Comic!

If you click on it, it will enlargen.

Shannon of Breakaway totally rocked this! The prompt was a one-page comic with a death being shown or insinuated in the last panel. I thought it came out well.

On a side but related note, 122476 and I spoke, and he's going to draw "Life's Question." Sweet. Cannot wait to see how that comes out.

Thanks!

Dev

How Do You Know 31 and Mini-Update

RH&O3 cover by superstar Kenneth Rocafort

How do you know when you’ve read too many comics? (NEVER!)

When you believe Red Hood and the Outlaws should consist of Red Hood, Red Arrow (not Arsenal), Red Robin, Red Star, the (but only if he goes by Scarlet Speedster), Scarlet Spider, Scarlet Witch, and Speed (because I like the character!).

Mini-Update!
I’m currently in talks with 122476 to do a short comic—six pages—featuring the cast of False Dawn entitled “Life’s Question.” If it doesn’t pan out, I’ll be posting the story along with a cover, probably drawn by 122476. If it does (yay!), I'll update you as the story progresses.

Also on the front burner is the sequel to my novel Destiny’s Fate. (FIND IT ON AMAZON!) I’m working on a five-book outline to do this sequel in comic form, not as a novel, which will not take longer in writing but definitely will take longer to produce. If all goes well, I’m looking to have it out late next year in comic book stores and potentially available online. I’ll keep you updated on the progress. Working title?

Sparklure Legacy: The Gathering

Yeah…I’ll get something less clichéd as the story develops.

Thanks!

Devin Leigh Michaels

NYCC ROCKED!-Just sayin'.

Shot of the Javis Center Lobby from the top of the stairs by Me

My first comic convention was NYCC 2008. My sister nudged me in the side the whole Bat Panel, whispering, “Ask a question. Ask a question!”

I was nervous just sitting in a crowded room with Tony Daniel, Mike Marts, Ian Sattler, Peter Tomasi, Dustin Nguyen, and Greg Rucka. These were superstars, my Matt Damons and George Cooneys. I ended up leaving a little disappointed. I didn’t speak to one of them. I didn’t know what to say other than, “Oh my God! You’re—”

Flash forward three years and eight months later, my sister is out of the room, getting a Vitamin Water, and I’m one of the few fans left in the panel after questions start. My question is number two.

In the months prior to NYCC, I gained and lost some confidence. While I had lost The Seekers contest, I had been tweeting Kyle Higgins, J.T. Krul, Mike McKeon, Rich Ginter, Jeff Suter, Mikel Janin, Scott Tuft, Rickey Purdin, Patrick Zircher, Ryan Parrott, Owen Wiseman, and Mark Doyle and tons more. On top of that, I’ve even been FOLLOWED by some of the aforementioned. This time, when I went to NYCC, I felt confident (but still nervous) introducing myself because even though these creators didn’t know me, they knew my name. And that, my friends, was KEWL (NJ accent cool).

I spoke with Fabian Nicieza, Mikel Janin, Mike McKeon, J.T. Krul, Jim Cheung, Ivan Brandon (again!), Kyle Higgins, and Bobbie Chase. Many were kind enough to discuss their careers, even my own, and give insight into the industry. Each one was professional and kind. I cannot express how grateful I am for their generosity.

For the last however many years, I’ve been trying my best to break-in to the industry, and normally when I leave these conventions, I feel depressed, even demoralized, because I’m no closer to my dream. This time, I was jumping up and down like a fangirl. I couldn’t believe what I’d learned, how my idols had encouraged me not to give up and to continue working and improving and striving. On the train ride home, I was already mapping out a Destiny’s Fate’s miniseries in my notebook while Red Hood and the Outlaws was up on my iPad.

Where I thought The Seekers might be an end to my career, where I thought just perhaps the comic book industry was kicking me out, NYCC invited me back in.

Thanks.

Devin Leigh Michaels
October 17, 2011

How Do You Know 030

Jason Todd by Jason Haun (in Red Hood: LD, written by Judd Winick)

How do you know when you’ve read too many comics? (Never!)


When you realize Jason Todd actually has a superpower - the ability to never have hat hair after taking off his helmet.

NEW YORK, HERE I COME!

It comes around once a year (and when it switched from February to October, once every nineteen months!).

It's NYCC, baby!

And of course, you know I HAD to buy the four-day pass. Joining me - like at all cons - is my non-geek sister, Marie, and I hope you'll join us as we struggle against the villainy of lines, the destruction of crowds, and the depression of cancellations - as well as enjoy the awesome company of the industry's finest.

For up-to-second updates of my infiltration of the industry, check out my Twitter account - @DevinLMichaels -  or my Tumblr account - http://break-outcbe.tumblr.com/.

I'll have a full recap back here early next week.

Hope to see you there!

Devin Leigh Michaels

False Dawn #22: Comic Book Script

Kainoa Ryder by Emily L'Orange

False Dawn #22: “Life or Something Called It”
Part Three of Four: Normalcy or Lack of It
Comic Book Script—Plot for 20 Pages
Devin Leigh Michaels

As the Ryders try to help Ral find his family, they find a piece of lost history as well—and it doesn’t bode well for Ral and Co.

