It’s finally hitting me: I’m missing GENCON.
I haven’t been keeping exact count, but this is, like, the first GenCon I’ll be missing in decades.
Of course, where my mind’s at right now, that’s a minor, minor thing.
I’m leaving for London tomorrow, to be with family for my dad’s heart operation and recuperation.
I’m a complete nervous wreck. All Good Thoughts for my Dad welcome.
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I’m postponing the publication of the next Trade Paperback (“Dork Side of the Goon: The Collected Dork Tower Vol. 7”).
This is mainly because Dork Tower #29 finishes off a lot of major plot points, and deserves to be in the collection, which will now encompass issues 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29.
And it would suck to bring this out just a week after DT 29 hits the stands.
Especially since the subject matter of Dork Tower 29 fits so well with the cover and tone of Dork Side of the Goon…
Yes, it’s Matt’s 19th Nervous Breakdown! A lot of stuff will come to the fore, and certain storylines will end!
Aaaiiieeeee! The ain story should be about 20 pages. DT 29 goes to press soon.
On a happier note, there will be a LOT more “crunchy” material (ie, comics) in Dork Side Of The Goon now, and it may well have to be larger than 160 pages. With luck, however, I’ll be able to keep the price the same.
In other news, I’ve got a great idea for the cover of the Dork Tower collection that will follow this. It’ll be mostly a collection of web strips, along with the Clicky Special, and will be available in Spring 2005. I’m not telling the name, because then the cover will be obvious. I wanna draw it up first.
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I just sent in the third “Redshirts” to Amazing Stories. I’m really starting to get into this series, although at this stage, much of it is still establishing and introducing characters.
However, I think I did do one of the best single-panel cartoons I’ve ever done (an Unspeakable Oaf, not a Redshirts).
It’s a bad pun.
A bad, bad pun.
I’m a bad, bad person…
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Comics worth peeking at:
Blue Monday #2. Hilarious, great read. And Chynna’s taste in music is just as awesome as her mad toon skillz.
Today’s Too Much Coffee Man. WOW, I wish I’d thought of this ‘toon.
Hero Happy Hour Summer Special. I have a three-page short story in this issue, but even given that, Hero Happy Hour is a really fun read. This is a packed issue, with lots of great pages from some of the freshest creators out there. And me. Check it out, and pick up thye regular series, too
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The Madison Mallards won the Northwoods League Championship, beating the Duluth Huskies 4-3 in a tense game that went to 11 innings. It was a great way to end the season, and The Lovely and Talented Judith and I saw the Mallards win every game we went to see.
The team’s motto is “Baseball As It Oughta Be,” and the Milwaukee Brewers would do well take notice. The Mallards are affordable, fun, and don’t take their fans for granted. Despite the fact that the Northwoods League is not affiliated with any Major League teams, and is composed mainly of college kids spending the summer working on their skills, the Mallards still managed to average over 5,000 fans per home game.
If the Cubs were closer, I’d go to more games at Wrigley Field (aka Heaven on Earth). But the Mallards have pretty much sealed the fate of the Milwaukee Brewers in my heart.
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Depending on how well my Dad’s doing, I might schedule a get-together for London-area friends and readers at some pub a week, say, from Wednesday or Thursday. Since “Waterloo Sunset” is heavy on my mind, it should be a pub on the Thames. That place right next to the replica Golden Hind, near London Bridge, for example.
But only if the Important Things go well.
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Have fun at GenCon everyone! I’ll miss you all!