From Lying in the Gutter's Rich Johnston.

Hallelujah!

And here's an update on the Forbidden Planet signing. It's only a stock signing so if you're interested in picking up an autographed copy there will be plenty in the store come the new year. Sorry about that, we're juggling a lot of plans here and information is getting jumbled.

When we get back, time will be all open to tackle the huge sketch request pile in the office. I mean that this time! If you're looking for a personalised copy then check out the FAQ for details.

Still waiting on bags from Air Canada. Christmas dinner is cooking. Friends are all together. It's a great day.

That lovely round of snow we had over a week ago quickly turned into the biggest pain in the ass the city ever saw. Temperatures dipped to crazy low levels, the snow just kept falling and then wouldn't go away as the flight date got closer and closer. We watched the news each morning to see how aiports were handling the snow and it really did not look good at all.

But then, clear skies. For one day. Our departure date.

We missed a turn off on the way to the airport, largely due to the sun bouncing off the snow and blinding us from the signs, we wandered about Richmond's snow packed roads for a bit and made it within the recommended two hours prior to flight.

The terminal was packed with people bumped from flights due to the blizzards back east. Staff were scrambling, the system in place was all wonky and still we made it through check in, baggage drop and security in time for boarding. There were delays at the gate due to a missing flight attendant, but soon one was found and we were off.

We worried that the delay would lead to missing our connection in Calgary but as it turned out, the pilots for the Calgary to Heathrow run were on our plane so we would be alright. We still had a mother of a run to the next building, during which the combination of stress and cold, bone dry air and hauling ass prompted a mild asthma attack, something I don't get very often and didn't have meds for. Ah joy.

So anyway, on the plane, coughing and wheezing, there's an announcement from the pilot that a door indication light was on and had to be dealt with or we couldn't leave. We waited about a half hour until the all clear came through. Then it was de-icing. Then the slow taxi through frozen and freshly plowed runways. And off again.

I managed to sleep through most of the flight (melatonin helped) and despite all those delays we landed only a half hour after our original arrival time.

Breezed through customs, made it to the baggage claim... and no bags.

They never made it out of Calgary. They'd turn up in a day or so depending on the weather.

I had learned from past baggage incidents however and packed a change of clothes. Ha!

We did eventually make it to the apartment, no thanks to the driver assigned by the rental company who dropped us in the middle of a street market and pointed us to a building down the way that wasn't even the proper address. After some meandering without a map we found the place a couple of blocks over and got settled into a very hostel-ish apartment (there's a bunk bed in our room!) with a kitchen sink that immediately up an decided to vomit rank smelling water all over the floor. Alarming sure, but apparently not to the maintenance guy on the phone who said he'd come fix it in the morning.

Oh, and the fire alarm went off at 3am causing an evacuation of the building (management didn't think that was an emergency enough to show up for either, though the fire brigade did appear about a half hour later). One guest, after waiting about 15 minutes ran back in to 'save' a dish of sugar cookies she'd made earlier and passed them around. Delicious.

Back inside the apartment I decided to take a shower to warm up only to find the hot water being iffy on the prospect. It did get warm eventually but only when the cold water was turned all the way off.

I may be getting a bad feeling about this rental...

But we're still in London. Vicky made it from Montreal this morning (despite an actual fire in Laura's apartment building!). The maintenance guy showed up to fix the sink sometime in the afternoon (after a couple more nagging calls). We found a Sainsbury's and got the kitchen stocked for Christmas dinner and the rest of the crew are showing up tomorrow. Tennant is out of Hamlet but Jacobi is doing Twelfth Night *g* and Bill Bailey has a stand up show in town.

Also, I'm told that the Forbidden Planet Signing is on the 30th (Tuesday) but their site doesn't list it, not sure if that means anything. I'll post more info as it comes in.

Time for sleep. Sugarplums and all that.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Lots to do before heading out next week but it's all coming along nicely. Vic, coolest sister in the world and fantastic office manager, is currently finalising details for a signing at Forbidden Planet. I'll post more info as it comes in, so far it looks to be the last week of December.

And we finally found a cat sitter! I can breathe normally again.

The only sour note so far is the news that David Tennant is off Hamlet due to a slipped disc. Now the press release says he won't be able to return 'before Christmas' and our tickets are for Boxing Day so there's still a chance at seeing him perform (albeit a teensy one). If he can't make it, the understudy is getting great reviews and Patrick Stewart is performing as Claudius in one of the best plays ever, it'll be a great evening out. Sending out plenty of good vibes to the Universe for Tennant's speedy recovery all the same. *g*

Last night Ian and I ventured into the first snowfall of the season to buy cookie supplies. It was incredibly beautiful outside, with huge snowflakes clearly defined in the crisp air, making the whole neighbourhood sparkly. When we got home we set to work baking and kept at it till dawn.

We're really looking forward to cooking on the trip. Many discussions on what to make and where to find ingredients. Can't wait.

Dealing with weird sleep again. Bleh.

As happy as last Tuesday was there was a cloud over California called Prop 8.

If you voted for this, if you supported the banning of gay marriage in California and in states where similar proposals made the ballot... well I pity you.

You are hateful and ignorant. You are backwards. You are part of a past that will be remembered with shame and regret and the sooner you disolve into that past the better. Love will always be the future.

Some of you may be wondering why I’m not doing the art for Doctor Who #6 so I’ll clear that up right now. If you’ve read past entries from September you already know that issues 3 and 4 were given to a fill-in artist while we were dealing with a personal crisis. When things had settled somewhat I slowly got back into working with the full intention of completing my commitment to issues 5 and 6. I was told that issue 5 would be due by the end of October and I paced it a bit slow, mostly so as not to hermit up after what happened. I made myself as available to others as possible while still getting pages in here and there knowing that I’d pick it up as I went.

Ian went to Regina for the Comedy Awards at the beginning of the month, lots of errands and distractions but no problem, still okay for time. I produced a handful of pages (tricky ones at that) and then the Scream Awards came up rather unexpectedly and though I was worried about the schedule Ian and I talked it over and decided it was important to go, primarily to promote Y and Doctor Who: The Forgotten, but also to hang out with Brian, something we didn’t get to do at SDCC this year. It was a great weekend, blew off a lot of steam, met some very nice people. I brought/dragged pages to work on but as these things often go there wasn’t a spare moment.

(Did I mention that I promoted the heck out of the Forgotten on the red carpet? Brian got in on it too, his brother loves the book.)

We got home and I hit the drawing table hard. It was going to be a tough slog but I was sure I could do it, maybe I’d go a few days over but not by much. I got an e-mail from the editor on the 22nd demanding a firm date or they’d be giving issue 6 to someone else. I was a bit surprised by this seeing as how the deadline was over a week away but okay, they run things tight and after looking at it realistically I told him “November 4th”, that was four days over the deadline, four days lost due to the Scream Awards. I got an e-mail back saying “…thanks for letting me know in advance that you won’t be finished by the end of the month. That helps us a lot with planning.” And I get back to work, send a few more pages to their server.

A couple of days later I get an e-mail from Tony asking why I wasn’t working on issue 6. What the fuck?! I thought this was sorted out already, but apparently not. I e-mail the editor to find out what the hell happened. Here’s what I get back…

“Pia,

First, I want to apologize that you heard this from Tony and not me. This was just decided yesterday and I'm not sure who he heard this from, but that ultimately falls on me. I'm very sorry for that.

Second, I want you to know that we had no choice.

Even if you were able to finish twelve pages by Tuesday (after taking three weeks for the first 10), this book would be five days AND a month late. That's not including the time it would take to finish inking, coloring and lettering the pages, and getting approval from BBC. That would put us at about five-six weeks late.

As I understand it, we're only at issue 2 on the stands because of your lateness from the start. If we were on schedule, #4 would be out next week. Despite having two fill-in artists working on 3 and 4 at the same time, we were able to recapture only a month on the schedule.