False Dawn #22: Short Story Edition

False Dawn #22: “Life or Something Called It”
Part Three of Four: Normalcy or Lack of It
Short Story Format
Devin Leigh Michaels

SKADOIA
The chill of my runny nose slaps me awake, and I wish I’d slept with a ski mask on. Why would Kainoa’s family ever put down the A/C so low?

That’s when the fireplace crackles and pops.

My eyes snap wide, and the blue fire ravenously devours the blackened wood in the hearth. Over the flames is a kettle, like how people used to cook in the olden days. To the left is a kitchen area, not modern but elaborate with knives, pans, pots, a small bar, and what appear to be black diamond countertops. Just behind the kitchen is a thick, wooden dungeon door, and to the immediate left is another, more inviting opening with a stained glass window of a dragon breathing fire.

I push up on the plush but worn couch I’m on. It’s comfy, cradling my bottom and ensconcing me in its warmth. I wrap the afghan—someone must have laid it across me at some point—about my shivering shoulders and bent knees and wait.

So…where am I? Looks like Skadoia, but—

The dungeon door opens, and my heart sinks. Definitely Skadoia because there’s Kalidas, hungrily grinning at me.

“Well, if it isn’t the hybrid.” He drops a knapsack onto the kitchen counter. “What brings you to our little black hole?”

Ral's Blog 003-Lance Evans

Entry 003

Lance Evans by Drake Tsui

If you’re immortal or extended mortal, you’ve probably heard of Lance Evans.

Lance Evans
Known Aliases: Joshua Sterling; Napoleon; various
Birthplace: various; current lifetime: Boston, Massachusetts
Age: Fifteen lifetimes; 19 in the current
Immortal Classification: Reincarnated Cursed
Creature Classification: Human
Known Relatives: None
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 185 lbs.
Hair: Black with blonde tips
Eyes: Dark Brown/Black

If you’re immortal or extended mortal, you’ve probably heard of Lance Evans. He’s been around since the gladiatorial games, which makes him, like, ancient, even though he only looks nineteen now. As a Reincarnated Immortal, he lives, dies, and lives again. My mom and uncle took him in, in his eighth lifetime and kinda gave him a family when he wouldn’t have known one. I know he’s been a squire during the Middle Ages, a Union soldier in the American Civil War, and a stripper. I don’t ask, and if you run into Lance, you probably shouldn’t either if you like living. Yeah, he’s really good at killing, and he’s deadly with practically any weapon, including TV remotes (really, I’ve seen it).
In his first lifetime, he “let luck and chance guide” him, which led to people dying. He then was cursed by a mage to feel the pain he caused, so he loses the people he loves most in each lifetime. I just hope I won’t be one of them.

For read more of Lance's origin, check out False Dawn Annual #1: Thicker than Blood.

How Do You Know 029

How do you know when you've read too many comics? (NEVER!)

When you think the movie The Thing should be about Ben Grimm, not some really scary person in a robe.

"Return Stroke" Version 2-Comic Book Script

Jai West by Drake Tsui

Not too long ago, I read Writing for Comics and Graphic Novels with Peter David. In it, David explains how one should be prepared with three ideas to pitch when speaking to an editor. Heaving tweaked this to twenty pages and cleaned it with some awesome advice, I had hopes that "Return Stroke" would be one of those ideas. However, with the New 52 - Jai and Irey, as far as I can tell - do not exist and aren't going to exist for sometime.

So, without further adieu, here's the revised, comic book script version of "Return Stroke." The next post is the short story version.

"Return Stroke" Version 2

I’m not a father. Not really. I’d like to think that I had some parental responsibility for Wally, but I haven’t raised my children, the “Tornado Twins.” Yet I’m a grandfather and a great-uncle.

Does that make me feel old.

“I just don’t know what to do with him. Even Linda’s doing a show with a child psychologist hoping to learn something.” Wally rubs his tired face, collapsing to his couch. “Jai—He sits in front of the Xbox all day or plays his PSP. When I was his age, I was always outside, always running.”

“You can’t relate,” I supply.

Wally looks up, and he reminds me of the tearful teenager who used to crash on my couch when his parents set up for Normandy. “He wasn’t like this before Zoom attacked. I wonder, Barry. When Jai lost his powers, did I lose my son, too?”

Ral's Log 002 - Casia LaCroux

Entry 002

Casia LaCroux by Drake Tsui

Real Name: Casia LaCroux
Known Aliases: Dame, Hottie
Birthplace: Unknown
Age: 230
Immortal Classification: Extended Mortal (lifespan is more than seven hundred years)
Creature Classification: Were-Phoenix
Known Relatives: None
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 130 lbs.
Hair: Crimson
Eyes: Sea-blue
Skin: A multitude of colors; mostly gold and platinum

You ever run into a were-phoenix before? No? Don’t feel bad. Not many people have. They’re these mystical creatures (Don’t tell Casia I called her that) who can form fire and become all “fire-bird” during the Solstices. They have other powers like a clairvoyance and flight, but we don’t exactly know where the creatures come from and how their powers work. Casia doesn’t even know much about her past. Her earliest memories are of being held captive in Skadoia by the warriors and experimented on to discover the source of her flames. She only escaped there thanks to Reger, another were-phoenix and fellow captive. My mom and uncle eventually saved her from a hunting pack of Ashlings and kept her safe. They are the only family she has ever known.

Correction. We—Mom, Connor, Lance and me—are the only family she has ever known.