On September 28, 2006 I was formally invited to write The Essential Batman Encyclopedia. 316,000 words and 18 months later, it’s a printed book. Chris Cerasi, my editor at DC, sent me the first copy off the presses and it arrived today. It’s a wonder to behold and I beam with pride as I flip through the pages. A writer can get spoiled by a well edited, amazingly designed project. It’ll be in stores within the next few weeks and I can’t wait for your feedback.

On the other hand, the production delays have slowed down Tales of Zorro from its initial February release. I got an e-mail today saying it is finally on press and due out in a few weeks.

Finally, Rob Simpson, my DH Books editor, tells me the street date for Hellboy II: The Golden Army is now June 12 so stay tuned.

When Jim Shooter chased him from Marvel to DC, I couldn’t wait to see his Batman and boy, he didn’t disappoint. It was back then, in the early 1980s, that comics began experimenting with printing entire stories shot from the pencils only. Gene was perfect for this given the mood his work with shadows, black and white generated. Go back and look at his Nathaniel Dusk for DC or Ragamuffins for Eclipse.

One day, Dick Giordano told me that I was to edit a new Spectre series, which would be written by Steve Gerber. As I recounted a few months back, Steve didn’t work out but Gene did so he was paired instead with Doug Moench. I was honored to be working with an artist whose work I enjoyed for so long. He was eager to try a new character and new approach. By then, Gene was really into breaking the rules on page construction so some of our creative give and take usually centered around storytelling clarity. While he didn’t always agree with me, he made revisions and gave it him best effort.

We established a wonderful rapport and he trusted my editorial acumen enough to have me repeatedly address his art classes about the business side of comics. Years later, long after we had stopped working together, we were chatting at a con. I was admiring his original art, spanning the years, and made a comment about not sure which one to buy. Adrianne, his wonderful, sassy wife, said, “Don’t you have any of Gene’s work?” No, I replied. “Pick one,” she said. So, I selected a page from his terrific Captain America run and cherish it to this day.

And now I read that Gene is ailing. His liver is going and the posts are starting to sound downright grim.

Clifford Meth has begun the necessary fund raising and I recommend everyone check here regularly.

He is a talented, enthusiastic fan of the form. Among his peers, he had one of the most distinctive art styles that was surprisingly adaptable from war to romance to horror to heroic adventure. Gene the Dean remains a titan of the field and deserves not only our accolades while he can still hear them, but our support.

On Tuesday his counts were still trending down and Dr. Massaro he was likely at his nadir this week. They gave him platelets and fully expected him to need red blood cells on Friday. Sure enough, there was no question about it so yesterday he received two units of blood plus more platelets.

We spent part of the week making certain we had plans and backup plans in place for the coming week, when we attempt to go to Kate’s Graduation, leaving him with his Uncle in Redding. Fortunately, Brooke, his oldest pal, will is home from college and willing to take him to Clinic on Friday.

Meantime, last night Robbie learned that tiny Kasey Mitchell, only four, had passed away from leukemia on Monday. She was often at the hospital when Robbie was in for his rounds plus we’d see her and her mom Christina at clinic. Robbie and Christina chatted a lot since they were often next door to one another. When I didn’t see them on Tuesday I was surprised given how regular it had become but now we know. This is the first patient concurrent with Robbie’s treatment who has died while others he now knows have been back with recurrences. All reminders of how perilous this journey can be.

Well, let’s see. Monday was writing at the desk until the RTM meeting. It was our annual Budget meeting and promised to be long and possibly tense since various folk made noises about attempting to propose deep cuts. In the end, it wasn’t as late as I feared and the cuts never materialized. Instead, we passed the budget and are now focused on the new issues before the body.

Tuesday was clinic for Robbie and thankfully, the wi-fi meant I could keep writing. With the Early Peoples book delivered, I was cleaning up correspondence and beginning to research stuff for the next two projects. A 5 p.m. phone call about promised work failed to materialize and has yet to be rescheduled.

On Wednesday, I focused largely on researching one of my two projects while also expanding an outline for a media tie-in pitch an editor wants to see by month’s end. Interestingly, I find myself somewhat paralyzed because I want the editor to love it. I dawdle on some research and still can’t find the spark to tie it all up.

