Odd.i.t

The End

2009-06-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

This has been an interesting journey to say the least. I’ve gone from joy, sadness, pride, frustration and everything in between. Part of me feels a great sense of accomplishment, and another part of me feels spent physically, mentally, and emotionally. One undeniable thing about this project is all the things that I’ve learned. It’s going to take me some time to take it all in, but it was definitely worth it. This, of course, is just one case for the team; it wasn’t the first, nor will it be the last. Much like a Franco-Belgian comic book, it is designed to be open ended stories dealing with different cases. However, it’s going to be a while before I tackle another.

Priorities aside, I have other projects to focus on at this point. Yet, the one thing you can be sure about Metasearch is that you can’t keep it down. After all, this is just another permutation in Metasearch’s eleven-year existence. It might look different, but it has to have the same mood. My next offering might not even be Metasearch at all, but some other fancy of my psyche.

This blog was kept exclusively as a sort of journal/insider’s look of the novel. Maybe I’ll do the same for the next one starting from the very beginning, who knows? As a journal, it has been of great use to me and hopefully the insider’s look somewhat enriched your experience as a reader.

Last but not least, and I can’t say this enough; thanks\ you all for your patience and your readership. I don’t think I would have been able to finish the project without your support. For those of you who went out of your way to drop me a line, you have no idea what that means when you’re doing something for the sake of passion.

I truly hope you’ve enjoyed the story. If I managed to entertain you for a moment of your day, then I have accomplished a lot. This is not a goodbye, but an “until later.” As always, I’ll see you on the page.

Oddman Out.

The Thrill Is Gone

2009-06-08T20:45:00.001-07:00

And so ends the terror of the psychic vampire. When I started the novel, I doubted I could pull off the first five pages. Fourteen months and eighty four pages later, it has been quite a journey. By now I’m sure you were not expecting a big apocalypse finale with walls bleeding and a huge explosion. If you were, you wouldn’t be reading this story to begin with.

I have to say, a lot of things happen in a year: economic downturn, family stuff, work priorities, vacations; “life,” simply put. Sadly, this incarnation of Metasearch wasn’t picked up by any publishers… yet. As disheartening as that can be, it was the people who have kept checking back to see where this paranormal tale will end, that gave me strength to keep on going when writing the whole thing off and moving on to something else would have been easier. There is something to be said about the interest in a story just for the story’s sake, since there’s no other hook to keep bringing readers back.

We have one more page to go before this case is wrapped. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out.

Black Magic Woman

2009-06-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

It’s time for Acantha to step up to the plate and show you what she’s got. Although in the esoteric world it is said anyone can develop psychic abilities, there is always talk about natural psychics or natural witches. Needless to say, Acantha is one of these gifted people; the kind whose phone number you want handy when things go the way of “Poltergeist.”

Researching for the book, I found out that even though there are spells per se to accomplish certain things, Wicca, as it’s understood today, is a very personal experience. For example, you can choose a different pantheon to work with i.e. Norse, Egyptian, Celtic, Greek, etc. It all depends on which one resonates with you. Casting spells is no different; every witch has their own way of doing it. Certain laws and principles are observed, but again it’s up to the caster to shape the spell in a way that suits them. I thought a direct, prop-thin casting was more in lieu with Acantha’s personality. She’s so talented and experienced that she doesn’t require too many psychological crutches or catalysts to work her magic. It’s more a sentimental thing for her, a nostalgic comfort if you will, than a necessity. Plus it looks better when you illustrate it.

I hope you’re enjoying the story so far. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out.

Inside My Head

2009-06-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

The image of the first panel was one of those that I kept imagining during the writing stages of the book. As time grew closer to the actual artwork I was curious myself of the outcome. The final incarnation of the psychic vampire had to more solid, brighter, and refined to reflect its new otherworldly existence. I was satisfied with it and I hope you are too.

The last showdown is on. More to come soon. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Waiting for the Miracle

2009-05-25T20:34:00.001-07:00

No page 81 last week due to the long weekend, but here it is nonetheless. The stage is set for the last tussle between Metasearch and the psychic vampire. I’m curious about the impressions of the coming last pages. As recurrent readers know by now, this graphic novel is all about experimentation and that includes the story itself. Whether it works or not remains to be seen. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Dark Night

2009-05-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

The final showdown between Metasearch and the psychic vampire is afoot. I had a cool time doing the artwork for this page dealing with all the gang together one more time. I’m going to miss them when this is over, but it’s about time to bring this story to a close and move on.

It’s going to be a while before I commit myself to another graphic novel. Time is always an issue, and I feel the need to let the things I’ve learned from this experience settle in my head. I would like to take my art to another level, and I have a few ideas I want to experiment with in the future. Hopefully they’ll work out.

Be on the look out for page 81 later this week. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out.

Sympathy for the Devil

2009-05-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

And so ends the great action scene. As for all gothic antagonists, we’re drawn to feel some pity for them. After all, these stories are about good-intentioned, flawed individuals, who made bad choices. Like all bullies, once their thin armor is compromised, you find out how really scared they are; the proverbial house of cards.

We’re nearing the end now, and I can’t help to look back and remember when I was struggling to make the first five pages. Why five? That’s usually the number of pages comic book studios want in order to see if an artist can deal with sequential storytelling. Now with every new page, we’re one step closer to the end of this journey. I hope you have enjoyed the ride so far. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Hard on Me

2009-05-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, there’s always a page that is harder than the others. It might not look like it, but this one is a prime example. I like to joke about this being the story’s “action sequence.” As I’ve said before, Metasearch is character and story driven, so action is quite thin throughout the book.

Obvious in this page is my on-going exploration into the realm of lettering. By now, I feel more confident about it, but it’s still quite conservative as modern lettering goes. My main concern is to convey feelings more than just being creative.

So here’s page 78; I hope you enjoy it. There will be a page 79 at some point, but I have to leave town for a while, so whether or not I will be able to deliver it next week remains to be seen. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Enter the Sandman

2009-05-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

I can’t help but imagine hearing audience applause when Gabriel shows up on the last panel. To me, it seems so long since I see my guys I can’t help but be exited to work with them again. In a way, every member of the team has their little solo moment. Claire had her scene with Anya at the coffee shop; Acantha’s is soon to come; but now it’s Gabriel’s turn.

Art-wise, I’m happy to go back to the non-flashback sequences of the book, the “realistic” scenes. Not that it wasn’t fun doing the more surreal pages, but the challenge of keeping the frames interesting is something I missed. I hope you enjoy these much-delayed pages as much as I have making them. More to come. See you in the page.

Oddman Out.

Surprise, Surprise

2009-05-01T22:35:00.001-07:00

Well, what do you know? Another page within days instead of months. As much as I enjoyed doing the flashback sequence, I’m happy to go back to the good old style of the book.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the International Manga Museum in Kyoto. What really caught my attention was a temporary exhibit highlighting French comic books, or Bande Dessinée as they’re known in France. Belgium and France not only constitute one of the biggest comic book markets in the world, but they also have a different approach to publishing. In Japan, for example, manga are done cheaply and quickly usually by one or two creators in compilations. If the story generates any interest, then it gets its own book. In the U.S. serialized books are output monthly at a neck-breaking pace by a team of artists. In the Franco-Belgian market, books are published maybe once a year by a team of two artists (usually). Sure, they are longer than 22 pages, but it’s not so much a serialized market like in Japan or the U.S.

It was very interesting seeing the differences between the three biggest markets of comic books; how they develop independently from each other, and how sometimes they influence each other. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out.

A Whiter Shade of Pale

2009-04-29T21:10:00.001-07:00

April marks the anniversary of Metasearch on-line, so I thought it would be proper to produce a new page. Between work, traveling, and other engagements, I haven’t got the time to keep the project going on a regular basis. But I’m still here, and sooner or later I’ll finish it as promised. Once again, I can’t thank enough those of you who still have the patience and dedication for the story to keep checking for updates.

Anyway, wrapping up the flashback sequence after so long really gave me a sense of accomplishment. Every time I go back to the project I have the feeling I have forgotten how to do it. One thing I enjoyed was playing with different textures or composition of the psychic vampire. When we first meet him, he’s just a little pink cloud. But as he keeps on feeding, Sam becomes stronger, so the shape is bigger and redder. For the second encounter, I wanted a “blood in water” look to his misty form; something more solid and fluid than just a vapor. For this next evolution, although symbolic since it’s a flashback, I wanted something more like fire to reflect Sam’s rage.

I hope you enjoy the new page; more to come in the future. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Lust For Life

2009-02-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

Long time no see. It has gotten harder to keep up, but that’s no excuse not to finish what was started. I understand the complications this irregular pace brings to the continuity of the story. If I had my way, I would have been done by the end of last November, but sadly that wasn’t the case. This project has been through and through a personal challenge. It was so in its inception, and looks to be so to the end. Updates will come, slowly but surely. Thank you for your patience. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Flying in a Blue Dream

2008-12-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

Sam goes crazy and starts pushing not only the limits of his newfound ability, but of his own taboos; from going through a wall, to semi-naked on a crowded street during the day. I was tempted to have him flying over the city, but I decided to use more quirky images to show different levels of freedom. I can’t just wrap my head around an image of a fat guy in his underwear flying over London. Quirky? Sure, but the flying part somehow didn’t sit well with me. It’s like in “the Matrix,” I understand what the filmmakers are trying to say by having Neo zooming through the sky, but to this day I still feel it went too far… and I love the Matrix. So I’ll settle for our would-be-vampire sitting on one of Big Ben’s hands overlooking the city. Originally it was set to be Tower Bridge, but the idea of the white background silhouetting our boy in the distance was too compelling to miss.

This is the last page of the year. I’m off for a few weeks, but fear not, we’re far from done with this little tale of supernatural intrigue. So wherever you are, whatever you celebrate (and even if you don’t), have a great holiday and a wonderful new year. I know I will. I can’t ever thank you enough for your readership, your patience, and kind emails. Peace to all. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Climbing Up the Walls

2008-12-09T18:47:00.001-08:00

It can be said that focus defines our reality. The only difference between page 71 and 72 is the fact that, in page 71 our friend is lost, but in page 72 he has a purpose. It’s still his living room and he’s still a recluse, but the situation has changed due to his newfound motivation.

I’m always amazed at the things that come out of our subconscious when we express ourselves through art. In page 71 Sam’s life is in chaos and the payout of the page reflects that. By page 72 he finds a horizon and the layout reflects that as well. I wish I could claim that it was all planned, but the truth is that it’s the product of another “happy accident.” This makes me wonder if somehow we get tuned in to some sort of collective consciousness in which these ideas flow from the ether into our world, who knows? It’s a nice idea anyway.

I want to get one more page up before I’m gone for the holidays. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Pagan Poetry

2008-12-06T18:32:00.000-08:00

With this page, I really pushed the level of abstraction in order to convey the passage of time. The interesting thing is that in the main panel (the big one) I had done all this detail about Sam’s apartment, but after I was done with the “overexposure” treatment, a lot of it was lost. I had to remind myself the Metasearch maxim, “it’s all about the mood.” After all, that’s why I chose to do this book in such an unorthodox way. In a way, conveying a feeling to a reader is more important to me than the hope that someone notices the magazines Sam reads, or a trail of cigarettes that leads to a pile on his table.

I’ve always admired the ability some artists have to convey something that is actually not obvious. We all remember a movie for being to bloody, or too terrifying, or too graphic when in fact, if we see them again, all of it was suggested rather than shown. So I rather the reader feel Sam’s depression and despair and create their own image of the details of his life, than go through the process of spoon-feeding them. The details might be lost on some, but the mood of the scene is harder to dismiss.
Suggestion always beats presentation, at least in my book. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Cancer

2008-12-01T20:51:00.001-08:00

I can’t help but to smile every time I hit a tenth page. You can call it the “decimal joy,” but since Metasearch is delivered in pages, every tenth one is a little landmark to me. Back from abroad, at least for a little while, I made a commitment to produce as many pages as I can before I’m off again until next year.