If we continued on the present course, #6 would be so late that it would become returnable. And that would be an unacceptable loss of revenue and likely cause the book to be canceled outright.

So the decision was made to find another artist to finish the series.

It is very unfortunate, but we had no choice.

I hope this doesn't affect your intention to complete issue 5. But if that isn't the case, please let us know.

Best…”

First off, thanks for failing to mention the month late business when telling me the book was due by the end of October. I thought I was producing in a timely manner.

Second, “Even if you were able to finish twelve pages by Tuesday…”

Don’t demand for a firm date, accept the date and then assume I won’t deliver.

Was I pissed? Damn straight. And I promptly locked myself in the office for the next week and did indeed transfer 12 pages into their servers by the 4th. Scanned in the last set while bawling my eyes out with joy over the election results.

And what sweet looking pages they are.

I’m very sorry it ended up like this, even more so for Tony who doesn’t deserve it in the slightest. I hope we get to work on something in the future.

So my vacation/sabbatical starts early. I’ll be spending the next year doing what I should have been doing when Y ended, taking time to learn new skills, play with back burner projects and just think.

Ta.

It's a beautiful day today.

The past week was a bit nuts, things happened in the studio that will be talked about, but for now... it's a beautiful day.

Okay, Los Angeles was a blast and I don't want to spoil things too much so go check out the Scream Awards broadcast on Tuesday if you want to see a certain couple of comics co-creators on a certain stage...

And did you know Ozzy Osbourne smells kinda spicy?

Hee!

I'm going to hole up in the office for the next little while in order to catch up on a LOT of late work. Bear with me y'all.

Tonight I'll be doing laundry, packing, getting work finished on a couple of the McGann pages and with luck there'll be a little time for sleep before we fly out to LA tomorrow.

Oh and check out the gorgeous cover for issue six! By Ben Templesmith!


Lovely!

Also, plans are underway for a trip to London over Christmas. It all started last month when we miraculously snagged tickets to Hamlet (starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart! Gasp!), then we got some friends interested in coming along (can't have Christmas dinner without friends to pull crackers with!). We've just now found a flat to house our group of six and the next challenge will be finding airline tickets. I've even started a scarf for the London weather. Found a nice alpaca yarn, a simple pattern and away it's gone.

Lots to do. Very excited.

Election Day! Don't forget to vote!

This Friday Ian and I are heading off to LA to join Brian and Ruth at the Scream Awards for some goofy, ghoulish fun.

For those who'd like to increase our chances of actually getting onstage to collect a trophy, go over to the Spike website and vote for us! Think of it as a warm up for November 4th (October 14th for all you Canucks).

If you have any hesitation about voting this time around please have a look at those who are voting and reconsider.

From Blogger Interrupted.

I fucked Sarah Palin
By voting for Barack Obama.

Ian called from Regina a little while ago to announce Canadian Content won Best Sketch Group at the Canadian Comedy Awards! I am so happy for him and the whole gang!

Currently working on 4 pages here, they're coming in slow but tomorrow I expect to make some good headway.

There's this new trend in jeans I've seen a couple of times on my way to work recently: skinny jeans pulled down so the waistline is resting under the pelvic bone, sometimes lower, creating a giant sag off the ass.

For the love of god, stop it.

The look was silly enough with big droopy pants, especially on the white suburban gangsta kids flashing signs on their freshly mown lawns, but this... this is just laughable. One chick we had the misfortune of walking behind kept tugging her stud belted skinnies to mid-white-briefed-rump, like every 10 seconds just to keep them from falling off her ass entirely. The sag of the fabric swishing about her denim plastered thighs made it look like she had just had some sort of accident.

Main Street hipsters and darlings! I expect more of you! Don't fall victim to this goofiness!

"When you are the moon, there is a person people say is the sun. I saw the sun once, and he came past me, really fast. And it was an, it was called, the, an eclipse. And he came fast! But as he came past, I, I licked his back. [sticks out tongue] And he doesn't know I licked his back! All in his yellow suit!... I'm the moon."

Oh but the Mighty Boosh makes me smile.

Detailing two pages this evening and I'm quite happy with them.

I’m going to write about what happened over the last few months. It’s a bit blunt, forgive me.

At the beginning of the summer we got a call from our friend Drew with bad news. Joanne, his fiancée had learned her cancer had returned after a lengthy fight over the winter and spring. This would be her third diagnosis with the disease, the first being four years ago with ovarian cancer. She beat that. The second bout began last year when a large tumour was found in her lung and required very risky surgery to remove it. There were complications and it looked bad but she came out from that a winner and we were all delighted, more so by their announcement that they would be getting married in October. And then that phone call. The cancer had spread to her brain and there was no treatment for it. She had six months. They wanted to keep it quiet so they could have as much normal time as possible and yep, they would still be getting married.

In July they went to Key West to stay with friends on the beach, and on our return from SDCC we heard they were back in town and wanted to get together with friends before flying off to Hawaii for the rest of August. We prepared ourselves for a solemn affair but it was anything but. Joanne looked fantastic and the night was a blast. They were going to a condo on the big island with two friends and soon we were talking about joining them mid-month to Labour Day.

I was running behind on Doctor Who by three weeks and as a result issue three had just been assigned to a cover artist. I was grumpy and tired from the push and the idea of jetting off to spend time with Drew and Joanne seemed perfect, especially since there wasn’t a lot of time to spend with them last year what with the crazy schedule on Y and then the equally crazy time right after Y that should have been spent doing nothing instead of jumping on a complicated short story and a couple of promo tours before jumping on Doctor Who.

Mid August, a couple of days before we were to be on a plane we got another call. Joanne was having some paralysis and bad headaches and had to come back immediately. The next day she had a seizure.

We visited them a couple of days later at the hospital. She still looked good and had high hopes about getting her pain regulation sorted so she could get the heck out of there. They were still set on flying out to Ontario so they could get married in October as planned. We visited again that week, had a sushi party in the lounge. Everyone’s hopes were up despite increasing incidences of seizures and issues with pain regulation.

The next two weeks were a blur, a steady downturn into awful and more awful. The doses of meds were needing to be stronger and stronger and in order to have the ceremony while still conscious the wedding was bumped up to September 2nd. The venue would be a friend’s restaurant in town, we were very happy to be invited to join them. On the Friday before, we got word that things had turned bad, that she might not make it past the weekend. Saturday, a text came in saying she was ‘fading fast’. We all rushed over and waited. She fought herself away from that brink but was pretty much out of it for the rest of the week, occasionally she’d wake up, ask about the wedding and drift off again. Tuesday, another text, another rush out to the hospital, more waiting. And still she fought. It went on like this for days, one spectacular sunset after another (as the lounge had one of the most amazing views of the city anywhere), it would have been funny if it weren’t so damn heartbreaking.

We read magazines, shared cookies and scones and fruits, passed around a back massaging machine picked up at the PNE that was quickly dubbed “Earl”, watched America’s next Top Model and then we’d go home, get some sleep and jump out of bed at every ring of the phone. Never have I held such animosity towards telemarketers.

On the morning of the 9th, a few hours after returning from a visit, we got a call that she had passed away peacefully.

Yesterday (Monday) was the memorial. Drew read the poem he had written to read to Joanne on their wedding day.

And y’know, comics just aren’t that much of a priority right now. I’m working on pages here and wondering why the hell I let so much of my life get set aside to do this. You hear it all the time among comic book artists, insanely long hours and very little time with family and friends, stress and more stress. It’s not healthy, not physically, not mentally. I’m very proud of the work I’ve done, happy as all get out at being able to reach as many readers as I did. I set a goal and achieved it to the best of my ability. I showed those who didn’t think I could do it that yes, I could. I gave those who suggested I was riding the coattails of my partner a big middle finger and it felt wonderful. And yes, it came at a cost. I see that now and need to address it.

