Viral meme infection

The singular Patty Jeres just tagged me with a blog chain letter! Dang. Here's the rules:

Here's how you play: Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with 16 weird, random things, facts, habits or goals about yourself. At the end, choose 12 people to tag, listing their names and why you chose them. Don't forget to leave them a comment (You're It!) and tell them to read your blog. You can't tag the person who tagged you, so let me know when you've posted your blog, so I can check it out...

So, what are 16 things most folks don't know about me?

1. Back when Patty still worked for DC, every time I saw her at the DC booth I'd give her a big hug and kiss on the forehead. She's a little shorter than me so that was the natural place to smooch!

2. A few years back I almost started working for Les Humanoïdes Associés through their LA office. Then they went through some financial chaos back in France, closed their US offices, and that was that.

3. I sing horribly, but the one time I sang karaoke people were pleased and surprised. The surprising bit? I can sing pretty well when I imitate Patsy Cline.

4. I've been arrested once, when a friend drew on a subway car. When the cops came for us at the station my friend ran. I just stood there, knowing they didn't have anything on me , so my pal could get away. He was pretty loyal so he came back for me and got arrested. I spent about three hours in jail, was released, and was propositioned by prostitutes as soon as I got on the sidewalk. Only time that's happened too.

5. I'm addicted to good dark chocolate. I like milk chocolate, but it's like giving a Pepsi to a heroin junkie.

6. I can't speak Korean. I can't even say "hello" on the telephone properly! ("Annyong Haseyo" [an-young hah-say-oh])

7. I dislike owning a car. It's a lot of bother and bills.

8. During my sophomore year of art school I decided to stop cussing. I had to start again a few years later because I felt like an idiot yelling "Aw fudge!"

9. Every year I resolve not to eat fast food french fries and hamburger patties. I still eat hand cut fries and hand formed patties.

10. In high school some cute girls learned I didn't have a middle name and gave me one: Edward.

11. I've been to San Diego, Seattle, and Vancouver on the west coast. I've never been to LA or San Francisco.

12. In my 30s I've been going through hairstyles that I'll be too old to carry off in my 40s. I shaved my head before it became a way to hide male pattern baldness. Now I'm growing it out.

13. My hair is very coarse and stiff. I've had a few women express shock when they've touched it. Fortunately, Lisa doesn't seem to mind!

14. I have no idea what to say when I meet a celebrity. I have sometimes stared in a way that seems to make them nervous, even from a distance! I wish I was good at talking up strangers.

15. I'm really patient with my art. I get my ass kicked at strategy games because I'm too impatient there. Charge!

16. My wife made me watch every episode of Sex and The City. Sadly, I started to like it...

I'll have to get back to work. I'll infect 12 innocents with this meme later!

Sketches and Script Sketches 2

Top 10 is getting back on track. I'm using pretty much the same style I used on JLA #11 (w/Brad Meltzer!), which takes less than a day for the pencils but a day or two for the inks. It was a busy work week, but I finally got some time to figure out where I'd filed the JPEGs for the Brad Meltzer script sketch and the David Lloyd drawing sketch.

These sketches were done for my gift sketchbook for Lowell. First, the script sketch by Brad Meltzer:


And here's the picture sketch by David Lloyd, artist of V for Vendetta and creator of the recently released Kickback:

I have a few other sketches I collected for Lowell and my in-law to be, Mike. In the coming weeks I'll post the rest. Though I don't own these things, I really enjoy seeing how my favorite writers and artists work.

Sketches and Script Sketches

Back in December in Florida, I traded "sketches" with Brad Meltzer. Neither one was a traditional sketch. For my sketch, Brad asked me to hand draw this portion of JLA#7 on the same sheet as the rest of the cover. Brad had purchased my part of the cover from me, and the sheet the other two cover artists had done their sections on. He wanted it all on one sheet.
With Brad's permission I wanted to improve the drawing a bit. I'm not going to go into technical detail about what I didn't like, but I will show you the new unpublished version.

Here's some closeup shots, with the original first:


And here's the version for Brad's collection:


Okay, I was gonna post the script sketch but I can't find the JPEG file now. It's late and I'll try to post it later, along with some other sketches I collected for Lowell and Mike, my friends who can't get to cons very often,

Gene

Hiring Gene Ha

I got an email recently from someone who wanted to hire me. I kinda got over-involved answering him and thought I'd post the exchange. His name and his project name have been XXXXXed out.

Comments - I'm sorry I don't know how else to get in touch with you--

I have a project II'd like to run past you, if you're in a position to get into something new.

It's called XXXXXXXX.

I think it would be up your alley.