When I wrote “Reverie” I decided to so in an unorthodox manner. For example, even though the project’s name is “Metasearch,” it doesn’t really focus on the team of psychics. We barely get to know them, as there is no “origin story.” It is implied that this is not their first case, and their development is more professional than character driven. This bothers some readers because they want to know more. This, of course, was done by design and not some relapse in plot development. Another interesting choice is that the story is told by a secondary character, and a victim as discussed before on this blog. Lastly, since I don’t want to dissect the whole plot, it is intended that we don’t get to know anything about the antagonist until later in the book. I thought it would be interesting to go back to the genesis of the case at a later stage of the story. Enjoy the new page. More to come.

I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Snowblind

2008-11-23T21:41:00.000-08:00

For the flashback on this sequence, I wanted a different approach from the one in pages 51, 52. The reason is because I wanted the latter to be more of a memory, something more subjective (see blog post “The Memory Remains” for more). I wanted the new scene to be a pure flashback. I wanted to take the readers back to this moment, experience it, and draw their own conclusions from it rather than me guiding them. I knew I needed some consistency in style to avoid confusion, i.e. black and white as the main visual representation, but I was looking for a way to give it its own feel. While working on panel 1, page 65 I noticed a mistake on one of my layers. It was a black and white overexposed image that I didn’t know I created. After quickly realizing what had happened, I decided to use the style for this part of the story. I love “happy mistakes.”

I also decided to play it clean, no textures. This gave the panels a very serious tone that the sequence requires. The flashback panels are done in a very different way than the rest of the book. I have to admit that after 68 pages it was refreshing to go into a different artistic approach. As an added challenge, I went and tried to use motion as a graphic element, which is a losing proposition in a static medium, but I couldn’t resist the idea of the foot shaking as a plot “accent.” This is another one of those out-on-a-limb experiments of mine that I hope actually works for the readers.

On the lettering front, I keep getting complaints about readability, and I keep trying to solve them without compromising the look of the book. I made the letters thicker on this page to see if it helps with the problem. I guess time (and the readers) will tell.

I’m glad I got to make another page in November. I have some traveling in my immediate future, but I’ll try to do as many pages as I can. I have to thank alejkhan for the nice Metasearch review at “By Nigh.” You can check it out at: http://www.bynightcomics.com/home/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=43&func=view&catid=4&id=967#967 I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Return of the Phantom Stranger

2008-11-19T23:33:00.000-08:00

OK, so page 68… I know it has been a while. I started to work on this page at some time during late October, but never got around to finishing it until now. I even fantasized about finishing it for Halloween, but no dice.

As Sam takes us deeper into his world, we continue the deconstruction of the dreadful vampire’s image. I wanted to achieve a number of things on this page. The first one was to have our antagonist interact with the world around him to keep us informed of his psyche. On the art front I wanted to create a transition with the lighting that I haven’t tried before: To mix two different light concepts into one scene. I really like this green hue. Granted I had used green the first time we go to Acantha’s loft. She’s a witch, we are in her home, green doesn’t seem too farfetched. This time around I was looking for that wonderfully sickening neon light green, which casts this hopeless, ill feeling; “Joe vs. the Volcano” anyone? I also wanted to compose the panels with Sam being off center. This is a concept I liked about the movie “Subway,” where director Luc Besson framed his characters off center. I wanted to use this technique in this page to help accentuate Sam’s insignificance. The little scene with the girls looking at our vampire--and he in turn looking back at them smiling and thinking they are checking him out, only to discover they just thought he was some funny looking guy--came from a real life anecdote from a guy I used to know a long time ago. By his late teens he started to think of himself as a self-styled “ladies man” – one look at him and you would understand how far off the mark this poor guy was; a similar event occurred to him while waiting for a subway. I guess the story was filed away somewhere in my brain.

On an interesting note, during Halloween week I spent a lot of time watching all sorts of paranormal shows and horror flicks in lieu of the festivities. One particular show caught my attention. The show was called “Celebrity Ghost Stories.” Gina Gershon’s was creepy, Sammy Hagar’s was shocking, but the one that really caught my attention was ex-Go-Go’s singer Belinda Carlisle. In short, she describes a classic psychic vampire attack that occurred to her while staying at a seedy motel. There it was, in all its cheesy CGI glory: A dark human-like shadow feeding off her. I feel the need to point out that the choice of making Reverie’s vampire red was purely aesthetic. It’s symbolic more than factual… or as factual any of these things can be.

Lots to talk about since I’ve been quiet all this time. The holidays are coming and traveling looms in the horizon. That means more hibernation for Metasearch, but as things are calming down in the work front, I will try to produce as many pages as I can before the mid-December hiatus. For those of you who honor me with your patience for new pages, thank you so much from the very core of my heart. You haven’t forgotten my three little psychics, and I have certainly not forgotten you. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Invisible Kid

2008-10-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

In the movie “Fight Club,” they play out the concept of service workers flexing their muscle against the white collar establishment. “We serve your food, we park your cars…” or so goes a line from the film. We all hear about millionaires screwing the little guy; just checkout the news. But if you look at it, cleaning people, valets, waitresses, nannies, etc. can be rather sinister. They bring us food and drink, they roam our house and work spaces, they get inside our cars, spend time alone with your children. These are people who dwell in our personal lives even for a brief moment. So the idea of one of these people using their access for ill is quite frightening. After all, one of the classic rackets of the mob was to cancel trash collection. We might not think about it, but try not getting your trash collected for a week, and you’ll start seeing the problem very quickly. Plus, there are no easy answers to it, are you going to load you car with load after load of trash and drive to a landfill? I think you get the picture.

As a society we have been taught, almost by osmosis, to look down on these types of jobs. Yet, it only takes one viewing of TV shows like “The Worst Jobs in History,” or “Dirty Jobs,” to gain a very different perspective. That’s why I wanted to make Sam a janitor. It plays not only to our socio-economic idiosyncrasies, but because it shows the potential to do evil from an unassuming position. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Loser

2008-10-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

The purpose of panel 6 on page 65 was to lead the reader to an anticlimax, and page 66 just drives the disappointment home. This is what is called “the reveal” in film, and it means the moment when you unveil a main character. So all these pages, all this build up takes us to this very “huh?” moment in the story. No handsome Goth guy, no suave Eastern European, or brilliant psychopath; just an everyday bloke that you wouldn’t give a second glance.

One of the elements I like about gothic literature is that the antagonist is a tragic figure. Something happens to these characters and the dark inner-most nature of humanity comes out… or is it just humanity’s nature? Anyway, this whole sequence is sad, but it informs the reader about the psychic vampire, and what his life is about, or at least part of the time. Alas, I don’t want to give away too much, so I’ll keep talking about Sam in future blogs. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

These are the Thoughts

2008-10-15T13:58:00.000-07:00

Well, what do you know? Page 65 did actually arrive. Looking at it, I can’t help but draw a comparison between panel 1 and Tim Bradstreet’s “Punisher” covers. Also, panel 5 reminds me of the “Obey” logo. I guess I’m in good company. These got me thinking about James “Jim” Steranko, who I believe is the father of Digital Artist.

Back in the 60’s when everybody was doing classic comic book renderings; Steranko was sort of the rock star of the medium. He introduced surrealism, opt art, pop art, and graphic design elements into his run on “Nick Fury, Agent of Shield.” Needless to say, his art was unique and groundbreaking. This Comic Book Hall of Famer had a background in advertising, where he worked as an artist before breaking into comic books in 1965. Jim brought advertising design techniques to sequential art quite successfully. Having myself a graphic design background, I can’t help but drawing a comparison with Jim Steranko. I too apply techniques learned in graphic design, art, and CGI into my work.

I enjoyed playing with the red hue, and the graininess of this scene. Using the grains as a representation of rain being reflected form the outside, really gave this whole sequence a very gritty, creepy feeling. In my never ending exploration of the world of lettering, I shifted the font on Sam’s speech to build the crescendo until the very anticlimactic last panel. Man, I really enjoy working on this thing. Let’s see if Chronos is kind to me and I can keep delivering even on an irregular basis. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Red Rain

2008-10-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

No, I can’t believe it either, but finally I got enough time in my hands to do another page. It feels like ages since I posted the last one. The thought has crossed my mind to halt the project until next year when I’m less pressed for time; but when I see people still checking the site everyday waiting for the next page, I feel very compelled to oblige. So thank you for your patience, and your loyalty to the story.

I always imagined this page done in contrast; something ala Sin City. However, it had to fit the overall look of the book, so something that initially seemed quite simple to create ended up being shaped by a lot of experimenting. The vast space, long shadows, and silhouettes are a throwback to the beginning of the story; reclaiming some of its gothic roots. That’s why the last panel on page 63 has McConnor casting some heavy shadows as a symbolic link. I also wanted the scene to be mundane, but the atmosphere had to be creepy. The conversation is rather trivial, but the use of red, which seems like some hellish fire, makes it look threatening and out of place.

I truly hope the wait was worthwhile. With some luck, I’ll have page 65 done by next Wednesday. All I can do now is to keep trying to squeeze some time to keep the pages coming. Once again, thank you for your patience and interest. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Hidden Place

2008-09-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since we explored the idiosyncrasies hidden within “Reverie.” So grab your mouse, open your eyes, and let’s have some fun searching for more Easter Eggs. Ready? Here we go:

On Page 31, the poster of the couple dancing and the barely visible soccer poster in panel 2 are both art works done by me for different purposes. They were recycled as props for Metasearch. So is the poster in panel 3, page 33.

The T-Shirt Anya is wearing on page 34 sports the logo of my graphic design company “Merc Designs.”

Anya’s reflection can be seeing on the cup of coffee in page 35

Acantha has a “Witch’s Cauldron” T-shirt on it in page 39, which is the pub Inspector McConnor and Metasearch met to discuss this case.

“Sleep X” on page 45 is another wonderful make-believe brand I invented, and so is the group Johnny Jiu and Ju Ju Five. By the way, Johnny’s T-shirt has another recycled art work. I love designing T-shirts, labels, posters, etc.

The crystal skull on page 48 has nothing to do with “Indiana Jones.” Many years ago, I had an idea for Metasearch involving the aforementioned objects, but it’s still in the “ideas bin.” I just couldn’t resist showing it since there is one at the British Museum.

The gallery Metasearch and McConnor are visiting on page 49 is real. It is called “Living and Dying” and is on display at the British Museum. The art pieces shown on the page are actually part of the collection (including the Crystal Skull).

The “Nine Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows” can be seen on page 58, panel 3 on top of the table. It’s a nod to the movie “The Ninth Gate,” based on the book “El Club Dumas” by Arturo Perez-Reverte, one of my favorite authors.

The names on the Inspector’s notes on page 61, panel 2 belong to: Maila Nurmi a.k.a. Vampira, Cassandra Peterson a.k.a. Elvira, Florina Kendric, Monica Belucci, and Michaela Bercu played the three bride’s of Dracula in the 1992 film “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” Gene Collan is the penciller and co-creator of “Blade,” Roy Thomas and Gil Kane are the creators of “Morbius, the Living Vampire,” one of Spiderman’s foes.

So there you have it. I hope you enjoy this new batch of inside jokes. More will come in due time. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

I Never Told You What I Do For

2008-09-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here’s the much delayed page 62! My computer virus is dead. And after a week of being deprived of it, I’m now paying catch-up with all my work including Metasearch. Pages will trickle in from now on since I’m swamped with work, but I’ll do my best to have one new page a week.

This page was definitely one of the toughest I’ve done in a while. The amount of elements I needed to paint was staggering. I wanted to do a large panel with all the main characters in it, and then a reverse of that same shot. The idea was to make the readers feel part of the conversation, as if they were in the room with the characters. I also needed a lot of space to layout large chunks of dialog.