Once issue five and six are done (Issue four has also been assigned to a cover artist), I’m going to take time off. If I do work on something it’ll be my own stuff or with friends and sure as hell won’t be on a deadline. I think I’m done with those for the foreseeable future.

Take care all, give a hug to those you love yeah?

Very sad to report the passing of a beautiful friend, Joanne, pictured here with Drew (who together knocked everyone's socks off at our wedding reception a couple of years ago). We'll miss her terribly and always remember and admire her fierce fighting spirit.

Passed along from Brian today.  Holy crap!

I would like the rains to hurry up and get here and smother the remainder of this spectacularly awful weekend.

Off to the hospital to visit a friend.

One page of inks just about complete.  Three more in pencils.

Can this go any slower today?  Back at it in the morning.

Four pages left.  

Trip has been cancelled.

Tired.

Three pages out, three pages in inks, four pages in pencils.

Right now we're all figuring out that I'm just too slow for this monthly schedule, and it sucks because with a little time this could look really interesting.  Some decisions have been made, not totally crazy about them but at this point where my hand is about to blow a gasket and there's no more speed to be gained that's all there's left to do.  More on this will no doubt be revealed soon.

Right now I need to get an icepack and some more sleep.

The trip has been moved to the end of next week.  I wish we could be there now.

Three pages mostly inked, a fourth one started in pencils.  Still at it here.

Three pages pencilled this morning.  It's looking good but this is going to a doozy of batch.

So much to do.  Our trip out is going to be delayed by a few days and that's okay with me right now.

I need some sleep.

Those four pages are done. I have a bunch to get done by Sunday before we head out of town for a few days. Working on the road isn't exactly fun but sometimes it's unavoidable, and the setting should be very stimulating. More on that soon.

Okay, two of those pages are ready to scan out, one needs some touch ups and a fourth is halfway there. Should have them done tonight and then it's on to the next scene.

Busy week ahead.

Anyone looking to break into comics have a listen to this recorded panel from SDCC. Seriously, you'll do yourself a huge favour.

How Not to Break Into Comics

Came home from the office not too long ago, was about to go to bed for the morning when I saw the paper. No doubt you've heard about the poor kid who was stabbed on the Greyhound Bus the other day. Latest news is that the 22 year old Tim McLean ("Tiny Tim" to his friends) was on break between carnivals where he worked midways. After his visit home in Winnipeg his next stop would have been the Vancouver PNE.

Where he worked for the last three summers.

How many times have we passed this guy or played at his rollerball or darts booth even?

Jesus Christ.

On Friday we decided to ditch the con stress and head out to the San Diego zoo with Ed Brubaker, his very talented wife Mel and several friends (including Michael Christian who inked some of my pencils in the waaaay back days! He works in computer programming now and is doing really well!).  It was a very hot afternoon and many of the animals had hidden themselves away for their mid-afternoon naps but we did get to see many snakes and birds, a meerkat or two and of course, the Allen's Swamp Monkey.

The best part, and I wish my camera hadn't gone and buggered up on me so I could show you, there were sea otters sharing the enclosure with these monkeys!  It was the coolest thing to see the otters darting in and out of the bushes, get ambushed by a monkey, wrestle a bit and then dive into the many pools within the enclosure.   This just doesn't happen in nature right?  And yet, there it was and they seemed incredibly happy.  Here are two monkeys playing by a waterfall.

When they got tired of playing one made his way up to the edge of a pool near where we were watching.  He sat close to the glass and tucked his feet up against it, just curled up in the shade, cooling off his butt in the water.

At that point we lost our group but we all knew there were panels to get back to so it was okay to take off.  It was a perfect little afternoon, a much needed break and good lord why have I been going to con for 17 years and never done this before?

The con report will continue, meanwhile back at the office, I'm bouncing between three pages.  Should have them done tonight.

Now this feels pretty damn good.

Since getting back on Monday I've been floating about in a bit of a daze. It was an incredible weekend in San Diego and there will be more posted about it shortly.

Back at the board this last couple of days, I have two pages almost ready to get scanned out, and two more to get done over the weekend. The weather has been fantastic, cool with spots of rain which means the office is actually tolerable.

During the post Spike panel press meet I get to stand between Lucy Lawless and Jaime King while reporters flash cameras like crazy and Lucy says in a mock whisper "I'm touching her breast!"

And she totally was!

I've been glowing ever since.

Having a freaky fun time. Today we're taking a brief time out to go to the zoo and see some "swamp monkeys". Or at least that's what it sounded like over the din/roar of the IDW party last night. Apparently these are monkeys in the same enclosure as otters and they play together. I think I'm going at this point just to prove that what's I heard and I'm not finally losing all my hearing.

"Yes damnit! Mel said 'SWAMP MONKEYS! And there they are!'"

Update!

The Scream Like a Girl panel on Thursday has added Lucy Lawless to the line up. So what will there be more of in the audience? Xena fans or BSG fans? Listen for the ululations to find out!

After a few days of thinking about it I have come to the following conclusion: if you take The Godfather and Jaws and smush them together you get The Dark Knight.

Yep, it's that good.

Getting closer to SDCC and finalizing schedules here. I'd like to keep the signings light this year so no daily sessions as in previous years. Those looking for an autograph can check in at the DC/Vertigo booth and the IDW booth to see what times may be set up.

I have one panel scheduled called SCREAM like a Girl on Thursday 4:45 - 5:45, moderated by Kevin Smith and featuring women working in the genres of sci-fi, comics, horror and fantasy, including producer Gale Ann Hurd (Terminator 1 and 2) and actress Jaime King (Sin City and the Spirit). Should be fun.

And that's it so far. The rest of the time I plan to wander about aimlessly. See you there.

HELL WEEK!

It's one week (and a couple of days) 'till Nerd Prom, but this officially is the roughest week of the year for anyone working in this industry.  This is the time you really don't want to pester the comic creatin' folk lest you get your head torn from your shoulders.  

On top of the regular deadlines there's shopping for clothes, getting the hair done, putting together pitches, sketchbooks, updating the 'folio, printing up new batches of business cards, confirming reservations, finalizing schedules for panels, signings and interviews, writing an acceptance speech or two whilst daring to hope they get to be used and of course figuring out where the heck everyone is gonna be drinking in the evenings.

There's also quiet meditation to store up the calm you'll need need to navigate the milling masses of over a hundred thousand geeks, or to just treat your ears to the silence that will soon be shattered by that infamous roar, that nonstop, inescapable white noise permeating the convention hall, the corridors, the sidewalks, the restaurants, the hotel bars (the worst of course being the Hyatt), the pool sides and patios.  San Diego Comic Con is one of the few times of the year we get to tear ourselves from the isolation of the studio and stand around with like-minded souls chattering about everything geekster and boy do we not waste a second of it.

It is a time of excitement at seeing old friends, of sharing new ideas and old stories.  

And it is a time of dread.

Back to work here.

Bouncing back and forth between six pages, almost done.

Weird sleep issues this weekend.  Couldn't get a full night's worth for about three days in a row, only naps.  It got to one point where my body was so tired it up and decided to stop producing heat.  I was lying in bed in intermittent spasms because shivering had somehow been forgotten.  Fortunately Ian was there to snuggle up with for warmth.   Eventually it all clicked into place and I got a good block of zzzs.   Still a bit messed up by it though, and also bummed that it all kept me from my nephew's birthday party on Sunday.   I miss that little guy.   

Gonna keep it short today, work on some panels and then back to bed so I can shake this.

Saw the series 4 finale of Doctor Who this evening and I figured out what this show reminds me of: it's one of those wonderful, childhood amusement rides (y'know the really good ones you can never find as an adult) full of ups and downs, pretty lights, great music, exhilarating and scary, just damn delightful, and you get to the end and the first thing out of your grinning face is "AGAIN!"

I wonder who I can get to watch these over again with?

The office has turned into a sweat lodge.

