my cousin Sarah Graham today. Given the small probability she'll read this blog, I'll risk spoiling the surprise. When we were kids, we had a wild afternoon playing games with blankets which, in our imaginations, came to life. She's far beyond such childish games now (they grow up so fast), but I like to think some little part of her will appreciate the nostalgia value... even as the Southern belle she's become appreciates the blanket's Egyptian cotton.

Done today and yesterday: Not a huge amount, writing-and-editing-wise. I've been preoccupied with Internet connectivity problems, an accounting exam that really kicked me hard and a nasty cold.

Did get Locked Rooms's four-page sample done and to the publisher, and did some preliminary work on six more P&As.

And so to bed.

It's not every day you get to see your first high school crush compete on national television.

Lest this blog start reading like Advice from the Lovelorn, I'll hasten to add that Rebecca Cardon and I had absolutely nothing in common except the same kooky chem teacher. We never woulda worked, and looking back, I have no regrets here. Still, she was always nice to me, and she didn't have to be. I'm glad to see her doing well, and living her childhood dream of physical fitness.

Apparently The History of Webcomics is getting the attention of journalists in Massachusetts colleges and the Netherlands (click the bottom link). I don't really speak Dutch, but I think the grouping of links can be considered a "recommend."

Too tired to think clearly, and I think I'm a bit under the weather. This happens to me most Februaries. Something about the change in seasons.

Went to the Super Bowl party thrown by my oldest friend, Beth Fine, and brought delicious goodies. One of Leesburg's little-known treasures is a giant cauldron where a heroic-looking man stirs popping corn together with caramel. It's right by the side of Route 7, and he sells huge bags of the stuff for five dollars. Also brought brownies with water added to the mix by yours truly. Ain't no browniewaterer good as me!

At the party, I met one of those beauties who just stop you dead. I don't have a "type"-- I've found lots of women of different types attractive-- but this one was amazing. Long, flowing hair, tall and slender, cute rectangular glasses, bright smile, infectious laugh. She'd come here with Beth's ex-roommate, Holly, and didn't really know anyone, so I figured I had a shot.

Her name was Kelly, and we really enjoyed talking to each other. She'd just gotten back from Hawaii and spent five years in Boston, so we compared travel notes and culture scene notes as well as notes on following our passions-- she was a forest biologist, specializing in endangered species. By the time the Patriots snatched victory from the jaws of slightly more decisive victory, I was-- not in love, exactly, but I really wanted to see her again.

(No, I hadn't forgotten that my future living space remained up in the air, but you can't let uncertainty keep you from opportunity.)

Not knowing where the hell I'd take her but confident I'd think of something, I invited her out for "an evening of culture."

"You're so sweet!" she grinned. "But you know Holly and I are a couple, right?"

Urrrrrrrrrrrr.

No hard feelings, Kelly! And Holly-- good catch.

So, okay! Back to the career stuff! YEAH!

Done today: Contact with Tokyopop and Bandai Entertainment about editing positions. Long shots for now, but good long-term investments. Finished the pitch and sample dialogue for Locked Rooms, a noir piece about murder, mass suicide and everything I won't miss about the D.C. rooms and housing market. Also pitched a six-issue mini I can't talk about yet.

Strongly considering: Taking a trip to MegaCon, just to rub shoulders with Joe Quesada and suchlike. I've come to realize that while you do need talent, a large part of comics is who you know. And I have webcomics contacts aplenty, but could stand a few more print pals...

Done today: Most Graphic Smash edits, the first of two revisions of my resume, and a Penny & Aggie strip.

Not done today: the detailed post about my day. Which Blogger ate. Again. This is getting to be a problem. I'm going to be backing up these posts in the future. I'll try to reconstruct as best I can tomorrow night.

Meanwhile...

In the Land of Me... I had a long entry for the last couple days, but Blogger ate it.

Quick summary:

Signed off on the cover for Penny & Aggie #2.

Prepped more stuff for editors.

Dave fixed my printer and speakers. Good Dave.

I like talking comics with Dave so much, we've made a regular Podcast out of it.

It's coming soon to a site of its own, but you can sample the first episode here.

Its subtitle is "The Comics Podcast." Its main title is...

Meanwhile.

The circle is now complete.

And so to bed.

Talked things over with an old friend and pondered one of the possible places to move more closely. Also looked more closely at the business courses I'm taking-- looks like I better opt for online courses in the future, the way things are going. Hopefully, the stigma against those won't be too bad in the comics industry, where business sense of any kind is a precious commodity in some sectors.