I can’t thank you enough for your patience as I try to keep delivering new pages. It would be easier if I made my living as a professional comic book artist, but until then, I still have my day job. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

The Virus

2008-09-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

There was a page 62 scheduled for today, but midway through the art process my loyal workhorse-of-a-computer started to slow down to a crawl. Two updated anti-viruses and two anti-spyware programs later, and my poor PC was still down and out. Mac users please hold your comments; I agree with you, but unless you pitch in to get me a suped up Mac Pro, I don’t want to hear it. So Metasearch’s powerful engine is currently in the shop getting detox. I’m writing this on my Mac Book Pro (yes, rejoice Apple lovers). And no, files are way too layered and big to be workable in the notebook. In short, that’s why there is no new page today, much to my chagrin I might add. So much for trying to get some pages done before getting buried in work. We’ll see how that goes.

Reading back the old post “Fear is the Key,” about audience engagement being the main ingredient for fear in any medium, I forgot to mention good old fashion ghost stories. It’s truly a magical moment when you get a group of people by a bonfire, and you scare them by the sheer power of words. No images, but the ones in the listener’s heads. There is no music or sound effects. Just tone, pacing, storytelling, and a deep shared primal fear. The only reason it works is because the listeners are willing to be taken away by the story. Otherwise it’s all too damn cheesey.

Let’s hope my computer gets out of rehab in time to get page 62 up on Wednesday. I’ll see you in the page… I hope.

Oddman Out

Closer

2008-09-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

On second thought, maybe Jae Lee decided to use long panels for “The Dark Tower” because the amount of dialog required. After all, Pater David and Robin Furth are adapting a novel. Maybe it’s all of the above. In short, I like the style and it proved helpful on this page. I wanted to do a sequence with random close ups. I always play with the use of close ups to inform the reader about something specific i.e. panel 2 with McConnor’s notes. This time around I just wanted to relax and be a bit more abstract and just use images to carry the dialog in a way that’s still captivating. I thought this was a perfect place for this layout since this whole scene is heavy on dialog. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Back in Black

2008-09-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Well, I’m back from a great vacation, my batteries are recharged and I’m ready to keep on trucking. And so we arrive at page 60, where finally our five main characters meet, and get to have a powwow about that pesky crimson cloud.

During my travels, I picked up a copy of Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born.” I knew about the novels, but I have yet to read them. Not only did I find the story compelling, but the art had quite a unique feel to it. I’ve always loved Jae Lee’s art. In fact, the font I used to letter most of Metasearch’s dialogs is “CCHellshock,” a font created by Comic Craft for Jae Lee’s book of the same name (sans the CC which stands for Comic Craft). The art in the Dark Tower is enhanced by the great Richard Isanove, and lettered by Chris Eliopoulus. If you have read previous posts, you’ll understand why I pay props to the letterer, a great team indeed.

Fear not, this blog hasn’t turned into a two-cent review. The reason I mention the book is because the idea for the long panels was taken from it. In my quest for variety in each page, I thought that would be an appropriate layout for the scene. I can only guess that Lee decided to use this format to evoke the great western tradition in film, where you have these beautiful shots framed against the vast frontier’s landscape… or maybe he just did it because that’s the way he wanted to. Who knows?

But I digress . . . please sit back, relax, and enjoy. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Vacation

2008-08-14T13:14:00.001-07:00

Throughout these 58 pages, I’ve been delivering Metasearch every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Alas life and work have caught up with me, and hence page 59 arrives a day later. What's more, I’m taking off on a much-deserved vacation for the next two weeks, so Metasearch will be on hiatus until the first week of September. For some time, I’ve been resisting the delivery of the book to less than three times a week, but I’m afraid my workload will force me to do so. I hope those of you who have followed the story so far will understand, and keep honoring me with your time. Like I said before, I’m here for the long haul, and Reverie will be finished. After all, this book is very important to me. I’ll see you in September and I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman out

Hidden Place

2008-08-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

I’ve always envisioned “Balefire Books,” Acantha’s esoteric bookstore slash loft, as the kind of place that only occult connoisseurs will know about. Your garden-variety spiritual store is full of mass produced trinkets, soft cover tomes, burning incense, new age music, and announcement boards scheduling a myriad of events. I wanted Balefire to be the opposite: Hard cover books, no music, unique items, and no sponsored events. People will go in asking for something specific like a 1487 edition of the Malleus Maleficarum, pay some good cash and off you go. It would be the kind of place that, if you enter it by mistake, you’ll know immediately that you shouldn’t be there. That’s why this unassuming store is on a one way street. After all, Acantha is the only one in Metasearch that devotes her full time to the supernatural. I even considered taking away the sign out front; maybe I’ll change my mind in the future and remove it. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Fear is the Key

2008-08-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

At last Anya gets some sleep via Mr. DeNegro and his prompt intervention… and some badly needed energy healing. You might ask why Gabriel uses telepathy when in astral form and Anya doesn’t. The answer is awareness in the astral plane. Anya’s out–of-body experiences are unconscious and quite accidental; an event is akin to a nightmare. So she acts pretty much as she would in the physical realm. On the other hand Gabriel leaves his body willingly and fully aware; plus it helps being psychic.

On an unrelated subject, I stumbled upon a webcomic community www.bynightcomics.com which linked to this blog from their forum. The question posted in the forum was quite interesting “A truly scary comic… not possible.” I have tangled that same idea in this blog for a while. Like I’ve said before, Metasearch is a paranormal thriller not a horror comic. Any dwelling into the horror genre comes from the fact that the stories deal with the unknown, but is not meant to scare anyone. The whole horror genre in comic books is labeled such by their content and not their effects. Television and film have created our modern fictional nightmares. I have yet to hear from theater, although that in itself is an interesting premise. Literature has been the source of many a horror story, but I haven’t read anything that has scared me yet. The only story of this type I have ever encountered was someone who told me he read William Peter Blatty’s “The Exorcist,” and he had to sleep with the lights on for a month. Interesting enough, the original “Resident Evil” game for the PS made me jump a few times, and I was left with a sense of paranoia afterwards. And no, I wasn’t high. Come to think of it, the first “Rainbow Six” game for the PC made me paranoid about going up and down a flight of stairs, but that’s another story.

Based on the video game reference, I can only surmise that fear comes from the level of involvement of the viewer. I played alone at night with all the lights off, a big screen, surround sound, and I was pretty invested in the concept of a person alone in an abandoned mansion. Unlike drama, which is universal, horror and comedy are very subjective. I think the closest reference we can get to answer the fear question in a comic book is photography. Forensic books will make you cringe and shock you, but you will not be afraid that the man hit by a boat’s propeller will come out of your closet and eat you alive. I’ve seen photographs that have stirred all kinds of emotions in me, but never fear. The same goes for books, comics, and plays. Radio has scared me more than once when I was a kid. I was, and thanks to the web still am, a big fan of a radio show a la “Ripley’s Believe it or Not,” and some of the stories haunted me. Radio has the advantage of music, tone, passing, voice, and sound effects. Like a book, the visuals are left to your own imagination. So, I guess immersion is the key. Now good luck figuring that out in a comic book. My art in Metasearch has to do mainly with atmosphere, but how engaged my readers are, is up to them. I can provide the vehicle, but they have to be willing to be taken by the story. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

The Man Comes Around

2008-08-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just like Claire had her little moment in the sun on pages 47 and 48, it’s time for Gabriel to claim some of that spot light. I always thought about how that scene would look like when I wrote it. When you’re dealing with things that aren’t tangible, you always run the risk of making them look out of place. I knew they would have to be fantastic, yet they had to be grounded in the reality of the story.

Gabriel’s astral form is no different than his physical body. His abilities in this plane are energy, or light based. I kept the glow of his second chakra (the mind’s eye) blue, as it’s usually described; just like his aura, when it protects him from the psychic vampire’s tentacles. Blue is allegedly the color of protection amongst certain metaphysical circles. The light projecting from his hand is universal energy channeled through him. No, not like the Silver Surfer, but more like prana, chi, ki, or whatever else you want to call it. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)

2008-08-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Instead of doing yet another attack scene in Anya’s apartment, I decided to re-write it into a nightmare sequence. I didn’t make the decision based only on variety, but on visuals. I could go off into a more surrealistic moment in a nightmare sequence, and then hook it up to the real attack. It also helped to make the book darker without having to compromise the reality I already established. Of course, even though we’re dealing with the realm of the extra-physical, I wanted to keep things somewhat subtle.

Films like “The Sixth Sense” and “The Others” take the subtle approach to fear. Yes, there are supernatural elements, but it’s more psychological. I love this approach. Then you have the visceral approach of movies like “The Exorcist” or “Ju-on,” which works as well. There are degrees between them of course, and although Metasearch is in the subtle end of the spectrum, it threads into the visceral side at certain moments. After all, we have a red cloud with tentacles and a face floating about. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

War Within a Breath

2008-08-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I love this page. Not only was it fun to do, but I love the way it looks. I can definitely say these are the most extreme panels I’ve done so far. I wanted to show a progression with the psychic vampire. The first time we meet him, he is opaque and feeble. But as the attacks continue, he gets bigger, stronger, more substantial, and bright red like a hellish storm. For this latest attack I wanted him to look like blood in water, instead of just a cloud. That would give him an eerie fluidity and substance, more in tune with an extra-physical realm.

This time around I used the voiceovers as a way to show what is going on with the environment. As I create along, I keep pushing my own lettering limitations in trying to be more creative. In panel 2, the blurry letters denoting muffled noise, and the subtle fading of the words in panel 3 to illustrate how sound has become muted. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Fortune

2008-07-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

I thought it would funny to have a phony psychic in the backdrop of Metasearch. The irony of a story dealing with three of the world’s most gifted psychics, juxtaposed with a silly con job was too good to pass up. To make the situation more ludicrous, I wanted our mind reader to be completely fake. Her name, accent, gifts are all false, even cartoon-like. I always thought that if there were people with real paranormal abilities, they wouldn’t advertise themselves, or appear on TV. I think they would have their own lives, professions, regular names, and would keep their supernatural skills discreet. They might use them quietly, or people would know about them through word of mouth. That’s the way Metasearch is anyways. They do have a business card, but that was born out of necessity of some graphic element to represent them. Meaning that if you are handed out that card, you’ve been touched by preternatural forces. Needless to say very few people would posses that card. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

White Shadows

2008-07-28T07:29:00.001-07:00

There is a nice blend between the end of the flashback, and the end of McConnor’s scene in the rain, where the two respective styles can be seen. I can also see a definite progression from this latest page in contrast with my earlier efforts. Even the lettering has gotten more free, creative, and part of the narrative. This page also gets the unique distinction of being the one that holds the only white, complete panel in the whole book. That was a choice done in final art, when I faced the problem of not relying on sound effects to create a climax. Does it work? You’ll be the judge of that. Part of being creative is to do things that might not necessarily work, but if you don’t try you’ll never know. I’ll keep pushing and hopefully it will all go somewhere… preferably a good place.

So this week was the big Comic Con International, and I didn’t go. It’s been a while since I hit any type of convention, let a long a comic book one. I toyed with the idea of going, but I had no purpose in making the trip. I don’t care about celebrities, previews, swag, collecting, etc. So that pretty much rules out all convention activities. If I make the pilgrimage to San Diego it would be to peddle Metasearch around, but alas it’s not finished yet. Probably I’ll go next year, if nothing else happens during that time. You never know. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

The Memory Remains

2008-07-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Throughout “Reverie” there are hints about McConnor’s brush with the supernatural, and his history with Metasearch. Although it was never my intention to reveal exactly what that particular incident was, I always wanted to have a short flashback scene addressing the issue. Of course, this opens up a bunch of other questions, but that’s the whole idea.