I'm at home drawing on the couch.

Bleh.

Picked up a couple of CDs this week, currently listening to Viva La Vida by Coldplay and it's bloody beautiful.  Perfectly balanced, rich in textures and imagery and just fills your head.  Also have Sigur Ros on standby, listened to Gobbledigook in the car yesterday and loved it.

Onto book four of Death Note.  That is one addictive lil' manga.  

Meanwhile at work, started on Issue two of Doctor Who, presently on the Troughton pages.  I'm a very lucky girl.

Pub quiz tonight.  

Music I'm loving right now.

Jeffrey Lewis  (Back When I was Four)

The Wombats  (Let's Dance to Joy Division)

The Flaming Lips (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots)

Sigur Ros

Massive Attack

Just about done with the first issue here.  After weeks of working at high gear, happy as anything, happier than I've been in ages really, the situation abruptly turned as I got to the inking stage.  It wasn't a horrible place to be, certainly not as bad as some places I've been in recent memory, but the proximity to those ugly times induced a bit of panic at first.  All the tools felt alien in my hands, and no matter how closely I studied books on their use and how other artists dealt with them, when it came down to actually using these pens and brushes and inks, I was completely flummoxed.  The most frustrating part being the speed, or extreme lack thereof.

 

It's like being on those moving sidewalks at the airport.  You're not in any hurry to catch your flight, you know you'll make it but adding a little more pep to your step makes the going feel that much better, zipping past the generic art on the walls, past other travelers, easily, breezily.

Then you hit that gap between moving sidewalks and BAM, you have catch yourself, you worry about tripping, you try to balance your teetering suitcase as the wheels catch on the carpet.  And then the world is no longer flying by, you're part of it again, and the clock is ticking.

That's inking.

It's boring, tedious, precarious and unforgiving.  Not a place I like to be.

And to go from tentative brush strokes back to steady confidence penciling the next batch of pages is not as easy as all that.  I spent most of last week stuck, staring at my board, drawing here and there but not getting into that groove, feeling the minutes and hours tick by.

I'm now getting inking help for this last set, a flashback scene, so it shouldn't disrupt the continuity.  It's a good compromise, hopefully one that will help establish some kind of truce with my brain as I learn to incorporate new skills into the routine.

Despite the hiccups, I'm really happy how it's turning out.  The colourist, Charlie Kirchoff has been sending me pages and they look amazing.  Can't wait to see this on the shiny paper stock.  It'll be one pretty book.

Holy crap!  I just found the best new snack in the whole universe!

Seaweed wrapped rice crackers!  It's like sushi and chips and rice crackers all rolled into one!  And they're friggin' ADDICTIVE!

What's making me smile tonight...

Soviet Dancers rocking out to Run DMC, found on Neatorama.

Doctor Who pages are coming along. Started inking this evening and though harrowing at first I think I'm getting it.

We got back from Seattle on Monday after a very nice weekend at the Emerald City Comic Con. Spent most of it furiously scribbling sketches but I did manage to get some time away from the table for some geek shopping and chats with good friends Moritat, Richard Starkings (up from L.A.), Gail Simone, Ed Brubaker and his wonderful wife Mel (who makes the meanest cupcake this side of the 1950s).

While there I heard this interesting bit of news (rumour perhaps?) from across the pond: apparently Russell T. Davies had this to say about our Doctor Who story which promises to feature all ten doctors: "Let them hang themselves. It can't be done."

Now some might take this as disheartening but I on the other hand see this as a wonderful challenge. Ask anyone who knows me, spite has always been a huge motivator in my life, put an obstacle in my path and I'll bust through it with ten times more verve than were there none. If I had a fire in my belly before, well now it's an inferno. And I can't be happier.

And how's this for heart-warming? Vic and I stood in line to meet Wil Wheaton and learned he's a huge fan of Y! Keeeeen!

Oh, and more Y pages are going up for sale today.

Our first 4 pages are up for offer.  Go to the Hellkitty Store to see them.

Claims should be sent to hellkitty.studios@gmail.com.

At Earl's for a late dinner this evening when we heard some banging coming from the kitchen followed by the chef shouting "DAMNIT! WHY WON'T YOU DIE!?"

Yep.

We're getting close to selling pages! Vic has offered her services and is presently scanning away on the crappy Mustek I found on e-bay. It's a good scanner, just takes a bitch of a long time to run.

Here's how it will work.

We're going to be putting up a few pages at time here on the site. What goes up is what's for sale. Period. I don't want to hear any whining about such and such a page not being up and can you please dig through all those boxes to find my dream page? Nope. The main reason being this: I don't have all the pages. Jose and I had an arrangement where a certain amount from each issue went to him and another amount to me, based on even or odd numbered issues... yep, it's complicated. So I can't tell you what pages I have here or in storage without going into the boxes themselves And yes, a few, just a few, were sold over the last few years at local shows. That doesn't mean there aren't some nice offerings here, there are plenty, just that I have deadlines and don't want to put my sister through hell right now dealing with drama.

And seriously dudes, give her any flack and you'll be dealing with me. And a girl dragged away from her good Doctor is a very angry girl indeed.

Pages will be posted here, first one to send an e-mail claim (based on the time stamp) gets it. A confirmation e-mail will be sent within 2 days with shipping and insurance costs totaled in, Paypal info etc.

Payment will be in Canadian dollars through Paypal, money order or certified cheque. Be advised, sending a personal cheque to Canada from outside the country will require 30 days to clear. That means your purchase will remain in a box near the door until that cheque clears. This will make both of us cranky so just do it the other way.

All sales are final. If you request a personalised autograph and then don't like what you get, you're hosed. If there's some kind of problem with an unpersonalised page we'll sort out how to make you happy. Please be sure to ask any questions before you agree to buy a page and we'll do our best to answer it.

There you go. Good hunting.

Friday was tax day.

Blurgh.

Just a quick note for those looking for pages to buy: I'll have some up soon. Stay tuned.

Okay, I'm back from a frustrating couple of weeks.

After that month-long flu in February, extended no doubt by the intense LA trip, followed by a nuclear stress bomb of a tour through Europe only to get sick again on the return home from London, I'd had it with everything and was very lucky to get through customs in both Seattle and Vancouver without attacking someone in a sleep-deprived, fever-ridden, back-spasming, asthma-triggered panic. The virus itself burned off pretty fast but it was still a huge, mucous-y pain in the ass. Damn near drowned in bodily fluids. And poor Vic! She caught it with lightening speed and ended up with Bronchitis! She's doing much better, antibiotics really helped.

So after a week in bed I was faced with even more stress in the form of that stubborn CBT story still not being done. Never have I found 7 pages to be so fraught with problems, made more difficult by the Doctor Who gig I was trying to start. When I worked on the short story all I wanted to do was work on Doctor Who, when I worked on Doctor Who I felt guilty for not clearing away old business and couldn't focus my energies properly. With the CBT deadline looming I took this last weekend to finish the bloody thing once and for all, and sure enough, Kinkos had to turn it into an outright nightmare...

Once the pencils were complete my plan was to scan the pages and fiddle with the levels in Photoshop thereby avoiding the hassle of inking in the smaller format. Naturally, my scanner decided to quit working and the used wide-format one I found on e-Bay last week was still en route. I called Kinkos, asked them if they had a wide-format scanner and if they could do the job that afternoon, they said sure on both counts. I had been up all night finishing the pages so I handed the set to Ian with the necessary instructions attached and went to bed at 3pm (Saturday).

I got up a couple of hours later (5pm), because, wow, my brain doesn't know when to stay asleep sometimes, Ian was back and let me know the scanning job wouldn't be done until 8am the next morning (Sunday). No idea why it takes over 12 hours to push a few buttons but okay, we'll deal with it. At around 2am I called Kinkos to see if the job can be pushed up, the best they can do is 5am. Okay, great, I'm off for a nap.