Please let me know,

Best Regards,
XXXXXX

Dear XXXXX,

That's really sweet, but you'll have to work on your sales pitch if you want to lure a professional artist. Here's some things you can include, in order of importance.

Do you have experience writing? Direct the artist to your previous work to prove that you can write a great story. If you're a really great writer with published stories artists will be honored to work with you.

I make my living from comics. That's how I pay my mortgage and buy groceries. Have you already secured a publisher, or do you have enough capital to pay several issues worth of artists' pay? In other words, are you or someone else ready to pay my mortgage and buy my groceries?

What is your idea and what makes it cool? This is the least important element. Every artist is prejudiced to think his own ideas are better than your own. It'd have to be insanely good to make a comic book artist quit his day job to bet his career on you. Of course, the idea is worthless if you don't have the writing chops to realize it properly.

If you don't have a published work or a publisher ready to hire you, try finding a publisher first. This is harder nowadays, and it's never been easy. Then let the publisher convince the artist to work with you by offering up their money.

If you're really sure that you're a genius, consider self publishing. Be ready to start small. Find an unknown artist who's ready to work cheap or free, just to see his work in print. Don't expect that artist to meet deadlines: he probably has a day job.

If you don't want to sell your car to finance the venture, consider web comics. Some people have created epic storylines online.

Finally, I'm quite busy working on my own dream projects. As I said, most artists are prejudiced that way. Best of luck,

Gene Ha

Seismophobia

Or perhaps pyrophobia, heliophobia, or bikiniphobia.

All good reasons for not going to San Diego. I've got a different reasn. It looks like I'm not going to San Diego this year.

NFR couldn't get the space they reserved. Brave statements were made about how people would make do with half a table or less. Someone nobler than me bowed out first, then I went next.

This is all conditional. If the SDCC can come up with extra space I'll try to go. I hope we get a message from the Con tomorrow announcing "Hey Naked Fat Ravers, we've got the space after all!" I wouldn't stake significant money on it, but I have been known to be spectacularly lucky sometimes!

New Hat

Hard at work on Top 10 still. Hope to get it done close to on time. No images to post until I'm further along.

However, I can show you pictures of me in my new An Hat!


I pleased by how much it makes me look like Comrade Bat.

Also, here's the other pic I did for the Calgary Expo to raise that charity money and promote the con:


Oooh, Bryan Lee O'Malley is showing up. I didn't know that. But apparently I'm not. Hmm, gonna have to ask them about that.

On another subject, I'm trying to figure out the politics of my new home, Berwyn IL. Back in Oak Park you could expect to see lots of Obama and Out of Iraq Now signs. Very liberal and educated. Berwyn is more Democratic and blue collar and Mexican. So guess who's the only presidential candidate with yard signs around here. Often 4 or 5 to a block.

Nope, not Richardson. Ron Paul. Is there a growing Mexican constituency for an anti-immigrant Republican? Or are my non-Latino neighbors rebelling against the new influx?

Email Catastrophe

Gahh. That wasn't fun.

I've lost about a month's worth of email.

I had to re-install Windows on my laptop, which I use for email. Before the hard drive got re-formatted, I used backup software (MozBackup, may villany be heaped upon its name) recommended on the Mozilla Thunderbird website. A little check appeared to show that it had saved my emails in an archive file.

After I re-installed Windows I learned it didn't save any emails at all (may a thousand camels trample their kitchen garden). I have an older version of my Inbox saved elsewhere, but I've lost quite a bit.

So if you're one of those folks who sent me a charming email in December and I haven't gotten back to you, that's why. Please send anything I may need that you've sent in the last month!

Gene Ha, hoping 2008 will get less annoying with time.

Happy 2008!

I'm praying that this is a year where everything will get a little better for all of you. That power will be taken from the hands of the evil, corrupt and murderous. That we'll all understand our faults and repent our sins. And that America will again return to moral leadership.

Wishing all of you happiness in 2008, and the wisdom to be happy about the right things.

The new year is always a good time to start reading Scary Go Round! A new chapter starts today. It's confusing at first, but you get to enjoy it after a while. You can always start at the beginning, of course.

Finally, if anyone has seen Bruce Benman of South Bend, IN lately let me know. He's an old friend and my Christmas cards got sent back. Better yet, if you are Bruce Benman get in touch!

As I have a habit of doing, I fell behind during the holiday season. I'll try to post some updates on my work soon, after it gets approved by me editors and such.

This is a piece I did for the upcoming Calgary Comics Expo to raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary. The theme was Western and everyone else I've seen did cowboys. So I did an Indian reading a fresh new copy of Action Comics #1. Again, more art updates later.