I took a stripped down approach to the art. No backgrounds, as we are dealing with memory and the events, people, and dialog are the focus. However cliché the use of black and white in this sort of plot devices, I took a page out of Frank Miller’s playbook and went heavy on the shadows a la “Sin City.” Also, I decided to layoff the textures and allow the brushstrokes to be seen. This gave a surreal feel to the panels. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

I’m Only Happy When It Rains

2008-07-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

James McConnor comes to us in all his Film Noir glory in page 50. In the different page layouts, I always wanted to have a page with long, rectangular panels, and this scene was perfect for this purpose. Moreover, the fact that he is the only character who has an internal dialog makes the sequence more fitting. The grey lighting was always planned as a mood device, but the rain was a factor I added in final art. Ah, English summers!

I can’t help to draw a comparison between this latest page and Will Eisner’s work in “A Contract with God.” The grit and atmosphere of Eisner’s work is so that you can even smell the city. I’m not diluted enough to think I have achieved something anywhere near his kind of talent, but the images blurred by the rain, the foreboding feeling, and sense of melancholy can be taken from this offering. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Changes

2008-07-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Basically, page 49 was originally four pages in the script that took place back at the Witch’s Cauldron, where Metasearch initially talks to McConnor. As I went through the scene I noticed that it could be done in one page, and I didn’t want to repeat the same location. Since Anya works at the British Museum, I thought it would be a cool idea to have the museum as the meeting place. That would give me an opportunity to have some interesting visuals. When searching for reference, I found that the museum had a “Living and Dying” exposition. It’s a gallery about the different takes on life and death throughout cultures. That reinforced my initial inclination of changing locations.

“Reverie’s” script was done a number of years ago, so it is no surprise that changes will and have occurred. Moreover, seeing the finished pages gives you a better sense of the story’s rhythm; so changes will take place in order to keep the plot’s pace interesting. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

What Difference Does it Make?

2008-07-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Most web comics have gone back to the newspaper tradition of the strip. These are usually self-contained stories done in a few panels. This format is perfect for the web generation: Visual, quick, and only little text. Websites like Penny Arcade and PVP make the most out of this format. Like mentioned before, the genesis of Metasearch was the graphic novel for print. Therefore there are pages that lack the compact punch of the daily comic strip, like today’s page. My best guess is that “Reverie” is one of those stories that you’ll have to go back and read again after it’s over, in order to truly appreciate it.

There has been a couple of pages that end in a sort of cliffhanger, but if you take in consideration that you have to wait two, or three days (if it’s from Friday to Monday) to find out what happened, it makes me wonder if the impact is still the same. I don’t want to go the way of “Lost” or anything. On the other hand, there is a special involvement between the story and the reader when they have to wait to see the plot unfold. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Anywhere Out of the World

2008-07-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Being influenced by different cultures is always a creative asset. I’m always delighted to read comic books like “Y: The Last Man,” “Queen and Country,” “The Losers,” “Fell,” and so on. It shows me there’s still a healthy creative staple of people out there. Mainstream seems a tad stale. I’ve always compared it to an inbred population: the same people regurgitating the same schlock with a slightly different garnish. A few years ago Whilce Portacio came up with a line of books based on Filipino folklore; I always thought that was an interesting idea, but alas I never saw a single issue of it, nor do I know what happened to that project.

But I digress . . . I grew up watching anime in a time when censorship was kind of lax. So, some of its violence and dynamics were not lost. I was also influenced by European and American comics and film. Furthermore, South America’s socio-political awareness, cynicism, and dark humor became part of my formative years. Introspectively, I’m hard pressed when it comes time to dissecting each influence in my work. I guess there is an American sense of aesthetics and dialog, with European storytelling and feel, complemented by Japanese dynamism and rawness, topped by South American consciousness and irreverence. All of these elements are synthesized into a nihilistic, semi-impressionistic, hyper-realism.

In my opinion, creativity is like genetics: the more diverse the gene pool, the greater the results. As an art form, comic books have taken from Japanese wood carvings to digital art, and everything in between. The results are always amazing. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Light Inside

2008-07-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

The self-imposed challenge in Page 46 was to have three different light sources. Usually all pages in Metasearch have a light filter that permeates the whole panel. This time (well, it really started in page 45) I have the light coming from the TV set, a bluish glow (in page 31, it was more of a white wash look). The TV screen is its own light source, and it’s so bright that I decided not to let the overall green tint affect it. Even though I painted shadows in the objects and figures, I wanted to create a sense of depth as well, so background shadows were layered into the scenes to produce the desired effect. Panel 3 on page 46 had the distinctive element of the vampire in the background, which introduces red into the mix, but as the tentacles get closer, they start to be mixed with the blue.

Other elements that I like about these last two pages are the use of text free of the balloon as to denote the sound coming from the TV, and the use of different colors to identify the speaker: white for the talk show host, and black for Johnny. I find this last page resembling more of a poster than a comic book page, which I totally love. The faded insert with Anya screaming was a last minute addition, but I think it takes the point across and it adds, rather then takes away from, the impact of the third panel. Without further ado, I’ll leave you the pages and hope you dig them. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Voices

2008-07-11T14:33:00.001-07:00

Throughout the script for “Reverie”, I had a few scenes with voiceovers. Sadly, because of composition, space, and clarity, most of them were jettisoned. Page 45 presented a great opportunity to finally have ambience dialog that is not directly connected with the panels. In my opinion, it brings a level of realism to the story, and fleshes out more of the world in which Metasearch takes place.

In this particular voiceover, I had a chance to play with comical elements. Juxtaposing fear and laughter is nothing new. Actually it is quite a natural reaction. How many times have we nervously laughed at a particularly tense or uncomfortable situation? Movies like “An American Werewolf in London,” and Ghostbusters” mix both in equal quantities to great success. Moreover, as a plot device, it helps to release stress in order to maintain the level of suspense.

It is known by writers that the two hardest things to create are comedy, and horror. So it’s easy to understand why trying to marry both genres is a monumental task. Online self-publishing has the great advantage of experimentation. Now let’s quiet down and listen to what the voices have to say. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Somebody Get Me a Doctor

2008-07-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

For what I call “the hospital sequence” (pages 41 to 44), I wanted things to be a little bit different than what I’ve been doing so far. First, I chose to light all the inside setups with a hospital-green sheen for the background, while the characters maintained their unadulterated colors. This is in contrast to the tinted look I’ve used in previous scenes. The little effect with the glass at the reception area came to me as I composed the shots. I thought it would add a cool detail to the panels. The idea of Gabriel using shades inside the hospital came from the concept that particularly strong psychics are known to shield others from the power of their gifts. Since Gabriel was there to read people’s minds, I thought it would be apropos, and I could also do some cool reflections on them.

The collage in page 42, panel 2 wasn’t on the script. The investigation played out quite simply, but by the time I did the breakdowns for the page, I decided to go for a one-panel collage showing each character doing their thing. The idea of the clock was always there, but I chose to take a more surrealistic approach to it by the time I was doing the final art. Also, in the final art of page 43, I got a bit ambitious and decided to play with rain and a change of light; from the vivid colors of the first shot on page 41 to the washed-out first panel of page 43. With the rain came the idea of puddles, and that gave birth to the idea of panel 4 in page 44. Again, all of these were done in the final art stage. The cab sequence was pretty much designed that way in the breakdowns, with the exception of the reflection of the protagonists panel 2, page 44.

The precognition sequence with Acantha was scripted and designed that way, but in the final stage, I added the rain drops and that awesome texture to the images that gave it such a great, disturbed appeal. Furthermore, by the time I was lettering the page, I thought it would be cool to add a voice over from Claire, but the words and the balloons would be blurred, as if to give the effect of muffled noise while Acantha was in her trance.

These four pages really came to life in the final stage of production; with ideas growing out of the panels, concepts, as well as my own imposed challenges. I love the fact that even after I had scripted and prepared my scenes, there is still room for improvement. The process had become quite organic as the new ideas I came up with spawned some of their own. I’m so happy Metasearch is still a source of both wonder and learning, even at this latter stage. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Whiskey, Mystics and Men

2008-07-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

In trying to keep Metasearch grounded to a certain level of realism, I’m often faced with the conundrum of how to approach the supernatural. It is always tempting to go off and create outlandish imagery to convey the phenomena. However, I try to stick to an artistic, yet conservative take on the paranormal. Claire’s empathic ability plays out like a movie, but it’s tainted by whatever emotion is prevalent in the memory. In pages 14 and 15, Harry’s panels are tainted in red, while

Lydia

’s and her daughter are tainted in blue; anger and fear. Claire’s telemetry is a series of sepia flashes, or cut scenes. Gabriel’s conversation with Mr. Sims in the astral plane (pages 7 to 9) is depicted by bright colors and no shadows (everything is composed of its own light). Also, his telepathy is implied in conversation (page 22 panel 1), and in the lettering (page 42 panel 2). Acantha’s medium skills are shown in her eyes and voice (pages 11 and 12), and in page 43 we can see her precognitive gift as a somewhat abstract collage.

These are all quaint ways to show something otherwise extraordinary. However, this is not the kind of book you’ll see those wonderful Kirby-esque energy crackles, psychic butterflies, or phoenix shapes. To me “Reverie” was written for the engaged reader; one who catches subtleties, and is immersed in the plot. In a world where instant gratification is highly desired, subtleties are just another casualty.

I often find it gratifying to find new things in stories I’ve revisited. I might have gotten the big picture, but as I dwell more in the details of the story, it acquires a deeper dimension. I hope some of that depth permeates “Reverie,” and that every time someone reads it again, they are delighted to find another piece of the puzzle. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

She Loves Me/She Loves Me Not

2008-07-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Many moons ago, I read an article in Wizard Magazine about why women were a minority as far a comic book readership is concerned. Granted this was an article written in the nineties, when comic books became highly oversexed. In a nutshell, the article said that most women were not really engaged in big, macho guys beating the crap out of some monster with an impossibly large gun (I will not get into the symbolism of the matter), and being surrounded by gravity-defying women wearing something resembling a band aid. I can see the point in that. Fast forward to 2008, and I was reading in Wired Magazine about the incredible female readership manga has. Why? There are manga that cater to things women find engaging in a comic book. The article mentions story and relationships as the main draw. Now, do keep in mind that these are generalizations, and that there are exceptions to every rule. Where am I going with all this? Let me explain.

Early on, when I decided to write graphic novels, I wanted to write stories that would appeal to women as well as men. The logic was (and still is) that if a woman finds what I’m writing interesting, it is a good story. It takes a casual walk through any comic book store to realize that keeping a male audience engaged is not that hard. Hell, some companies have been built out of catering to the more basic male needs. As I was once told proudly at a comic book convention: “If your books have to do with scantily-clad babes, bring them to us!” I have no problem with scantily-clad babes, God bless them all, but as a writer I want to go for something a little more sophisticated. Besides, the muscle-bound hero, semi-naked babe, slugfest-loving market is well represented. They certainly don’t need another person grinding the same stone.

Anyway, I felt quite satisfied as a writer when I discovered women enjoyed my work. I guess I can say “mission accomplished” in that regard. To me, a good story is a good story regardless of the medium. I know of women who loved playing Myst, who love reading comic books and who love watching sci-fi. And no, they don’t live in a basement and play Magic on Friday nights. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman out

Working Man

2008-07-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Having a life, working, and doing a web comic that updates three times a week is no easy feat. People might consider Metasearch my hobby, but to me it’s a second job. A job I love, but it’s hard work nonetheless. Not that I’m complaining. I guess the hardest thing is to be vigilant about producing the book. I always say that if I don’t take it seriously, no one will. Some people are even mystified by the fact that I’m so adamant about keeping up my self-imposed publishing schedule. Can’t really blame them, as I don’t get a salary for it, I answer to no one about it, and since the novel is still in its web infancy, the readership is still growing. So why do I care if comes out on Monday or next Thursday? I believe that if you want to be professional at anything, you should act like one.

