Howdy, anyone paying attention!

Well, it’s been busy. The Comic Con was a subtle smash hit, as DC and Marvel decided not to show and gave us little Davids a chance to shine with folks who normally wouldn’t take a stroll down Artist’s Alley. There were a few artists and writers “slumming” it in the Alley who would normally have been under the protective, sterile canopy of said super conglomerates had they been there, as well, so it was good for the fans as well.

I thank anyone who stopped by the WBD table and said hello, especially the kid from Logan Square who was nice enough to pretend he’d specifically searched us out. Hope you’re digging the books, buddy. Appreciate it. It was also a great weekend, as I was signing at The Comic Vault on Montrose and Ashland on Saturday and the turnout was better than I’d hoped (considering I just now advertised it on my own site, three days after its occurance). I am the worst salesman in the world, no wonder I got fired from the men’s Polo department at Marshall Fields ten years ago. That and I showed up drunk all the time. ANYhoo…

Believe it or not, I am still working on the film. Everyone is prepared to lynch me at this point, those who are still interested. Everyone else who worked so damned hard on it and haven’t heard anything from me, I don’t blame anyone for being irritated or just giving up on their favorite hard-luck hero. I am wrestling with a few factors, post-production issues I have no control over as well as things that are just my fault; like being caught between wanting Sam Fuller-style energy and Kubrickian methodology. You cannot have both, my man!

Don’t give up yet! I am hard at work! It will be done soon and it will knock the shit out of you! Thank you for working on it and I have not forgotten anyone!

On that note, I’d better get back to work. Anyone who’s picked up the books in the last month, especially the Lie Down Low series finale, I would love to hear what you thought.

Yes it’s true! I’ll be there starting today, 8/6 through 8/9 at table 4614 in Artist’s Alley. I’ve been steeped in work and the daily struggles so things have been a little incognito - don’t even ask about the movie (not yet anyway). But the good news is LIE DOWN LOW is complete. I received the final two issues in the mail yesterday and will be unleashing them on the world at the Comicon, this weekend, at the Donald Stevens convention center up in Rosemont.

If you can make it, please stop by, say hi and pick up the end of the saga that’s taken me years to complete. I read through it in its entirety last night and no kidding, I got a little choked up. I hope those that have been following it are one scintilla as excited as I am…

Thanks for listening. If you can’t make it to the Con, I will be doing a signing at The Comic Vault shortly. Why would they schedule this thing the same weekend as Lollapalooza? Oh well. Rock on.

March 20, 2009
633am

Took the day off work yesterday and stayed at home to work on props. The problems: The child is iffy, our original kid is out due to family obligations. How old’s a kid got to be to start a family these days? Younger and younger, I’ll tell you. The other big problem: sound. Our original sound man decided he wanted to get paid rather than work long hours for free. Hm. Still searching all my Chicago contacts to see if there’s someone out there with their own equipment (or who can get their hands on some) who’s hungry enough to work for a credit. We’ll see what the cat drags in.

Mike cranked on the foundation of our set yesterday, our kick-ass neighbor bringing him hot sauce and tortilla chips for fuel until there it was – the skeleton of the Listening Room. Today he’s swinging by at ten to start the cosmetics of the thing, it should be a fun day for him and Yamil, a good fella who’s helping out and will be doing the soundtrack with his partner. Since the set’s next door I’ll swing by periodically to nod and encourage.

I sat and painted hockey helmets and welding goggles last night, today will be cosmetic work on those props and dolling them up so’s they no longer look like what they is. Our budget is tighter than a tourniquet and we need to save bread for the wide angle lens and catering. I learned early on that filling someone’s belly but good will make for a happy worker. Sujin is adamant about such things and she’s right so our grub’s going to be top shelf – it’s the least we can do.

Looked at the clips we took Sunday night – we can use stolen lighting, I think, but it’s going to be a tightrope in editing to make it look fluid and not as though this fella’s always under a streetlight. I trust the DP implicitly to know what we’ll be able to see and providence will provide any further aesthetics beyond that.
Last day before shooting, let’s hope those floating pieces out there come together. I’ll sleep better tonight knowing we’re good to go.