Done today: Outlined a four-page sample for a new publisher (hoping to get that wrapped tomorrow) and contributed a story to this mini-anthology. The tipping point that made me spare the time was the participation of the great Cory Doctorow. Ironically, that story is probably one of the better comics scripts I've produced this year, and it'll probably get buried in the post-Cory flood.

Not done today: The audio on the penultimate Fans musical sequence. I've got the singer for it, but I have to get him to the right equipment, which has proven more difficult than we expected. Soon! Soon!

But ooh! Got a nibble on one of my proposals... gonna have to make sure to phone good ol' [name withheld] tomorrow!

Aaaand got drafted by Shaenon Garrity to set up the Modern Tales panel at the San Diego Comic-Con next year. That's for tomorrow, too.

And how was your day?

Yawn!

Today I took a quick spin around Leesburg... it was finally warm enough, and I've got just two more months to take it in, most likely. Fortunately, there's... really not a lot IN Leesburg. I'll miss the area and the rent and maybe the possibility of horseback riding, but the actual city's kind of eh.

Stopped by the comic book shop and picked up the last We3. Did a little bit of phone networking. Got to the gym. Mostly just tried to take a step back after yesterday's setback, relax and enjoy life. Don't know how successful I was, considering it's 3 AM and I'm still busying myself, but y'know.

Also, caught this.

Maybe the nicest negative review I've gotten, certainly the nicest one I've gotten for Fans. And it was also nice to get Shaenon's support. Actually, it's my own need to respond that bothers me the most.

I'm never sure if I should respond to criticism. I usually end up doing so because I love storytelling so much, I'll take almost any opportunity to talk about the process. But I worry that that spoils the magic. I also worry that I might compromise the position of a reviewer by commenting on, and implicitly criticizing, his criticism. When he's supposed to be above me, as a critic. And webcomics need objective reviewers like fish need oxygen. (Which... um... they do. Sure, they need water, but they need oxygen from the water. It works. Shut up.)

Should I do what comes naturally, or just let well enough alone? I dunno. I'll think about it tomorrow, I guess... or the next time this comes up.

Or I could just wait for the reader comments.

More on the headline in a moment.

The last few days, since I last posted, have been a fairly intense flurry of activity. What's been done?:

• Loaded up three new series on Graphic Smash.
• Finished three episodes of a series of podcasts for the comic-lover... coming soon to an iPod near you. Soon as I hear from Dave Belmore. Daaaaave? Where's that IP address?
• Continued negotiations with [name withheld] to get Penny & Aggie a syndication deal.
• Worked out a new approach to coloring the P&A strips with Gisele Lagace and her partner, Marc LeBlanc. (They get most of the credit for this. I just said "eh" to the first approach and "YEAH" to the second.)
• Made initial contact with an editor about a pitch. Earmarked two more to target tomorrow.
• Made some arrangements for two upcoming musical productions, linked to one of my comics features (the astute among you may have guessed which one).
• Got 95% finished with the submissions process for our entry in Tokyopop's "Rising Stars" competition. Just need to get my dang printer cooperating.
• Started the hunt for an advertising representative to bring profitability to some of my Web-based, non-Graphic-Smash projects.
• Squeezed in a couple of business classes.

So I was about ready for a change of pace, I guess, when my landlady-roommate came down and informed me that I had a couple of months before she was going to kick me out.

All I could think was, Great. The day after I finally caved and bought a year's membership at the gym five miles from here.

And no, the announcement has nothing to do with an inability to pay the rent.

She says, it's not me, it's her-- she's just tired of sharing space with anyone, and the two months I've been there have proven this, because I've been a good roommate and still get on her nerves. I hope she's not sparing my feelings-- living in my head as much as I do, I have sometimes been obliviously obnoxious to live with. But I'm a lot better than I used to be. I think.

This puts me in a strange situation-- I have no day job, and the business classes I'm taking can be taken online. I've discovered-- unfortunately-- that I am no longer content taking jobs that are just "writing-related" or "editing-related" instead of being "comics-related," so the Washington, D.C. area doesn't hold quite as much attraction for me as it used to. I have a few friends here, but only one really close tie. And I'm really, really, really single. Finally, I'm not independently wealthy or anything, but I've got a bit of a nest egg and, as you may have gathered from the above, I'm working feverishly to make my comics writing and editing pay a living wage by the end of '05.

What this means is, I could pretty much live anywhere.

I'd like it to be somewhere comics-fertile, not too expensive, yet with enough things to do and see that you just have to get out in it, you know?

There's a lot to like about the D.C. area right now-- and where else can you go to see so much history being made? And I do like taking classes in person. But I'm weighing my options. Nice to have them, at least.