My father once told me: “Consistency, hard work, and discipline are the keys to success.” The older I get, the more truthful this maxim gets. There’s an artistic need that is met by doing my graphic novel. There’s also some gratification when readers tell you they enjoy your work. But there is an inherent feeling of satisfaction in carrying a task to completion no matter the payoff (if any). A blue collar concept perhaps, and sadly, one that’s almost extinct in today’s society. I’ll end this rant with one of my favorite quotes.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The Slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Calvin Coolidge 1932

I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

The Mirror

2008-06-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be a cool idea to create a page that is the opposite of another. That’s what I did for pages 39 and 40, where I decided to reverse every panel; same setting different angle. I even reversed the dialog, not really on purpose; I was looking for a way to convey voiceovers through the telephones without having to fallback on the star-like word balloons. I decided to flip the colors and have no dialog arrows. But once I saw the two pages completed, I realized that it had fallen in place with the whole concept of the scene. A happy coincidence I say, buy hey, I’ll take it.

After forty pages of trying to keep every page interesting, you don’t want to repeat yourself. This pushes me to be more creative every time. It’s challenging and satisfying, and the book benefits from it. I have also become a bit looser with my lettering. It’s still a work in progress, but it has certainly improved. As I compare page 1 to page 40, I see that Metasearch has gone a long way in a very short period of time. Don’t worry; we still have a lot more road ahead of us. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing

2008-06-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Going through the old blog entries I found out that I’ve been remiss in talking about Gabriel. I did mention some factoids about him, but never got to talk in depth about the character. Aside from what I’ve already said in the “Even Flow” post, Gabriel DeNegro is the easiest character to write for me. He represents the New Age take on the supernatural. DeNegro is candid, easy going, gregarious, and enjoys the ironies of life; an attitude that stems from living between the physical and the metaphysical world. His place of birth is the city of Vigo,

Spain

in an area called

Galicia

. Once Celtic land,

Galicia

is known as “terra das meigas,” Galician for “land of the meigas.” Meigas are the traditional folk witches of

Galicia

. It’s a part of

Spain

rich with supernatural folktales and believes. This is in line with the concept that each member of Metasearch comes from a place Europe rich with occult lore.

Gabriel’s last name is somewhat uncomfortable for English speakers. Take the first to letters of his surname and you’ll understand why. I’ve been asked why didn’t I choose something different, but the genesis of his particular family name comes from a person I know, who had a much more compromising last name. As I writer, I fall in love with life little quirks, and use them to make my characters more real. Not everyone can be like Homer Simpson and choose to change their names to the more appealing “Max Power.”

DeNegro’s amazing ESP abilities not only forged his character, but his chosen profession as a holistic healer in the critical wing of a hospital. He was supposed to be originally a parapsychologist, but that honor went to Acantha so each character had a job becoming of their gifts and personalities. There you have it, the elusive, yet accessible Gabriel. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Engines of Creation

2008-06-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Page 38 is a great example of how to turn a seemingly boring scene into something rather interesting. In the seminal book “How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way” by Stan Lee and John Buscema, there is a comparison of a scenes done in two ways: One boring and one “the Marvel Way!” The first one is a pretty straightforward depiction of the story; the other has very dramatic angles and interesting body language. It’s the same setting, but with two very different approaches. As you might have noticed by now, Reverie is a not story driven by action, so I always make sure that every page looks artistically appealing.

Take this page for instance, it could have been a straight forward scene with six panels or so. However, I’ve been wanting to make a collage page for awhile, and I thought this was the perfect time to do so. What I like about composing a page this way is how it conveys the passage of time. It also involves the reader by immersing them in the documents Inspector McConnor is reading. I had some concerns about how it would come out with Metasearch’s faded look, but after all was said and done, the scene played out beautifully. Lettering was also a concern of mine, since there was so much text going on, but I try to integrate the narration into the art as much as I could and it worked pretty well too.

It is often the case with me that the pages with which I struggle the most, turn out to be some of my favorites. I’ll see you in that page.

Oddman Out

Out of Control

2008-06-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Now that you have met Anya, it’s time to talk a little bit about her. Anya carries half of the story’s load along with McConnor. She was originally part of the much larger Metasearch team I had envisioned, but as I kept polishing the concept, she ended up being a secondary character. Her look, personality and supernatural ability remains the same, but with a twist. Anya was supposed to be the team’s astral traveler, but in my research I found out that this is an ability that can be purportedly learned by anyone. Consequently I decided that Gabriel--the member of Metasearch with abilities that grant him greater cognitive sense--should be an astral traveler as well. This is due to the alleged fact that awareness plays a major role in controlling out of of body experiences.

Nevertheless I liked Anya and, with the little twist to her gift, I wrote her into “Reverie.” The alteration was that she couldn’t control her astral projections, and her uncomfortable extra-physical experiences were synthesized from the supposed repeated incidents of two people I know. This incorporeal meeting between the psychic vampire and Anya gave the story a whole new interesting dimension. Her occupation, a Doctor in Art History and Anthropology working for the British Museum, was also part of her original concept. This is a set of skills I thought could come in handy in future stories.

As a plot catalyst, Inspector McConnor represents the skeptical, pragmatist side of the reader. On the other hand, Anya is the guide into the unknown. She is the fear, reluctance, and helplessness of someone unwillingly touched by preternatural forces. So hold on to your bodies, and let’s see where this hapless traveler of the unknown takes us. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Death Letter

2008-06-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Writing is one of the most underestimated skills in the modern era. Of course we are still awed by poets, literary figures, playwrights, and although rapidly fading, we still hold a healthy measure of respect for journalism. Every once in a while we are dazzled by a well-written film or TV series, which invariably becomes massively popular or even a classic. Comic books are no different. I’ve been in comic book conventions where people brag about: “we desperately needed a writer for the series, so [whatever the name was] from marketing stepped up and wrote the story.” I’m paraphrasing an actual quote, but I sat there shocked at the fact that a guy who admittedly had no writing training was tapped to be the writer of a series. Training doesn’t equate talent, of course, but sadly this wasn’t the case. No wonder writers like Moore, Gaiman, Ennis, and Miller are so popular. Aside from their obvious talent, they have the slight advantage of being writers. Trained or not, they know how to tell a story with words.

The fact that a person can put words together in sentences doesn’t make them a writer. Most people in the 21^st century can read and write, and word processor software has made the task even easier. So really, the ability to write doesn’t make you a writer. Perhaps the quintessential illustration of this idea comes from the Robert Altman film “The Player,” in which studio executives browse through the newspaper in search for story ideas, since the screenwriters were on strike. Personally, I think a writer is a person who has a way with words, i.e. Shakespeare and Cervantes to show the pinnacle of this skill. These are people that have such a command of their language that can convey timeless stories. I, for one, see myself as a storyteller, not a writer.

To the chagrin of most people who want to break into the comic business as writers, the doors are tightly closed. Like fictional spies, we search for the one chance we can find to “Machiavelli” our way into the impregnable fortress that is the publishing business amidst an endless army of clone-writing, half-baked producing, rip-off adapting, unoriginal-typing, nonsensical-scribing people. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Keep Talking

2008-06-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Dialog is a tricky thing to pull off in comic books. Every word balloon has its own rules about how many words they should contain, because each one will inevitably cover some part of the art work. Speech should be concise and to the point; unlike a book or a script, where you can run wild with it. This is an often overlooked, but unique feature of the graphic novel that presents a challenge to the writer, and also points out the difference between working on manuscripts for different media.

My formal training is as a script writer for film. Screenplays have very definite rules that the writer should follow, even though they are used mostly as a guideline for cast and crew than an immutable bible. Movie scripts focus more on who, where, how, why, and when; with an emphasis in dialog. Camera angles, props, costumes, action scenes, and even the dialog can change as the manuscript travels through the different departments and talent in a production. The witty banter of Pulp Fiction would be hard to reproduce in a comic book, since space is always an issue. As much as the letterer blends the word balloons with the art, the fact remains that something will be obscured by the dialog.

Since Metasearch is a one-man-effort, it is easy for me to edit my own dialog to suit my panels, but I can’t deny the fact that I find myself doing that all too often, and I keep reminding to myself “this isn’t a screenplay.” Going through every stage of the creation of a graphic novel has been an immense learning experience. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Food for Thought

2008-06-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

The ability to know what a character thinks is native to the literary form. It’s one of the elements that make reading a unique experience. I deliberately chose to do without it for Metasearch to maintain a level of suspense. It’s my intention that the reader discovers the elements of the novel along with the characters. The exception to this rule is Inspector McConnor, who I wanted to be the only inner voice in “Reverie”; plus it adds to his film noir feel. McConnor, in a way, is the narrator; and like I’ve said before, he is the main channel through which the reader experiences the story.

It would have been easy to fill page 34 with internal dialog, but I’d rather keep the panels blank, so the reader can project their own thoughts in what I like to call the “quiet pages.” I see them as a blank canvas in which the reader can interact with the plot. They can follow the character and “write” their own internal dialog to the scene. This is the sort of interaction and submersion I strive to achieve. There’s no better scene than the one played out in the public’s mind. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Just Because

2008-06-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Every now and then I find the rare chance to submit Reverie to a publisher. This little song and dance has gone on for several years now, and it has taken several incarnations. As you might have guessed, no one has answered my knocking on the door… yet, and I don’t lose hope. You can say I have an unwavering belief in my work. Curiously enough rejection is still hard to stomach. Human nature I guess. I can take professional rejection with no problem, but when it is related to my graphic novel, it hits a little close to my heart. What has changed is the recovering time: You read the rejection letter, you feel the kick in your gut, you bitch and complain, you have a couple of drinks, and the next morning, you move on as if nothing happened. Self-publishing on-line has a unique sense of solitude. You’re not handing out anything, you just post it and hopefully people will click and read.

Personally the payoff of all this comes from the people who take the time to email me about their regard for my work. When you really think about it, these people have no other motivation to do this other than their genuine enjoyment of what I do, and their gregarious choice to convey it to me. What good would a storyteller be without an audience gathered around the fire to hear his tales? I believe when art is done for yourself, it is self-expression; when you find an audience, it is communication; and when you make money out of it, it’s a career. I spend a lot of time in the “self-expression” stage, and to finally be able to communicate my vision to others has been very rewarding.

I want to thank all of you out there who have honored me with your emails and support. As sappy as it might sound, you have given me one more reason to keep on doing what I love. Now move closer to the fire so I can continue my tale… I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Long Hard Road Out of Hell

2008-06-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Metasearch’s art falls under the “Digital Art” category. It can also be called mixed media, since there are many elements that comprise each panel. Some people even call this style "experimental". In my opinion, all of these definitions are true. As Imentioned in previous blog entries, I wanted to develop a unique look for the book. Dealing with experimental, digital mixed media proved to be quite challenging, and in blogging, I just give a peek at the many hardships in creating this novel.

Page 31 has been by far the hardest. Painting hues and strokes had to match; different textures and color filters had to be created to give each apartment its own signature look and feel. References, perspectives, and action had to flow seamlessly to convey the action. Elements had to be retouched and blended together. If this was a page solely done in pencils or painting, it would just be a matter of creating each panel without having to deal with all these elements. Then we go on to page 32, which has to match page 23 in order to maintain art continuity.

As you can see, it is sometimes an imperfect method that yields interesting results and creates a distinctive appearance. Every panel is approached differently since each presents its own challenges, but that’s what keeps it interesting for me as an artist. Even the most mundane panel becomes an adventure. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Always Near You/No Place to Hide

2008-06-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Aside from the world within a world concept in Metasearch, there’s also the concept of “nothing is what it seems.” Like a cadence, this concept is repeated through “Reverie” on different occasions; from the murders, to the team’s introduction, to page 30. What we initially think appears to be a normal scene, soon turns into something extraordinary. The trivial aspect of the interaction, i.e. a conversation in the park, makes the supernatural occurrence even more surreal.