Yesterday, I did a ton of work on the website project I’ll talk more fully about next week. In fact, I wound up finishing reading a novel and watching a movie for the project so it ate up many hours. There was also time spent on the May RTM agenda and related conversations.

Today, I thought an hour or so on the website project was all I’d need but suddenly that became closer to three hours, plus writing something about it for the San Diego Comic-con. Some calls, some RTM work, and then a disc arrived that required my attention for one of the other projects resulting in a conference call at 4. Oh yeah, and responses to questions about writing Hellboy II: The Golden Army for a German publication.

All week long there has been time spent on the various ACE projects as our comic strip is running behind schedule and we lock down talent for other projects. This means tons of e-mails and frantic phone calls which ac as exclamation points throughout the day.

I’m busy and productive and frustrated that while I’m busy, I am not getting to the things I thought I was getting to. I have a stack of DVDs and books requiring attention, other e-mails to answer and maybe it’s time for lunch.

As a result, here’s the current line-up of stuff:

About to be Published

Tales of Zorro, coming soon
Hellboy II: The Golden Army, coming May 28
The Essential Batman Encyclopedia, coming June 10.
The Encyclopedia of Storytelling: scheduled for publication July
Christina Aguilera, coming in September

Delivered

Biomes: Deserts
Bataan Death March
Early Peoples
How to Lose a War: three essays.
Back Issue #32: Interview with Len Wein and Marv Wolfman about Who's Who
The Brave & Bold Companion: Dick Giordano interview, Murray Boltinoff profile
Story for Captain Midnight collection
Wonder Woman: Essay for BenBella; awaiting edits and publication date.
"Steel & Chrome" in Age of War: A Classic BattleTech Anthology: manuscript turned in to editor on December 1, 2005; on indefinite hold.

On Going

Heroes Happen Here, daily web comic strip for Microsoft, running through July
Website writing -- Scifi.com, ComicMix.com, unnamed project

Editorial Work

Write Now! #18: Pitching in to help editor Danny Fingeroth get this late issue completed. Been proofreading, copyediting, caption writing, nudging, the usual.
Avalanche Comics Entertainment graphic novel 1: Pending deal with publisher
Avalanche Comics Entertainment graphic novel 2: In progress, needs publisher

Next

Haunting Museums - The Strange and Uncanny Stories Behind the Most Mysterious Exhibits – three essays due June
Media Tie-In non-fiction book
Media Tie-In editing project

Proposed Projects

Original fantasy duology cowritten with Aaron Rosenberg – being reviewed by editor
Original urban fantasy – begging me to finish promise
Media Tie-In novel – pitched December 2006, finally got editor’s interest, outline due May 31
Media Tie-In novel – I’ve been pitched as the writer, awaiting licensee approval
Media Tie-In comic book miniseries – Discussing with the publisher this week
Media Tie-In editing – awaiting formal offer
Media tie-in non-fiction book: Pitch to editor September 13, no response as yet.
Media tie-in book non-fiction 2: Pitch to editor October 2, no response as yet.
”Things That Aren’t” sequel: Co-writer Michael A. Burstein is at work on the first draft.
Actionopolis book: Started writing, awaiting revised deal memo.

We had one incident this week as he reacted poorly to one of the new chemo drugs and it was another reminder that he’s there for a reason. Sarah, his day nurse for most of the week, said she’s actually surprised he wasn’t sicker. The side effects of the drugs tend to kick people fairly hard. Robbie, though, seems designed with a high tolerance which impresses them and us.

On Wednesday, we watched a DVD Tonetta, his former primary nurse, gave him to watch. She’s now working with the oncology team on the Heroes project, for people in remission for five years. To her, White Walls was as an upbeat documentary about teens surviving their cancer. It was fun, sobering, and very real. About halfway through we realized the 20-year documentarian was herself a survivor who had a bit of a scare during the making of the project. There were a few moments while watching it that got tough, especially as the kids talked about recurrence, an all-too real possibility. One twice-over survivor said, “I’m in remission every day, for the rest of my life.” It really brought home to us how long term this is and will be.

