Alex de Campi: Gojira!

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WHO

FILM & TV

COMICS & BOOKS

4.8.05 Things Various

Issue 3 of Smoke comes out on August 10. There is a nice review of the series in tomorrow's Entertainment Weekly. For those that have been asking, yes, we want to do more issues. No, we have no schedule yet for when we will do them. If our publisher (or another one) thinks there is enough support for the book, we get to do more. If not... well, that's that. Igor is away on holiday right now so all is on hold until he returns.

What am I doing next? My first manga series, Kat & Mouse, debuts in April. I have two more series in development: a girls' action series, and a rather nasty little horror series. My first French series, Messiah Complex, debuts sometime next summer. Over the past few weeks I've been reviewing sketches and sample pages for my second French series, Adam in Chromaland. We've found an amazing Italian artist who is bringing to life some of the insanely psychedelic fine art-related imagery in the book, and making it feel as drenched in wonder as it should. Stay tuned for sample images and more about the story, which can best be described as The Phantom Tollbooth meets Being John Malkovitch.

That's really it on the comic side, aside from some possible anthology work. My problem is that I have three screenplays banging around in my head that need to get out, plus writing M, plus managing the universes and complex plotlines of the five series above, plus maybe more Smoke - so right now I'm less interested in creating new worlds than polishing up the existing ones. Although I have, of late, begun to compose satirical doggerel, for no reason at all.

If you wish to download my July mixtape, Bright Hollow Town, but haven't yet done so, act quickly as it will disappear on Saturday and be replaced with the August edition. I've finished the noir screenplay for which Bright Hollow Town was a soundscape, so it is time to move on.

Finally, I leave you with Bob Mould, who is possibly my favourite musician, discussing his creative process. Much of what he says holds true for writing as well:

"Here's my deal: I sit in a room and make music that I want to listen to. When I can listen to a song more than a hundred times, and still feel moved by it, I place it in the A-pile. A theme or overall sentiment gathers and makes itself known. I start looking for the beginning and end pieces of the album. The other songs fall into place, dependent on key, mood, pacing, and context. Equally good songs get relegated to second discs or B-sides (Surveyors And Cranes, for example) because they fall outside the prevailing theme. When I'm happy with the content and flow, I call it an album, and share it with the public. It's a collection of my favorite work in a given time period, presented in the order of my choosing. Do you remember old-fashioned photo albums?" (continues).

Londoners: he is playing on the 6th September at the Mean Fiddler as part of the tour for his new album. Not a gig to miss.

( 10:25 AM )

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