One of the elements that I like about the story is the proximity of the paranormal to every day life. When I look into a crowd like in a mall or when I’m stuck in traffic, I can’t help but wonder how many stories are around me. One of these people might be a spy on their way to uncover a state secret, or driving to pay a ransom, or being deployed behind enemy lines in some black operation. After all, everybody is a world unto themselves. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

These Things

2008-06-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

Like I said before, “Reverie” is peppered with little inside jokes and small details that are a source of great joy for me as a creator. Some of these details help ground Metasearch into its own reality, and yet they’re not essential to the story. So I’ll share my joy with you by pointing out a few more of these easter eggs.

There is a cross in every panel of page 1.

The cover of the book on page 4 was an old art school project.

The title is a play to Dion Fortune’s book dealing with the same subject. The “Metasearch” business card McConnor is holding in page 6 was actually the same business cards I used to promote the graphic novel at a comic book convention some years ago.

The “Witch’s Cauldron,” the pub in which the team meets the Inspector, is one of those imaginary places which I got to design as a recurrent place in the book. I’m particularly found of the sign. Also, the artwork on the walls of the pub (page 18 and 19) depict illustrations of witch hunts in England.

McConnor’s Brand of cigarettes, “Gypsy’s” (page 27), is another of my custom designs for the book.

Finally, on page 30, the design on the girl’s T-shirt is from a make-believe rock band I created and it depicts odd-i-t’s own mascot, Oddman. I hope you find these indulgences as amusing as I do. Keep your eyes peeled and I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

In the Still of the Night

2008-06-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Part of the Metasearch world is comprised of a supporting cast. Although recurring, these characters are not necessarily part of every case. Such is the situation of Inspector James McConnor who carries half of the load of representing the reader in the story. He is a jaded, veteran detective who has seen it all. McConnor is a pragmatic workaholic with a blue-collar approach; he likes to work the night shift and still gets his hands dirty instead of riding a desk. Although nearing retirement, the Inspector’s physique tells of a once-imposing rookie cop, who commanded respect. Both his body type and hair style were inspired by a person I knew.

Throughout “Reverie”, it is suggested that McConnor has some history with Metasearch, a past that’s yet to be revealed. The Inspector represents the logical mind; the part of our brain that rationalizes everything. He is a cop, and he lives in a world of analysis, evidence, and facts. Yet his life was touched by the unexplained at one point; in such a way that has shaken him to the very core of his beliefs. This makes McConnor live in a state of semi-denial; hence his reluctance to contact Metasearch. But, it also explains why he would consider them as an answer.

James was born out of the necessity for a story catalyst. However, he soon took a life of his own, and developed his voice. It didn’t take long to develop a soft spot for the big, old, cynic with the stone-like face. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Money

2008-06-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

As I get deeper into the world of web comics, I bump into the money issue every now and then. The issue is nothing but the old “principles vs. money” illusion that seems to have incorrectly come down to us from the French Bohemian movement of the late 1900s. I say incorrectly because French Bohemians were about an artistic, social, and political revolution against the mainstream culture of the time. They usually lacked money and placed their artistic expression above all else. These facts were romanticized and later translated to the general public as the “starving artist” image; the fantasy of a person who loathes money and prefers to live under a bridge sustained by nothing but their passion for art. I find it hard to believe that this unrealistic concept is still alive and well in the 21st century.

Art and entertainment aren’t mutually exclusive. They certainly cross paths more than once, but they also tend to be confused by most people. Art is a form of self expression that challenges society; it mirrors it, and its end result is not necessarily agreeable to the public. Entertainment, on the other hand, is escapism, enjoyment, and satisfactory to the public. Both are necessary, important, sometimes similar, but not the same. There is one indisputable factor they have in common: Money. You can grab your guitar and entertain friends at a party, and you can paint in your free time to express another side of you, but if you choose to make a creative endeavor a career, you need to pay the bills. The greatest artists in history were no exception; they were hired by kings, popes, the nobility, and the wealthiest families of their time.

If I could quit my day job in order to pursue a career doing comics, I would do it in a second. Who wouldn’t love to be making a living out of something they love to do? We spend a big chunk of our lives working, and to me there is nothing worse than to wake up every day to do something I'm forced to do. To be able to make money through self expression is an admirable feat, not something of which to be ashamed. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Peace of Mind

2008-05-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been asked if I'm not worried about someone stealing my work now that it's online. I guess every artist faces that fear at one point or another. When I was younger I was so paranoid about someone profiting from my creativity that I ended up not showing my creations at all. No, not very smart indeed.

In reality there will always be people in this world trying to take advantage of someone else's work. Whether it is identity theft, pyramid scams, piracy, etc. That doesn't mean that we are without protection, nor should we stop living our lives and doing the things we enjoy. I take the time to actually copyright my work regardless of the law stating that everything is copyrighted once you create it. I’d rather put my trust on paper and have it archived in the Library of Congress. Still, I put a little "Beware of Dog" sign on my blog (see right column) as a reminder to the morally elastic.

Besides, if someone steals my work, all that’s going to happen is we go to court, where I'll bury them in evidence (aside from the copyright), i.e. concept art, original scripts, breakdowns, character concepts, original files, etc. In return for my trouble, I get money in damages, free publicity for the book and an insider’s view of court procedures that I can use as reference for future projects. Not too shabby.

Like the S.A.S. (Special Air Services) motto says: "Who Dares Wins." There is nothing worse than to live life in fear. I'll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Secret World

2008-05-28T08:11:00.000-07:00

The theme of a world within a world has always fascinated me. Take a look at any hobby and you’ll find a subculture with its own publication, slang, heroes, idiosyncrasies, etc. Conspiracy theorists also make use of this “invisible world” idea to express that there is something operating alongside the world we know. Metasearch develops under a similar theory; the assumption that the supernatural is all around us and it’s largely ignored until our lives are touched by it.

We see traces of this idea in the psychic studies conducted by the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the Studies of Tibetan monk meditation by Harvard scholars, and the different uses of the occult during World War II. Of course these are just a few instances, but you get the general idea. I always thought of the members of Metasearch as people who would be approached by the CIA; they would probably work well in intelligence gathering due to the incredible level of their abilities. However, these are people living unassumingly among us, and are extremely judicious about their gifts. I once explained to a friend of mine that Metasearch would be the kind of organization a guy like Bill Gates will call if his house was haunted. A man of such resources would be able to hire real psychics amidst an ocean of charlatans. The chosen psychics would be the cream of the crop, and they would be discreet about handling the case.

Every society is comprised of a number of subcultures. Every occupation, religion, hobby, criminal group, etc. form a part of the multi-layered tapestry of our world. Whether they are fantastic or not, it’s an intriguing fact of the human psyche. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

All Around the World

2008-05-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Most comic book stories usually take place in the

United States

, and even more of them take place in New York City or in a fictional New-York-Like place. When I was in my teens reading comics, I used to wonder about what was happening in other parts of the world. We got to see what was going on in the

U.S.

Japan

, and

England

, but what about the rest of the world? Were there no superheroes in Latin America? Africa? The Middle East? Sure, there were some characters that came from some of these countries: Storm and Black Panther came from Africa, The New Mutants Rictor and Sunspot were from

Mexico

and

Brazil

respectively, and Sabra is from

Israel

. However, these characters’ adventures usually take place on American soil, not in their homelands.

I always liked to see diversity in comics, but we rarely got to see what was going on in the rest of the world, and when we did, it was usually grossly misrepresented. South America is an uncivilized, vast jungle with old, toothless people. The Middle East is an endless desert filled with archaic, bloodthirsty nomad tribes. Africa is nothing but a savage-infested, safari-looking place right out of a Robert Conrad tale. That has always bothered me even today, so one of the things I like to do as a writer is to explore the rest of the world in my stories. The

U.S.

and

Japan

are well represented as far as I know. My stories are about characters and places that we often don’t get to see.

You can say that

England

is not much of a stretch, and I agree. The reason I based Metasearch in London is because of the countries vast history with the paranormal and the country’s atmosphere. Also, it is a location I know, so I felt more comfortable depicting it rather than I place I don’t. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

2008-05-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Throughout most of their folkloric and literary history, Vampires were depicted as hideous reanimated corpses preying on the living. There was nothing sensual, glamorous, or romantic about these supernatural parasites. Vampires were nightmarish monsters that lurked in the shadows. That is of course, up until the Victorian Era when Bram Stocker published “Dracula” and the romantic vampire, charged with charm and sexuality, was born. When I wrote Reverie, I did it based on the idea of an extra-physical killer. A movie released around that time forced me to change my original idea, and through research, I found out about psychic vampires. Hence Reverie became a vampire story.

In the beginning I wasn’t thrilled about writing yet another vampire story, but the fact that I’ve never seen a story about a psychic vampire, and the idea that I could bring the fiend back to its roots, started to become appealing. The psychological implications of an amorphous entity entering a sleeping victim’s home, to feed on their helpless bodies as they watch in terror, brings the vampire back to the realm of nightmares from whence it was originally spawned. Elements associated with the vampire such as flying, invulnerability, shape-shifting, and night prowling are still present and perhaps even more plausible by the assailant’s lack of physicality. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Fear of the Dark

2008-05-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

It is said that comedy and horror are the hardest things to write. Metasearch is meant to be a thriller, not a horror story, but both genres tend to merge at certain points especially when dealing with the supernatural. Take a look at movies like “The Shinning,” “The Sixth Sense,” “Psycho,” “Jaws,” and “Seven.” What makes them stand out (and yes, there are many other examples) is the way they are set up. Nowadays many scary movies rely on old and cheap formulas: The loud bang of a sound or music, or extreme gore. I was never a fan of gore. Yes, you can make someone squirm by showing a rather macabre torture scene, but that’s not going to stop people from going to the beach or taking a shower. Even in video games, thanks to their immersive nature, you have some scary rides like “Resident Evil,” “Eternal Darkness, “Fatal Frame 2,” and “Silent Hill” that leave you feeling a little uncomfortable even after you’ve quit the game.

The challenge becomes even greater in comic books where you rely solely on images. Yes you can do something gory, or some cool monster, but how can one convey fear? I wrestled with that question myself as I wrote Reverie. When the reader finally sees the psychic vampire, does it really have an impact? If we put things in perspective I guess the answer is yes. If a person sees some sort of strange vapor floating on top of their bed and they can’t scream or move, they will be frightened, but can you really make that connection on the page? I guess I’ll find out soon enough.

When you reach your “Jaws” moment, and by that I mean the anticipated reveal of your nemesis, you’re arriving at a pivotal moment in your story. It’s a sink or swim moment (no pun intended), in which an artist can be tempted to unleash some sort of extreme monstrous creation to convey a sense of danger. I opted for the subtle approach, relying on the story’s atmosphere and hoping that by now, my readers are already immersed in it. After all, Reverie was envisioned to be an “it can happen to you” type of story, that’s grounded in a plausible reality. I can only hope, in the nicest of ways, to make some sleep with their lights on after reading my tale. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

The Long and Winding Road

2008-05-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Page twenty two is the last of the “old” Metasearch pages. There is a two year gap between page twenty two and page twenty three. Time indeed flies. As I sat down to create new pages, all sorts of thoughts went through my head. I really didn’t know if I could still do it, or if the new pages would fit. I also had a great sense of excitement going back to my unfinished story, doing something I love, and playing with characters I care so much about. A lot of things have happened since I took a hiatus from the novel, so much so that it feels like another life altogether. Time, as usual, is in short supply, but so far I’ve managed to keep the updates as scheduled.

Evolution can’t be stopped, so the major hurdle is to make the new pages fit the old ones. It would be a real mood-breaker to go from one page to the next and find two different styles telling the same story. My task is to keep the same vibe, same style, same vision; but thanks to the time my craft has spent marinating, I think my art is more refined and I have a few more tricks up my sleeve.