He finished round four on Thursday morning and came home. The window of opportunity was briefer than last round so Deb took him out for lunch and on Friday I took him to an Iron Man matinee. In the car, he admitted he was feeling the effects more this time. He’s tired, tires easily and can’t muster up the same energy and enthusiasm he has other times. So, now that he’s here, he watches TV, plays around on line, and paces himself. He’s turning in earlier, getting more sleep.

Robbie looks pale already and is likely going to need blood products at clinic on Tuesday. The doctors, though, continue to marvel at his strength of will and endurance. They remain happy with how he’s handling each round and recovering in-between. A few weeks to recover and right around Memorial Day we go in for the final round.

He’s already looking forward to having June to recover so he can really enjoy Shore Leave in July. More than that, he’s eagerly anticipating his one week of being a volunteer counselor at Hole-in-the-Wall Camp. While at the hospital, he received a packet of information in the mail and he read through it. Week nine is the week siblings come and experience the camp for themselves. The theme that week, appropriately enough, is super-heroes. Robbie already wants to raid my t-shirt and watch collection to come properly attired.

Looking to the future is good for him. And good for us.

So, you might imagine, I was predisposed to enjoy the movie which opened today. The idea that Iron Man would ever become a feature film was one I never really imagined and all through the years o development, I kept hoping. Still, as cool as it might have been to see Tom Cruise as Tony Stark or see what Nick Cassavettes would have done as a director, I was perfectly content with Jon Favreau as the director. After all, from the moment he started writing on MySpace, you could tell he got it. He understood what set the character apart.

Whereas fantastic things happened to Peter Parker, Susan Richards and Bruce Banner, among others, what happened to Tony Stark was very real world. The notion of shrapnel threatening the munitions manufacturer was a just irony and showed that Stan Lee was very plugged into the Cold War fears of the day.

It took All-American ingenuity to fashion the crude armor that allowed Stark to escape his captors and return to his Military-Industrial complex. However, the experience changed him and he knew he had things to atone for.

Favreau updated the worldview to today and the switch from Vietnam to Afghanistan was smart. Seeing so much of Stark Industries’ wares in the hands of the bad guys was also a great wakeup call and yes, the near-death experience made him a changed man.

All the elements of those early Iron Man stories are excellently updated and made to feel fresh after the previous Marvel films. This one felt more grounded in our world and we could easily accept the higher level of technology. He made Stark Industries cutting edge and by integrating Obadiah Stane into Stark’s life is the one major change and it works for a film.

Robert Downey Jr. superbly inhabits Tony Stark and makes us care for him as he evolves from the callow genius to the responsible global citizen. He’s aided by Gwyneth Paltrow as the sharp-tongued Pepper Potts and Terence Howard, a tad underused as James Rhodes (although when he looks at the Mark II armor, he tells the audience, “Next time”). There’s another tip to the comics as Stark’s chauffeur, Happy Hogan is there, played quietly by Favreau himself (he’s now a sidekick in two Marvel franchise films, a neat trick matched by Sam Elliot).

There are other nice touches such as the animated theme music repurposed into a nice jazz piece for the Las Vegas sequence and Jarvis being the name of the A.I. butler along with the sly introduction of SHIELD.

The story themes of taking responsibility for one’s actions are nicely handled and help ground the film. It’s a very contemporary set of issues being raised and strengthens the film.

Where the movie veers into conventional Hollywood storytelling is the final act. Stane entering the Iron Monger armor to fight Iron Man was telegraphed and frankly, their fight wasn’t as awe-inspiring as one might imagine (especially after Transformers in similar circumstances). Fortunately, the film works for the most part and while the final act not may have been all it could be, the final scenes and the post-credit scene more than make up for it.

Kudos to Marvel for launching their first self-produced film in such a successful manner. It raises the bar for all others, including their second product, next month’s remake of the Hulk. A fine film for fans of action, adventure and super-heroes.

Getting the draft done, hopefully later today, means I can also focus on a business meeting Thursday that should bring me a new assignment. Of course, my focus isn’t what it should be because I was up until 12:45 a.m. running the RTM meeting (its budget season so it was a long night).