5am, I wake up to find Ian and Vic have gone to pick up the scans. I jump in the shower to get ready for a morning at the office getting the files finished.

The scans arrive and they're not TIFF files (as requested on the order) but PDFs. And oh yeah, they don't have a wide-format scanner, only a regular one so the scans had to be stitched. That's why it took them so long.

Looking at the scans in Photoshop something didn't seem right, after consulting books on colouring comics (because I'm a total noob to digital comics formats), waiting for the editor and Mark the colourist to wake up so I can ask what they think, I also learn the scans were bitmapped, in other words, they're completely useless.

Sweet Jeezus!

Lucky us, as we're working through options (it's now noon Sunday) I find out Mark is in Surrey! I arrange to drop them off after some sleep.

They're out of my hands, and on their way. Here's hoping it turns out okay.

Monday.

Eisners are announced and how stunned am I to read Jose and myself are nominated for inking/pencilling team?! We've never gotten this before! Holy shit! And how was Frank Quitely not in there? Or John Cassaday?! Regardless, there's no way in hell Chris Ware doesn't walk away with it. And yes, I'm so happy just to be nominated. Again I say "Holy Shit!"

Adding to the euphoria is the news of both Ian and myself being nominated for Shusters! Double whammy!

On my first fully devoted Doctor Who day, 6 pages laid out and feeling so damn excited, it's interesting to see how the Universe decides to toss in some humility...

On the way home, 5am, happy and eager to get back to the table, I hear something in the bushes by the front door. A lot of scrambling in the branches, clearly a raccoon, possibly two. I'm about to leave when I hear something else, a tiny, steady, distressed chirping. I carefully looked around the bushes, trying to locate the disturbing noise without running into the raccoons. Just as I'm about to give up, there it is, a yard from my foot, an injured bird, small like a chickadee only brown with a dart of bright red on her head and it's chirping in rhythm with it's fast breathing.

Oh dear.

I reach out and it has no problem with perching on my fingers. It settles into my palm, wheezing/chirping non-stop, peep-peep-peep-peep, it's head tilted heavily to one side. I bring it inside and show her to Ian. Remembering what happened the last time I tried to rescue a bird Ian tells me not to touch my face unless I want another eye infection to deal with. We decide to try for the all night animal hospital and I call Vic (she also barks at me to not touch my face). We meet up in the car, the bird seems to gain a little strength, lifting her head, fluttering slightly in my hand, still chirping in rhythm. I think maybe the heat of my hand has helped. She might make it. We drive two blocks, the bird flutters once again... and stops chirping.

I ask Vic to stop the car and turn on the light.

"She's gone."

We turn back and after parking, we all say goodbye and I find a spot in the underbrush to lay the still warm bird down.

Well fuck.

My bag showed up three days before we came home.

Somehow, I caught another bug while over there and have spent the last three days shivering, sweating and barely sleeping under numerous blankets.

I'm exhausted, pushed to the damn limits and all I want right now is to heal.

I'll post photos and stories from the trip shortly.

In London this evening, Ian and I were hanging out with Tony Lee and friends at the Fitzrovia Pub for the Hope Falls wrap party. At one point someone answers a text message on his cell and exclaims "Arthur C. Clarke just died!" As most of those present were writers and artists the news had an unexpectably profound impact, as if a cold little hole suddenly appeared in the world.

Thinking about it now I'm reminded of images of Great Blue Whales caught on film, so rare and palpably present, their passing leaves you shuddering in awe as that impossible mass fades into the depths, never to be seen by human eyes again.

A giant has passed. We raised our glasses in salute.

There's more to report from the trip of course (including a possible luggage sighting!), very sleepy.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank British Airways for completely fucking up our trip.

After our signing yesterday we had a bit of time to go out to the strip mall across this big honking field to buy some more clothes to get us through the weekend. With the walking at the show, slogging through aisle after aisle in store after store, stressing over what size was what, trying to communicate what should be simple things to staff, and then dragging ourselves back across the field to the hotel only to learn we had to go back to get my phone left behind at the Nokia store after buying a charger, there was no energy left for the after-show party. I was in a lot of pain, hip, back and feet, and just drained of strength.

And today I get to hear how wonderful that party was, taking place in the catacombs of a centuries old castle. Apparently there was a brilliant buffet, great music, some well known Japanese artists with many lovely stories. Which ones? I have no idea BECAUSE I WASN'T THERE!

I was in our hotel, lying in pain, eating Pringles.

Fuck you British Airways. Fuck you for not returning e-mails, fuck you for calling after 5 days of nothing just to tell us my bag wasn't at Franfurt.

Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you.

It's Thursday, we just finished signing on the first day of the Leipzig Book Fair.

Still no luggage. No response yet to e-mails on British Airway's site. My cell is about to die since the charger is in the missing bag. Same with the camera's battery.

Hannover went nicely, the weather was crazy cold and blustery but the fans were warm and friendly. We headed out early this morning and got in to Leipzig with just enough time to buy another pullover and a warm hoodie before the signing.

I think there's something weird about the water or the soap or something because the hair colour I had done before the the trip is now turning a bit orange. Guh.

There's a music video on television right now featuring a CGI bunny singing to his carrot. It's called Kusschelsong.

The book fair is HUGE. We've only seen one hall so far, more tomorrow.

Germany is wonderful.

Yesterday went really well. After breakfast I did a lightning shopping trip and found a decent wardrobe thanks to more stores carrying plus sizes than they do back home. I usually hate buying clothes because there are only 3 places in Vancouver to find stuff in my size, but here... wow, I am woman, hear me whip out the credit card! I've become a stereotype! Love it. Found some great jeans, nice t-shirt, socks (had to get the ones with Snoopy on them, no idea why, undies and hair stuff. Still need a hoodie or something to warm up, but the cold is not that bad at all. The rains were prety light though the pressure changes in the air have been doing a number on my back. That'll get better with more sleep and some tylenol I think.

After the shopping we met up with Joe and Steffen and toured about the neighbourhood a bit. Found this stunning chocolate shop where Ian loaded up. Then we checked out an amazing church (I think it was St. Bartholomew's). They were tuning the pipe organ at the time, very eerie because of the sustained notes filling the enormous space. We wondered why it was so strange and then it was obvious, it sounded exactly like old Doctor Who episodes with the incidental music. I took some video, will try to post it soon.

After a brief break at the hotel we were off to the signing where we met many fans, signed many books, and drew many sketches. It was a lot of fun. And everyone speaks fantastic english so there was much yapping about comics.

We crashed early after a sweet meal of Indian food.

And Ian's bag turned up! Finger's crossed for mine making an appearance soon.

Today, we're in Hanover. I'm not sure about the Stuttgart situation, whether there was a change or not, but more as I learn it.

Bunche just wrote to me with news of the Passing of Dave Stevens. Awful beyond words. He was an incredible artist.

9 hours to London, slept maybe an hour on the plane, arrive to learn our connecting flight was cancelled due to weather. 6 hour layover in a depatures lounge with no place to lie down. Arrive in Franfurt at around 1am. British Airways lost our luggage. Still trying to track them down, we have no fresh clothes, no 'folio (with scripts to work on), no personal items, no HAIR PRODUCTS for hair the guy at Suki's INSISTS now requires styling until it grows out some more.

And icing on the cake, the ultimate irony, woke up this morning to the perfect, and I mean perfect, bed head. My hair couldn't have looked more amazing with the putty and gel and stuff put in on Sunday . And then I had to wash it all out.

Well fuck.

Signing at a comic shop this afternoon at 4pm.

Gotta find something to wear.

Okay, I've tried gel, gel spray, moulding putty, something called "surf hair" and it's still not working out. I like the top but the neck is a mess. I have an appointment with a different stylist tomorrow, hopefully he'll have some good suggestions.

So much to do yet and the hair thing is sucking up all my time.