I’m satisfied with the way the new pages look. You can see a progression in the art, but the look still remains. There are many challenges as I work towards completing Reverie. Metasearch as a concept has seen many permutations throughout the years, and I have no idea where it will lead (if it actually leads anywhere). But the experience gained and the satisfaction of carrying a task to its completion can’t be taken away. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Silent Lucidity

2008-05-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

As I go through some of the Metasearch pages, I noticed quite a few instances in which I rely purely on story telling and not dialog to drive the story. I guess I can say there is a lot of silence in some of the pages, and that harkens back to the idea of letting the mood navigate rather than the words. When I see the works of some artists like Dave Gibbons, Frank Miller, Eddie Campbell, Stan Sakai, Juanjo Guarnido and Brian Hurtt, I always admire their ability to convey the story without the need for dialog. Of course there are more examples of good storytelling, but telling stories with pictures is tricky. Take “30 Days of Night” for example; I loved the story and Ben Templesmith’s art, but take the dialog out (and in some instances even with dialog) and you can’t tell what’s going on. I also love David Mack’s work; look at “Daredevil: Wake Up” without the words and all that is left is some very creative and beautiful art.

From script, to breakdown, to final art, it is easy to follow your own story since it is ingrained in your brain, but what about the reader? Readers will see your story for the first time with no other concept than the one you present. Is it clear to them? I always show my pages to other people before I letter them just to see if the sequence is clear. I also used to get defensive when some one couldn’t follow the story with just the pictures… not anymore. If someone can’t follow the plot then I didn’t do my work, and it’s back to the drawing board. Panels are remade or all together discarded, sequences changed, shots rethought, and sometimes pages rewritten. There is a lot of work that goes into a comic book, even in today’s computer age, which makes me admire the old school guys even more. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Mystic Rhythms

2008-05-14T11:34:00.000-07:00

A few blog entries ago, I mentioned the lack of a soundtrack in the medium. Yet, music is an integral part of my work. The most prevalent memory of my teens is me drawing at two in the morning on a school night with my stereo blasting some music. With very few exceptions, I always work with music playing in the background. Sometimes the music is just there, keeping me company; other times it becomes inspiration to what I write, draw, or paint. There are songs that have become so identifiable with my work, that I can’t hear them without remembering that particular art piece, or scene.

Bands like Portishead, Dead Can Dance, Bauhaus, and Pink Floyd (for some Gabriel scenes) became a sort of a soundtrack to Metasearch as I was working on the script and some of the pages. I find it curious that I associate a silent art form with so much sound. Maybe it's the armchair filmmaker in me, or perhaps it's my frustrated need to convey a fully immersive experience to the readers. I for one believe that life would be so much more interesting if we had our own soundtrack; and no, I don’t mean whatever we listen to our in mp3 players while we walk around.

Maybe there are people that listen to music when they read comic books (or web comics). I’m not one of them, but I’m sure there has to be someone who likes to make the experience just a little bit more personal by adding their own touch. Music is the language of the soul and we like to hear its rhetoric. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Theme for a Strange World

2008-05-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Although a work of fiction, Metasearch’s Reverie story was inspired by actual experiences of people I’ve known. It didn’t matter to me whether these events could be explained; what fascinated me was the experience itself. Sure, a scientist could say that all this is caused by something as simple as sleep paralysis, and I’m fine with that. But as a writer of fiction, the explanation to me is irrelevant. What matters is the perception of the experience by the individual, which makes for a great story element.

I have yet to meet a person, both believer and skeptic, that doesn’t have a strange event that happened in their life. These events are usually so personal that it triggers a mixture of reactions on the listener. If your mother tells you she had a conversation with your grandfather the night of his death anniversary, most people will likely go through a wide spectrum of thoughts from “Holy shit!” to “Nah! That was just a manifestation of her subconscious grieving for grandpa,” to “Why would my mother lie to me about such a thing?”

In the end you don’t really know what to believe. One thing is certain, your primal fear of the unknown and your evolved sense of logic will be at odds. Which one will come out on top depends purely in what the person chooses to accept as true. If you feel like sharing your own unusual experiences, please drop by the forum. I started a new discussion group about the topic and I’d love to hear what you have to say. Believe nothing, but keep and open mind. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Words Don't Come Easy

2008-05-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

If you are a regular Metasearch reader, you might have noticed that all the pages have been re-lettered. The change comes from both cosmetic and practical reasons. Metasearch is now a web comic instead of a print prospect, and as such, needs to be more legible. Plus, I have learned much about lettering since I first began it. It’s still an area I need to keep exploring. The time that I’ve spent reworking the graphic novel really made me see, once again, how much more substance there is to lettering.

Leonardo da Vinci said: “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” Going through the back pages of Metasearch, I couldn’t agree more. A change here, a little editing there, it seems that there is always something that could be just a little bit better. I think an art piece is like a finger print that encapsulates who we are at that moment; a frozen sliver of time left behind as we continue evolving. Every now and then, when I look at some of my old work, it reminds me of what was happening in my world when I created it, almost like going through a time capsule… well, enough of this nostalgic babbling. I hope you enjoy the new lettering. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Guess Things Happen That Way

2008-05-06T22:20:00.000-07:00

I’ve been asked how I approach writing. I usually start with a premise, then I start creating characters, and finally I develop a plot around it. Usually I keep an idea in my head for a very long time as I develop and research it. Then, when I think its solid enough, I put it down on script form. Since I don’t have to deal with a team of people to create my books, I write down the story like a screenplay. Even though I write down angles and shots, by the time I hit the breakdowns, things start to change as elements like pacing, composition, storytelling, etc start to become images. Needless to say, more changes follow from breakdowns to final art. Dialogs change very little from the script except for rhythmic, spacing, and other considerations for the overall story.

As for the plot, I usually get the beginning of the story right away, work on an ending, and then the middle pretty much writes itself. At this point, the characters are so alive in my head that their dialog feels like taking dictation. I take my time with every project, sometimes an astonishing amount of it, especially when I have to do research. There is a lot of work in the beginning, but once the world in which the story takes place is defined, everything else comes out very organically. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

PS: You might have noticed the change in lettering. I'm in the process of re-lettering the book, so soon all the pages will be updated.

End It On This

2008-05-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

Like many fans, I began to read comic books that were a monthly on-going series. I remember waiting in anticipation for the next month’s chapter of whatever superhero book with which I was enthralled. I often fantasized about doing my own monthly book and the storylines I would develop. As I grew older and I started looking at graphic novels, which have more open-ended stories, I began to discover a whole new world of wonderful, rich, complex tales. Open-ended books didn’t need to keep the protagonists alive, they didn’t need to end in a positive note, the main antagonists could be disposed of, and they didn’t have to worry about ending a story arc with a hook for the next one. There is no next one, and there doesn’t have to be.

Unlike my childhood stories, these days I only write open-ended stories. Not only do I feel more satisfied as a writer, but I find myself being more creative when I don’t have to worry about a follow-up. As for Metasearch, I specifically designed it as a series of open-ended graphic novels. If I have a great story to tell with these characters, all I have to do is write another case. I don’t have to worry about churning out stories month after month. The characters have their own lives outside the Metasearch context, and the cases they deal with are so extreme they just don’t happen everyday.

I guess when we like something, we want it to last forever. Maybe it is the instant gratification world we live in, or a reflection on or own mortality, who knows? I’d rather go for quality over quantity anytime. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

You Know it Ain’t Easy

2008-05-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Of all the scenes in Metasearch, this one was the toughest to write. I actually rewrote it three times from scratch. In this story, aside from the paranormal research, I had to really capture a spousal abuse therapy session. The first time I wrote the scene was more of a blue print of what I wanted to achieve, but I knew later on I would have to rewrite it based on my research. As a writer, I wondered if my first draft of the scene had hit the mark, or would it make a therapist cringe… and cringe they did.

Three drafts and two dinners later with a professional psychologist, the whole scene changed dramatically. Every single detail was taken in consideration: The objects around the office, the positioning of the characters, their body language, their clothes, and their dialogue. Looking back at Claire’s introduction, it was a lot of work for only four pages, but it was worth every bit of it. I had achieved the level of realism I was looking for.

I often compare the creative processes with sculpting. You have this huge chunk of rock i.e. research, plot, characters, ideas, etc. And you start chipping away until you get a nice polished sculpture. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

A Day in the Life

2008-04-29T14:52:00.001-07:00

So finally we get to Claire, the last member of our psychic team. Claire is an interesting character to write because of her disparities: a Catholic who is a scientist (a psychiatrist) with astounding psychic abilities. Also, unlike her other teammates, she is the only one that is not all too comfortable about her gifts. As an empath, she pays an emotional price every time she uses her talents. These elements make for a challenging, yet satisfying character to bring to life.

Another tidbit about Dr. Winslowe is that she was inspired by a real person. When I was still going through the character creation process, I was going through the challenges of finding a name and a look for the character. I knew it had to be a blonde since Acantha was a brunette, but I wasn’t satisfied with what I had come up with so far. Then I had dinner with a couple of friends and I was introduced to a blonde with short hair by the name of Claire, and it just hit me. There it was! Both the name and the look of the character knocked down with one stone. That was the first and last time I saw that person, but the influence lived on.

One of the greatest things about any creative endeavor is that inspiration can come from anywhere. Even in the most trite, disconnected moment, if you are paying attention you can find the answer. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

The Sounds of Silence

2008-04-28T09:25:00.000-07:00

Sitting in on a writer’s lecture at a comic book convention some time ago, the lecturer, an established comic book writer, was talking about the intricacies of writing for a visual medium. He elaborated that aspiring comic book writers usually wrote phrases like “there is a message in the answering machine…” and he argued that it is nonsensical in sequential art because there is no sound. After the lecture I was going through my head about what the writer had said, and I found that I disagreed with his take about sound. In fact, I took that on as a challenge.

As you might have noticed by now, there are no sound effects in Metasearch. That was a personal as well as a stylistic choice. As a writer, I never felt comfortable with sound effects in comic books. I found them cheesy and unnecessary. That doesn’t mean that I feel sound effects should be excluded. I believe there is room for everything in this world, but I never felt comfortable doing them in my books. I'd rather challenge myself in finding creative ways to deal with the lack of sound in graphic novels. If I do lament the lack of sound in the medium, it is the lack of a soundtrack. Then again, in the age of web comics that might soon change. You never know.

All in all, what someone sees as a limitation, another one can see it as another form of expression, or a style. More often than not people like to take the proven path, if it’s not broken why fix it, right? But I found out that by taking the path less traveled, you always gain something in the process. If worse comes to worse, you can always go back to the proven path, only this time you’ll have a greater understanding of what you are doing. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

21st Century Digital Boy

2008-04-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

Even though I stand before you in the digital realm, one of my childhood dreams is still to see my works published in print. What author wouldn’t? When I created Metasearch, the concept of publishing online was nonexistent. So Metasearch was done as a good old-fashioned graphic novel, CMYK and all. Nowadays you can check web comics on your cell phone in their own native format, which of course wasn’t even an option a few years ago. Think of the possibilities!

I have mentioned in the forum--which by the way you’re more than welcome to join and start your own discussions--what a thrill it is for me to see people from all over the world reading my work. The reach and freedom a creator has on the web is truly breathtaking and quite exhilarating. There are works that might have never seen the light of day in traditional outlets and can find their niche online thanks to the digital revolution.

Viva la revolución! I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Out From the Shadows

2008-04-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

Out of all the characters in Metasearch, Acantha is the definitely my favorite to write. Her irreverent look at people’s taboos and her agent-provocateur personality are great devices to explore the so called “ordinary” human behavior. Another thing I love about her is her name. Very rarely do I nail a name down with the degree of satisfaction I got from Acantha. Usually it takes me a long time before I’m happy with a character’s name, but Ms. Czigany found hers as if by magic. This sexy button-pusher was the second character I created for the book, and one of the three that survived the novel’s different incarnations.