And, one of the projects I’ve been talking to people about was sort of formally offered to me yesterday. That is, I have a deadline. I don’t have the full specifications of the project, a word count or a fee, but apparently the company has decided I am the man for the assignment and that’s swell.

As I said, I took Early People largely because it kept me going while waiting for some of these leads to become reality. That and Deb’s interest in the subject.

Now, things seem to be going according to plan and since that happens so rarely, it’s worth noting.

He had a quiet, relaxed weekend, largely enjoying the sunshine, reading his Manga and having Dixie hang out with him. Tuesday we were scheduled to readmit him for round four but when we arrived, Dr. Massaro suggested that since he was still on the antibiotic, he would do better finishing that medicine before beginning chemo. Still, he had the lumbar puncture and bone marrow biopsy in anticipation of the admission, which would now happen on Friday.

We were cleared to let him eat in a restaurant so he picked Chili’s and we treated him to a lunch out. The rest of the week was low key although he experienced increasing back pain from the lumbar procedure. He also had a serious headache that wouldn’t quit on Thursday so he checked with the doctors. Apparently, spinal headaches are a common occurrence and the pressure eased as he lay flat.

Friday we arrived to a very crowded clinic. In fact, things were so busy they drew his blood and sent him back to the waiting area rather than await the results in the infusion room. His back, though, was troubling him so when I went to see what could be done, Dr. Beardsley said there was no use keeping him in clinic since he was going upstairs anyway. A quick call later, we were back up in 7-West. Before he even got his room assignment, the nurses were busting his chops for not arriving on Tuesday as planned. He grinned all the way to his room.

His familiarity with the staff – residents, nurses, child life – and the procedures gives him tremendous confidence. Robbie can speak up for himself when it comes to medications and anticipate what will be asked of him. The staff likes him and most now stop in just to say and chat him up which is great. At one point yesterday, he wound up with two of his oncologists and both nurse-practitioners in the room and it was mainly a social call which made him feel good.

Round four began yesterday and lasts until Thursday morning. Given the medications involved, it has to be carefully timed out and Tricia, his nurse, and Deb worked out the mental math to give Robbie some options for starting the treatment.

Unlike round three, where no one visited, last night he already had company with more coming today and tomorrow which most certainly helps him kill time.

Yesterday, for example, I headed downstairs intent on accomplishing two different projects before lunch so I had all afternoon for my Early Peoples project. I was feeling the pressure of not getting much done all week so needed to gear up.

All well and good until the phone rang. It was our First Selectman, calling to chat about this week’s Standing Committee meetings prior to next Monday’s RTM meeting. It’s budget season and there are some volatile issues before the body.

I was then asked to participate in a conference call about the Microsoft comic strip at noon. It was important that we catch up so we chatted and caught up and figured out where we were and what needed doing.

Suddenly, it’s almost 1 and I’m still working on the second part of my morning workload. I’m closing in on the end of it when the exterminator comes and I spend some time with him, walking around the exterior, trying to figure out what might be making noise in the attic.

Lunch becomes coffee and pretzels and yogurt, at the desk, as I finish the morning’s work…at 2:30 or so.

By this point, there’s still something I need to write for a website and figured, so much of the day is shot, I’ll get that written now so Friday is clear for the Early Peoples. So, I’m writing away and then the phone rings.

Suddenly, I’m on the phone for 73 minutes with my pals at ComicMix, talking about the oft-delayed Phase 3. We’re making some serious progress which is nice and overdue. But, when I hang up, it’s now 6:00 and time to make dinner, but first, a quick run to collect a prescription for Robbie.

The evening should be downtime: some television, some reading, some time with Deb and Robbie. But then the phone rang. This time, it was a member of our Board of Education, calling to chat about…the budget. There went another 35 minutes although it was another necessary conversation.

As far as the Early People of the arctic are concerned, this was a lost day. They still want me to finish writing about them by May 9. On the other hand, I served my town and I got other stuff done and managed to do cash-generating work. The trick now is to get back into the groove and get more of the book written.