You ever have those moments after a lengthy struggle with brush and gel and water where not only can you not get your hair to style like it was out of the salon the day before but you can't even get it to sit normal instead of the weird Frankenstein's monster meets Hilary Clinton thing it wants to do, and then, seeing the straggly rat tails, fuzzy crooked bits and weird chunks hanging off your ears have you ever stood there in front of the mirror, brush and gel in wet, sticky hands, and just CRIED?

Not since getting the Peggy Flemming cut from aunt Hillu when I was 6 years old have I felt this miserable.

I'll try again tomorrow before deciding on some kind of solution.

On the very upside, found a copy of Bryan Talbot's Heart of the Empire at the comic shop tonight. I actually gasped out loud upon seeing it. I think the Universe is being nice to me, or maybe it just wanted to pass along a "nice try" for the hair thing.

Sunday we're off to Frankfurt. I don't yet have locations for the signings both Ian and I will be doing there and in Stutgart, but if you're in that neck of the woods try asking around, someone must know. From the 12th to the 15th (?) we're in Leipzig for the book festival so I hope to see you there.

And as a special treat you get to see me completely butcher the German language, but not for lack of trying, I've been working very hard with a Berlitz book to remember as much of my high school Beginner's German as possible. So far, I can give good directions, ask for a pen, and request that Herr Schmidt send off many letters by fax machine. I'm sure it will come in handy somewhere.

My hair is so short.

I need to get used to it before taking photos.

I don't usually watch late night talk shows but I'm getting so hooked on Craig Ferguson's monologues. I know!

Nearly four years ago I announced to friends and family (okay, Ian and Vic) that I was going to grow out my hair in order to donate it to Locks of Love, a charity that provides wigs to kids who need them. Tomorrow (okay, later today) I get the big chop. Weird thinking that soon I will no longer have this long hank getting caught in car doors, tangled in collars, tugging my head into painful angles while I slept or taking forever to dry.

Photos forthcoming.

Two pages done on CBT. Five more nearly there. I've also been working on the first page of Doctor Who. Makes me giggle just thinking about it.

Getting psyched for Sunday's flight out.

And in keeping with the weekend's theme, while at the Comedy Death Ray show tonight at the Commodore we were besieged by the cacaphonous chatterings of yet another gaggle of spoiled idiots. What the fuck is wrong with these people?! They get all their friends together for some birthday party or secretaries' night out or some shit, gather at their table (near the bar of course) with their cell phones out and just YAMMER ON AND ON all through the headliner's set!

Do they wait for the show to end before getting out the cameras to pose for their farewell hugs? NO! RIGHT FUCKING THERE, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ACT THEY FIRE AWAY THEIR FLASH CAMERAS! We're ACROSS THE ROOM from these fuckers and we can hear all their banal twitters and squeals. There's even a security guard STANDING RIGHT THERE, but does he do anything? Hell no!

How fucking much do you have to pay for a ticket to make you sit and shut the fuck up and just listen to the fucking show?! Where the hell does this inflated sense of entitlement come from that you can go to a live event and act as if you're still in your living room having a slumber party?!

For fuck's sake! This isn't your local sports bar with Seinfeld playing in the background while you rehash your day at perfume counter! It's something we all paid money to attend because we want to hear what these performers have to say! We're not interested in your car troubles and gossip girl crap you boring pieces of shit! Grow the fuck up!

Fuck.

Just got back from the Patton Oswalt show at the Vogue! Fantastic sets from Patton, and openers Dana Gould and hometown hero Graham Clarke.

The only way it could have been better was if the 6 people at the end of our two rows weren't such total douchebags. This skinny pseudo-emo dressing couple were right next to us, their bridge-and-tunnel-rat friends (judging by the excessive mall make-up) in front of them and Christ they would not shut up. Everyone in our group, including many of Ian, Riel and Vicky's stand-up buds who all happened to get seats together were shushing and yelling at these assholes to keep it down but clan Yak Yak McCud-chewers kept at it. Then towards the end of the night when Patton brought out a couple of his more well known bits (the ones about the 67 year old new mom and the KFC bowl) the emo's actually called out the punchlines before he even said them, waving their arms to punctuate each word like they were conductors at some fucking Dane Cook concert. When the material turned to newer stuff they couldn't repeat by rote they would then rattle their chip bags or loudly ask each other shit like "Is that funny? I don't get it, is that supposed to be racist?"

When the lights came up it turned into a bit of screaming match as all the comics in our row took turns hacking into the un-original frat-fucks while they whined about how we weren't really fans "because that's what Patton would want to hear!" I guess we just missed that fridge post-it. Riel and I sang them out with "You lucky guys! Look what you get to take home! Wooo!"

And still despite those hick, no taste, no talent, fashion victim losers from thicksville, the show was stellar. Loved it. To top it off with a sweet lil' maraschino cherry we got to say hello afterwards to Mr Oswalt who laid down some lovely praise on Brian which I'll be passing on shortly.

Itching to get some work done. Ian is cooking up the most amazing smelling steak. Vic is playing Bejeweled.

Yep, life is nice.

Up to page 7 now in progress. Coming along.

Pub quiz tonight!

A little more headway made into the CBT pages this weekend. Layouts are done, page one is done and up to page four in progress. More this week.

Throat and ears are still bugging me but at least I'm awake.

Okay, time for some updates.

Y the Last Party was unforgettable and amazing and raised eleven grand for CBLDF. Here's some video recapping the night (WARNING! If you haven't read the last issue you may want to avoid the massive spoilers contained herein!):

Y: THE LAST PARTY

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I'm still stunned whenever I think back on that night, all the amazing things said about the book, meeting fans who actually camped out to get tickets, and of course that monkey (couldn't get enough of her!).

It took a few days to really recover from all that, both physically and emotionally. Physically because I was still pretty ill despite the soothing effects of antibiotics, the dusty LA air really didn't help, and sleep was crazy wonky. Emotionally because, well, that's a lot of excitement to deal with out of the blue after spending two weeks in bed. Saturday I was spent (watched Juno in the Hotel room) and Sunday, after an incredibly grueling day dealing with some bad directions, blazing sun and unco-operative cabbies I flipped out. It took a trip to Griffith Observatory and a lovely encounter with some honest-to-goodness infinity to set me right again.

And then on Monday we got stuck at LAX for ten hours.

We've been back in Vancouver for a couple of weeks now and I'm still dealing with this fucking flu. The worst of it is gone but the fatigue and ear thing is a lingering pain in the ass.

Still working on the Leah Moore short story. This should have been done weeks ago, Christ! I'm just getting back into the groove here aaaand...

Once that story is clear I get to start on that formerly-super-secret project. If you haven't heard yet, on the night of Y - The Last Party in LA I got the go ahead from the editors to announce the next book I'll be working on:

IDW's Doctor Who.

Wooo! So happy about it.

And how did all this come about?

Last year I was on the Bendis Board chatting with fellow Who maniac Alysha McK about whether a Doctor Who comic would be a good idea. Alysha of course wanted to write it and I jumped in saying that I'd have to draw it. As we giggled on about that, writer Tony Lee joined the thread asking if we were serious about this and to write him.

He e-mailed me about how IDW was working on acquiring the rights and asked if I'd be interested in drawing an arc. At the time I was already stressed from the Y schedule and wasn't sure about committing to another book so soon. It was also at this time that I got some contact info for Doctor Who Magazine. They run a 9 page strip every month and that, to me, seemed much more manageable. I talked with Alysha about pitching a story for the strip instead and we put together an outline.

The story, which we kept short thinking it would have a better chance as a little fill-in, was not well received. They wanted a bigger, juicier storyline and that would require a lot more work to flesh out. After squeezing out what little free time I could getting the pitch together there just wasn't any left to work this out into something more expansive and still get Y out so I let Alysha know that I had to hold off for a while.

And that was that, or so I thought.