Acantha’s introduction scene didn’t change much from its conception except for the dialog that had to be revised a number of times to make it work. It is the most minimalist page in the whole book because I wanted to focus the attention solely on the two characters. The fact that there are no panels and all the blacks in the page are merged together gives this scene a very atypical look, which I was hoping to achieve for the séance setting. I’m sure you’ll be charmed by Acantha.

By the way, I just created a forum for Metasearch (see right column) where you can rant about the book. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Things That Make You Go Hmm

2008-04-21T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last week I talked about cool little details and private jokes, and this page is an example of it. Gabriel’s hospital badge was one of those page details that I had a kick doing. I even get a bigger kick when people ask me if I’m not worried that “The London Royal Hospital” might sue me for using their name. I would… if such a hospital actually existed. It probably took me as much time to create the badge as it did to create that panel. It might be insignificant to the reader, but to me, it grounds the novel in its own reality. I think about those little things as Easter eggs in a way; something that creates a multi-layer experience for the reader. Being aware of them doesn’t affect the story itself, but it gives joy to a reader who has a keen eye for the author’s indulgences. Of course, others are meant as private jokes only known to the author and those close to him.

As an aside, starting this week, Metasearch and its respective blog will be updated three times a week: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; to ensure uninterrupted publishing. Also, you might have noticed the little banner at the very bottom of this page, or at the lower left corner of the Metasearch page where you can vote for the novel. Please do! This whole project means nothing without your support. Thank you and I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

The Same But Different

2008-04-18T09:14:00.001-07:00

When I refer to my book, I call it a graphic novel instead of a comic book. Usually people equate a comic book with superheroes. “So your book is about a team of psychics with superpowers fighting the occult?” they ask. “No, my book is a supernatural thriller about a group of psychics solving paranormal cases.” That, or some sort of permutation, is usually my answer. I guess the separation comes from the need to move away from the stigma that comic books are childish, crude, and lacking any artistic value. I often wonder why this is the general consensus in the west. In

Japan

, it is a valid and cherished entertainment venue with no gender, class, or age limits. Even in Europe, comic books are generally more mature. But largely thanks to films, American comic books have started to gain some modicum of respect by the general public.

Most people are shocked when I tell them that “Road to Perdition,” “A History of Violence”, and “Persepolis,” are all based on graphic novels. It is seemingly hard to believe anything with any substance can come out of the two-dimensional realm of sequential art. In my opinion, thanks to the internet age, comic books are the last bastion of artistic nihilism. It’s relatively cheap, it’s a visual medium, it can be done by one person, and it can find an audience regardless of commercial outlets.

There is a notable distinction between a comic book and a graphic novel. Post-Will Eisner, the term gained popularity in describing more mature, complex stories that shared the same storytelling medium of traditional comics. Some people might argue that it is just a matter of semantics. I firmly believe it is a matter of essence. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

2008-04-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

The interesting thing about mixed media, especially in the digital era, is that you get to experiment endlessly until you hit a combination that is just right for your vision. From its inception, Metasearch was meant to be a mixed media book. I had two ideas in mind: 1) I wanted to have my own style. 2) I wanted Metasearch to have a unique and signature look. I knew I wanted to lean on digital painting as much as I could. But as I kept experimenting, I found that if I added other elements like illustration, a particular look started developing and I fell in love with it. It was a “Eureka!” moment indeed; one that took a very long time and a lot of trial and error to achieve. Art is definitely an ever-changing, ongoing process.

In the past, I have met people (all of them non-artists) who really can’t understand the concept of development. They think you just sit down and hit the nail on the head right at the get go. Otherwise you are just wasting your time. Take a look at any artist in any art form in any era and you will always find growth. You might argue that such and such period was their best, but the undeniable fact is that their work changes with time. The longer we experience this world, the more it affects the way we express it. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Even Flow

2008-04-16T09:11:00.001-07:00

I remember writing this scene many moons ago. It was by far my favorite scene of the first chapter. I’m very fond of the dialogue and the setting, and to see something that was mere words on paper, become alive exactly as you envision it, is pretty amazing. The other thing I like about this scene is that it’s the first exterior scene at day. After going through six pages of cloistered settings, the spacious, bright, and relaxed atmosphere of these panels are a nice contrast. Every time I hit page seven, I just want to breathe in deeply.

When I started writing Metasearch, I was experimenting with different styles of narrative. I wanted it to be non-linear, but I didn’t want it to be the kind of story that keeps jumping around. Also, I wanted readers to stumble into Metasearch’s world as if already in progress instead of making it your typical origin story. I thought it was far more interesting to see something that has been going on since who-knows-when; thus adding to the mystery of the book.

It is also worthy to note that Gabriel, our protagonist in this page, was the very first Metasearch character I created when I first thought of the book. The first draft of Metasearch was about one psychic investigator named Gabriel, but I soon ditched the idea when I saw it was much more interesting to write this book as a “team”, playing off the personalities of the other characters.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this scene as much as I enjoyed creating it. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Needless Things

2008-04-15T10:10:00.001-07:00

I never liked to do backgrounds very much. To me it was a hassle to deal with perspective and all the objects. I considered myself a character artist and didn’t care much for anything else. Of course this is not a good prospect for a professional and working artist. But I soon discovered that as laborious as it can be, once a good background is complete, it gives the scene a sense of grounding reality, whatever that reality might be. Take a look at Juan Díaz Canales and Juanjo Guarnido’s book “Blacksad” as a great example of… well, everything.

I also started to see the storytelling value of the background and started to treat it as a character itself. A character’s surroundings can give as much sense of their personalities as any action, dialogue, or piece of wardrobe. In Inspector McConnor’s case, I wanted to convey a sense of a man whose overwhelming amount of work was piling up on him for lack of time. When I design a panel, everything in it has a specific purpose to add to the larger picture of the scene, the character, and the story. Nothing is placed randomly. In the background, I've put little private jokes and some cool details that have become a pleasure within a pleasure for me. I’ll talk about those in the future.

When I finally found enjoyment in doing something that I used to detest in the past, I came to the realization that I was definitely working on something that I really love. Is it hard? Sure! But I love every minute of it. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Once Upon A Time...

2008-04-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Some odd years ago I went to a comic book convention trying to find work as a penciller. My portfolio was a mixed bag of known characters and my own creations. Needless to say nothing job-like came out of the excursion, but I did come out with some wisdom.

I had the chance to show my work to a couple of professional pencillers, and in their critique, a few of them said a variation of this: “Your storytelling is kind of old fashion; it is more European-like than American. Do so and so to change it…” What they have pointed out as a mistake had actually made me very happy, because that was the whole idea. I wanted to have European-influenced storytelling rather than an American one. We’re talking the 1990s here, so this is the time when the Image Comics style of storytelling (or lack thereof) was all the rage. That meant splash pages peppered with no more than three small panels and no storytelling to write home about. As much as I still admire some of those artists, I never cared much for their way of cutting corners around deadlines. And don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for all the advice I got from the pros at that convention. Just the fact that they took time to guide an aspiring artist is reason enough to thank them.

Right or wrong I wanted to achieve a certain narrative style with my work other than what was “in” at the time. In Metasearch, I tried to work the storytelling aspect to the bone and making every panel as interesting and appealing as I could; since the pace and mood of the story are so integral to the overall experience of the book. I challenged myself to make even the most boring conversation visually interesting in order to keep my readers engaged.

I guess the bottom line is that, just like in any other art form, the success of the desired effect of your work is in the hands of the public. As an artist, one is left hoping to be right. A storyteller without an audience is like a swimmer in the desert. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

The Artistic Side of Art

2008-04-11T19:57:00.000-07:00

I’ve always been fascinated by the work of the director of photography in movies. The junction where art meets science to create beautiful images is always overlooked, but nonetheless haunting. From the dream-like opening images of the desert in The English Patient, to the amazing candle-lit scenes of Barry Lyndon, to the symbolic exposures of Traffic. The way a film is photographed is as important as the direction, writing, score, or acting.

One of the things I wanted to do in Metasearch was to give each scene its own unique look and feel; not only in the quality of light, but with the use of shadows, a distinctive color palette and textures. I designed each scene with the overall mood and impact I wanted to convey as part of the storytelling process. It is a facet of the creative process that I take into consideration almost at the very inception of every book.

I believe with the advent of the digital artist, comic books have taken an unprecedented artistic quality that has been missing from the medium with counted exceptions like Simon Bisley, Sam Kieth, Alex Ross, Jim Steranko, and David Mack, to name a few. I hate it when I go to a comic book store and I see a really cool cover only to find that the content within looks nothing like it. I understand that the tight schedule of a mainstream on-going series doesn’t allow much room for art development, but it is refreshing to see that there is still room for less conventional voices in the medium. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Thinking Outside the Box

2008-04-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

Along with word balloons, panels are inherent to the comic book genre. No other media encases their art in tiny boxes arranged to tell a story. Throughout the history of comic books, we’ve seen artists explore the boundaries of this art form in very creative ways. Sergio Aragones used to draw little vignettes outside the page panels of Mad Magazine. Todd McFarlane used Spawn’s cape and chains as the boundaries of some of his panels. Sam Kieth drew some of his panels as puzzle pieces (apropos).

I’ve seen panels in the shape of a large sound effect; a panel shattering after the hero beat the living lights out of a villain; characters literally coming out of the panel. As an artist, I’m interested in pushing the intrinsic characteristics of the comic book medium.

For Metasearch I came up with the concept of panels coming out of shadows. This not only gave the book a signature look, but it helped create the mysterious atmosphere I wanted to convey. I especially liked the effect of the panel’s shadows mixing with the borders as if the figures were defined by negative space. Also, it looks as if the panels were lit by candle light, or were projected by an old 8mm projector, which adds to the mood. It is interesting how something that could be viewed as a limitation can be so freeing. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

More Than Words

2008-04-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

It’s funny because when people think about becoming a comic book artist, no one ever thinks about lettering. Everyone wants to be a penciller, a digital artist, a writer, a colorist, or even an inker. Who ever thinks about being the unglamorous letterer?

I remember a skit on a now-defunct Marvel Comics parody book called “What The…?!” where Wolverine (Wolverweenie) and the Punisher (the Pulverizer) had to settle some sort of dispute at Marvel HQ in New York. Of course mayhem ensued and one Marvel staffer bit the dust. When someone asked if the diseased was someone important, the reply was: “Nah! Just a letterer.”

The truth of the matter is that once I got around to doing my lettering I discovered it's not as easy as I thought it was. The issues are not only functional such as legibility and composition, but artistic as well. Lettering can convey mood, a certain speech pattern, and even affect your writing. Make a speech too verbose and that word balloon will be cutting some character’s head off. I definitely gained a new found appreciation for lettering and its artistic value. I hope to explore it more in future projects.

Oh well, where would art be without learning and development? Live and learn. I’ll see you in the page.

Oddman Out

Space Oddity

2008-04-09T12:02:00.000-07:00

So I finally got around to creating a website to showcase my graphic novels. After years of peddling them to the comic book establishment and getting nowhere, I finally decided to self-publish them on-line in hopes to find some kindred minds who will appreciate them. After all, it is better than having them sit in a hard drive gathering dust, so to speak.

My first offering is Metasearch, a paranormal thriller designed to work as a series of open-ended graphic novels. I created it back in 1998 when I was looking to do a graphic novel about psychics that wasn't driven by action, but rather by characters, plot, and mood. The idea was to immerse readers in the story instead of treating them as spectators. The style is mix media influenced by French impressionism that gives it a painted, rough look just creepy enough to carry out the mood of the story.

Time permitting I will post a page daily and talk about each of them as well as other related issues. Feel free to contact me since a big part of this project is to find readers, and I would love to hear from you. Now, if you are in the bashing business, do us each other a favor and just click away and enjoy the rest of the virtual world. I don't have the time, the energy, the patience, nor the inclination to engage and I'm sure you have better things to do with your time. So let's see how this whole experiment turns out. I'll see you in the page.

Oddman Out