A few months later we're at SDCC and hanging out with our Bestest-Friend-in-the-Whole-Universe, Aussie writer Shane McCarthy who's all excited about landing a gig on IDW's Transformers. At some point during the weekend Shane introduces me to Chris Ryall and we all get to talking about Doctor Who which is looking like it's going ahead. I still wasn't sure if I would be able to do a whole arc for them but then the conversation turned to doing a Who story with Shane. Well, that I couldn't resist. I let Ryall know that I was interested all right but it would have to be some time after Y ended. He said there was already a team put together and (BBC approval willing) Shane and I could do a fill-in arc later and that would be great.

So a few more months go by. I hear from Shane how the Transformers arc is booming into a beautiful, sweeping epic and he probably will have to focus on that for the rest of the year. No Who until some time later. No problem, I need to focus on Y anyway and time off afterwards would be sweet.

After the Dublin con (where I met Leah) we're in London and I'm signing books at Forbidden Planet when I meet a gentleman with a message from Chris Ryall to contact him. That night I hear back from him via e-mail that there's an arc by Tony Lee being put together and was I still interested? Sure, but after Y.

Another month goes by and Tony Lee is letting me know that a script is nearing completion. It would be ready by New Year's, only a week after Y ends. Well that's a little freaky. By now I'm exhausted and really wanting some time off. A few more e-mails and there's word that this could start in March. That could work. And Leah's story should fit into that time frame nicely.

Our flu/pneumonia month has made all that a bit more challenging of course but that's how it goes sometimes.

And here we are.

And I still want to work out the bugs on the DWM story damnit!

;)

A few night ago, Ian, Vicky and myself were hanging out playing Bejeweled when we heard a powerful explosion outside. It sounded like it came from Cambie Street and our first thought was maybe a propane tank blew at the RAV line construction site. Soon the neighbourhood was filled with the sounds of sirens and we figured we'd find out what happened on the news the next day.

Sure enough, all over the headlines is the story of the Taco Del Mar on Broadway getting firebombed.



The blast took out the Starbucks next door, sent debris across the street into the London Drugs' windows and even blew in a window at the Holiday Inn down the street, inside was a sleeping soldier on leave! She was okay, just shaken up (poor thing).

It was interesting to note the reactions to the bombing, most people saying "Yeah, it looks like arson" "Some guy did a pretty lousy job of it" "Witnesses saw the jerk running from the scene" "Probably an insurance job or disgruntled employee" and so on. Not once did anyone bring up the word 'terrorism', even with the Olympics only two years away.

And that's why I like living here.

Oh yeah, a very burned suspect was picked up earlier today. There's some talk about the guy being connected to other acts of vandalism on the west side.

Still fighting this bug! It seemed on it's way in LA but as soon as we got back it decided to pull a last gasp (not unlike Gudonov's character in Die Hard bursting out from under that blanket with an uzi or whatever it was). Not as bad as the week before, mostly a stubborn cough and lack of energy. I did manage to get out to the office today for some work, most of the pencils on page one of the CBT story are done with starts on page two and three. We'll see how tomorrow goes.

Of course there's a lot to talk about from Y the Last Party and a certain announcement but damn if I'm about to pass out here.

More soon.

Despite some really, reeeeeally bad moments this weekend (ticket problems on the way down, wandering lost in Hollywood, choking on smog, dehydration, sunburnt eyeballs, and getting stuck at LAX 12 hours of our last day in LA) it was all worth it for this:



Meeting 'Zoonie' was one of the highlights of my life.

Getting a dumptruck of praise from fans, a speech from Joss Whedon, and having a page of Y go for two grand at the CBLDF auction was pretty sweet too.

More pics soon. I need sleep so bad right now.

Antibiotics! Oh how they make me happy!

Got some good sleep and now I'm up and packing. Or at least I will be as soon as I coax a very sweet cat off my lap.

More when we get to L.A.

I really feel like punching something.

I was feeling better this morning. The sinus stuff was gone, I was coughing less and overall it seemed what was left of this flu was just a weakened immune system sparking up my asthma/allergies a bit. No need to see the doctor, this train is leaving the station! Yay! We went out for some lunch to get some fresh air, clear the lungs of triggers and fuel up for the final farewell to the last 2 weeks of fucking misery.

And then on the walk home I was hit by a huge wave of tired so I figured "okay, time for bed anyway, I'm hitting the sack."

I wake up 4 hours later (y'know 'cause I love not getting a solid 7-8), I'm coughing up crap, my throat is on fire, my eyes are burning and squinty and I'm EXHAUSTED!

I'm so done with this! I need to be on a plane on Thursday and I'm fucking done already! So on top of all the other last errands I have to get caught up on tomorrow now I have to cram in a trip to the clinic.

Fuck.

I really should be in bed but I just got this link

Tipping the Glass to Y : The Last Man

Holeee...

I am officially sick of being sick. Last night I missed the Jim Gaffigan show because of a wracking cough that scared Ian silly. My throat feels all scratched up, my chest is raw and I'd really like to sleep more than a few hours at a time.

sucks.

Watched a bit of Spartan this morning on cable. How much do I love that movie?

Back to bed...

Urban Rush was a hoot. Some of you Vancouverites may have caught it Friday evening but if you missed it, the episode will rerun on Monay morning. Mike and Fiona are always a blast and it was so cool to talk to them about the book at the very beginning of its run years back, then again in the middle and now at the end.

And another link.
An interview on Newsarama with two creators who made huge impacts on this book: A Good-Bye to Y: Massimo Carnevale, Jose Marzan Jr. Lovely!

Got this note from David Hyde, DC's PR guy extraordinaire:

MTV is prepping a segment looking at women in power via the prism of pop culture, specifically what's the fantasy (like in Y the Last Man, "Commander in Chief," etc) and what can Hillary Clinton learn from that?

(too bad I'm an Obama fan)

Thanks again to everyone writing in about the book. It's really great to read all the wonderful feedback!

And just a note about Facebook...

I am on this network but I've limited it to people I deal with on a regular basis, family, friends, colleagues and such. It's my address book where I can quickly access these people and also have a quick glance at how they're doing (via the mini-feed). I don't do applications like Gifts or Growing Things or Compare Your Friends or whatever. If you've been sending and re-sending friend requests (or Gifts, Growing Things etc.) and not getting a confirm please don't feel snubbed, I just want my Facebook page to be small and relatively uncluttered.

Please check out MySpace if you'd like to join my open network there.

Trying to sleep. Not really succeeding.

Radio interview went well, I haven't listened to it yet but I'm guessing I sound weird. I went through several Ricolas to get through it in case there's a lot wrapper crinkling going on. Afterwards we went home and I crashed for a bunch of hours. Around midnight I was up again, checking e-mails, having some dinner but now I have to get back in bed so I can be up for an inteview on Urban Rush at noon. I can't remember if the show is live or recorded a day ahead. It'll be fun to chat with Mike and Fiona again.

I still have a mess of work to do too. Ugh. Want this cold done now.

What a day.

Spent a lot of it in bed trying to kick this bug but also following reactions online (which have been amazing! Wow!).

And there's still more. On Thursday (later today) you can hear an interview with Brian and myself on the Inkstuds radio show. I'll be in their UBC studio hacking up a lung while Brian calls in from LA. You can listen live between 2 and 3pm via the CITR site or check out the archives at the Inkstuds homepage.

Even more links (can you believe it?)

Video interview with Brian on CNN

Here's my CBR Studio Tour mentioned ealier.

An article from the Wall Street Journal where Jorge Garcia (the actor who plays Hurley on Lost) totally geeks out over Brian. How sweet!

Y We Fight, more info on the Y Party and CBR related news on LA City Beat.

Kurt Loder's wrap up over at MTV.com.

And the Newsarama interview with myself, mentioned earlier. They'll also be posting a chat with Jose this week so stay tuned for the link.

Wizard is running coverage in their latest issue so keeping an eye out for that and the Rolling Stone piece.

More as I get it. Gonna watch this week's Torchwood and then get some more sleep.

No skipping ahead now, this is one ending you'll be glad you earned.

And of course, thanks. We really wouldn't have made it to this without you.


Found some more links. Two interviews with Brian, one for CNN and the other for Entertainment Weekly. Posting them as I find them.

Tomorrow is the big day, the last issue of Y hits the stands and suddenly everyone is talking about it. Here's a list of the latest name-drops, interviews, mentions, YouTube spots and spotlights gracing the net and the stands this week:

Newsarama interviews! Part I and Part II with Brian by Zack Smith. Look for my own interview with Zack tomorrow. IMPORTANT NOTE for those getting their comics late due to snow or for Trade Waiters: these interviews (mine especially) contain MASSIVE SPOILERS, do not read until you've read the issue.

This week Comic Book Resources will be posting a tour of our studio. Marvel at the mess!

Time Online gives a mention in an essay about apocalypses and you can find a a sidebar in this week's issue.

USA Today talks about the series coming to an end.

And also on USA Today A chat with DJ Caruso on the Pop Candy blog about Y the Last Man...movies?

New York Magazine interviews Brian about Y and Lost and time travel.

Here's Brian in a CNN spot talking about Lost (note all the copies of the book behind him. What a slut!)

A rather confuzzled individual chats about Y on YouTube.

An interview with myself on the Blazedent Blog.

And there's a rumour going around that the next issue of Rolling Stone (with Radiohead on the cover) will have a little story about the book as well.

Wowee.

This last week has been a blur. Lots of worrying and not sleeping and now I seem to be fighting a bit of a bug as well. Taking it easy here so I don't end up like Ian. Tired but can't seem to settle my brain.

Earlier today I discovered the pages I had been drawing for the Comic Book Tattoo project are the wrong size. Instead of standard comic book format, they're supposed to be square. I'm a dork. Before I start over on those I have to get this print for the Y party sorted out. Came up with a neat image. Very happy about it.

Snowing this weekend. A cold, sloppy, wet snow.

I want to be somewhere warm.

And yes I'm still blaming the landlady.

Another rough night and this morning we went to the doctor's office. Ian has pneumonia. He's got some drugs in him now and is finally sleeping soundly.

I'm just gonna blame the landlady. Long story.

Last couple of days have been a bit rough here. Ian's caught that super nasty bug going around. Hard to see someone you love feeling icky. Even harder when the Nyquil and tea and honey and lemon aren't making any noticeable dents. My poor babe.

On a side note, got 13 sketch requests in the OUT box the other day. Another stack still waiting so patience everyone, they're coming.

So a lot has been going on here and I figure it's about time to get y'all up to date on some of it.

A very cool event has just been announced, on February 8th Brian and I will be at Y the Last Party, a charity fundraiser hosted by Meltdown Comics in LA to celebrate the ending of our lil' book. The reception will feature a keynote speech by, of all people, Joss Whedon! It's pretty overwhelming really, especially after hearing advanced tickets sold out in an hour! There will be about 70 tickets available at the door on the day of the event so there's still a chance to see two very pasty, pale comic book creators sitting in a huge crowd looking stunned. More information here.

Meanwhile, in Vancouver I have two pages from Y on display over at the Jem Gallery on Broadway as a part of the Inkstuds Art Show featuring the work of many local comic book creators. Check it out if you can, lots of nice stuff there.

Also, Ian and I have been invited to a book festival in Leipzig Germany in March. There's going to be a mini signing tour beforehand where we'll be visiting a few cities (Frankfurt and Stuttgart?). Once the itinerary has been hammered out I'll have it posted. Should be amazing!

Presently drawing a short story written by Leah Moore for Comic Book Tattoo, an anthology graphic novel from Image featuring stories inspired by the songs of Tori Amos. It's coming along slowly (damn the seductive lure of the couch!) but it's getting there.

And finally, there's a verrrry sweet project in the works, still can't talk about it, dying to, but not just yet. Holy crap I can't wait!

More soon...

After reading about a new show in the paper today I had to watch it to believe it. The Border premiered tonight on the CBC and I'm not sure what makes me angrier, the fact that this is the best Canadians could come up with or that my taxes helped pay for it.

The oh so hip and tech savvy Border and Immigration guys clash with the sneering men in black over at CSIS while trying to uncover the truth about a possibly innocent terrorism suspect handed over to the CIA and all the news ripped from the headlines of the Globe and Mail blah blah blah. Derivative and condescending with a camera operator plainly afflicted with some kind of tremor inducing illness to explain the ceaseless jerky motion throughout the flashy, cool-blue-toned shots.

Oh and there's even a computer geek who uses backwards klingon as the "perfect code", only thing is, he's like in his late thirties and looks like he stepped out of men's underwear ad, all chiseled and perfect. Oh do fuck off with this CSI Miami crap.

And next week: a "rogue Homeland Security agent" in stilletos shows up to stir up trouble! Oh joy.

Oh hey, Life on Mars is on BBCCA. That I can actually watch.

Why I love David Lynch

Just got this cool note from friend Paul Breau

"Hey Pia, Hope you enjoyed the holidays. I thought you'd get a kick out of this story. After reading through Y The Last Man (can't wait for the final issue) I recommended it to a good friend who works for the Vancouver Public Library. He'd already heard of it because the 3rd book in the series is one of the most stolen books at the Vancouver Library. Here's hoping it becomes the modern day Catcher in the Rye. All the best."

Neat!

Sleep is all wonky this week.

Yesterday I crashed at noon, no reason, my head just does this to me sometimes, and I woke up at around 7:30 pm. Ian had to get out to the airport this morning at 8am so I just stayed up instead of getting a couple of hours that would only make me feel worse in the end.

Went with Ian and saw him off, miss him like crazy already but he'll be back in a few days (he's in Chicago for Sketchfest). When I got back I was reluctant to keep this silly schedule going so I'm doing my best to stay up. Once I've righted this I can get my ass into the office and get started on some work. There's a phone interview with the Wall Street Journal set for tomorrow morning so it could work out if I just... stay... awake.

I'll imagine clowns trying to eat me.

I don't think I'm exagerating when I say my sister is brilliant. And funny. I was reading over some of her movie reviews on Facebook this morning and just giggling my face off. It's a hugely entertaining read. Don't believe me? Here's a sampling:

Corvette Summer
In this early work of Matthew Robbins we see the seeds of what would later germinate into an unforgettable ouevre of cinematic genius. The young protaganist, Ken, embarks on a journey after the object of his desire, a car emblimatic of power and prowess usually reserved for those above poor Ken's station, is taken so unjustly from him. We later see young Ken become embroilled in the underhanded dealings of his employer. The same class struggles and moral challenges would later arise in the director's populist "Batteries Not Included." It is in the character of Vanessa, however, that we see the beginnings of a world view that would later infuse the master work "The Legend of Billie Jean" with it's particular radical feminist slant. Themes are important to this giant of the cinema. We see the plot device of the chase and the journey of discovery that emminates from the development of desire that leads all humans, black or white, man or woman, rich or poor, Dragonslayer or apprentice, to grow and define the parameters of their existence. Much like the line of pee that young Chuckie Devlin leaves so that the eponimous Bingo may come to his rescue in the risky 91' addition to Robbins' resume, Ken follows that far more ephemeral master, passion, to the seedy underworld of Las Vegas where he must confront both internal and external obstacles. A universal journey to which we may all relate. Kudos Matthew Robbins! Kudos!

Star Wars: Holiday Special
I remember when my favorite aunt, who I thought was the coolest person in the world, brought home this awful, stupid, racist loser and fawned over him all evening until I lost all respect for her. This "Holiday Special" is a lot like that.

Now go and ask Vicky Van to be your friend and see about two hundred more of these brief yet spot on observations of movies from a whole range of genres.