Fortunately, with Robbie back in the hospital for round four, there will be fewer home distractions. Already, today, I managed three chapters and feel much better. A few more days like this and maybe there will be a finished draft in time for a polish and still make the deadline.

Universal Studios took four times as long to approve the project as it took me to write it. Admittedly, back in February, they said director Guillermo del Toro wanted to read the manuscript and he received a copy. Once I heard that, I grew a wee bit nervous.

And then the weeks dragged on.

Last week, as I was working through the galleys, we finally got the approval from Universal Studios. “No changes” the words every editor and novelizer want to hear.

The book has gone on press and should make its May 28 street date.

Meantime, in a time lost to memory, I contributed a single essay to Storytelling: An Encyclopedia of Mythology and Folklore. The mammoth 910 page volume, edited by Josepha Sherman, was said to be coming in June. Having heard nothing in a while, I checked the website and see it is now pencilled in for July. We’ll see if that really happens.

The New York Comic Con was huge and better run than in the past two years which is a sign of growth and maturity. It attracted something close to 65,000 people I hear and that’s pretty amazing but also shows how much we needed a NY con.

It was described to me like an extended family reunion and I thought it felt more like a high school reunion. Either is an apt description. Especially Friday, I couldn’t go more than a few feet before seeing an old pal. I won’t name drop a lot but want to acknowledge how neat it was to see people from all the different eras of my professional career. Fortunately, most of us seem to be aging gracefully.

I was there as a free agent but also there to represent Avalanche Comics Entertainment as well as an unnamed company, something I should be talking about soon. As a result, I had an agenda of meetings the first two days and I’m happy to report that they went well. As we draw closer to the completion of ACE’s first two big projects, we’re beating the drums, seeking the next gigs and we’re inching closer which is fine.

I was also there to seek additional writing or editing opportunities. While I knew I’d be meeting with people to talk about four possible things, two more occurred during the weekend and that was pleasantly positive. As a result, I remain cautiously optimistic that I have enough options cooking that the law of averages says some of these will become reality (an actual offer with deadline and fee) to keep me going during the second half of 2008.

The highlight of the weekend was seeing the first dummy copy of The Essential Batman Encyclopedia on display at the Del Rey booth. It looked amazing even without the color inserts. They had a poster-sized cover on the wall and had me sign it, which was fun. I kept dragging people over to see it and they all were positive.

Post-show, Johanna Draper-Carlson posted the following at her Comics Worth Reading site: “I got a chance to see a preview copy of the Essential Batman Encyclopedia at the NY Con, and it looks fabulous. I was impressed by the sleek layout and ease of use, like a ‘real’ encyclopedia. It’s due out in June at a reasonable $30 US price.

“But I’m posting to correct a misconception that I previously held: this is not an update of the Fleisher book. The only thing the two have in common is the concept. This material is totally newly written, and it takes a comprehensive instead of chronological approach. Instead of, for example, listing every Joker appearance in the order they happened (as Fleisher did); this book gives an overview of the character and key events. It’s bigger picture, not so much obsessive detail.”

Friday night I attended the DC Freelancer party and once more kept running into old friends. I wound up sharing a table with Joe and Hilarie Staton and as we caught up, it turns out that Hilarie wrote a book for the same series as my Bataan Death March project including the same editor. Yep, there world can be that small.

On Sunday, I moderated a panel on Getting your First Job in the field. We had a balanced set of panelists and some three dozen people in attendance which I’d say was pretty good for 3 p.m. on the final day of the show.

Also on Sunday, I had no meetings so declared it shopping day. I wandered the floor seeking out non-superhero things to sample. I wound up buying nothing. Both Jim Hanley’s Universe and Midtown Comics pushed the major publishers’ output while the smaller independent publishers had their own tables and much of the stuff was either not to my taste or just a level above amateur. I did note the wide variety of stuff available from the odd (the NY Times pushing subscriptions) to the tangential (Duncan Yo-yos) to the surprising (clothing for cosplay).

All in all, it was a very successful show professionally and very nice on a personal level. My voice grew hoarse and my feet ached, but it was all worth it in the end.

By Tuesday, after six hours without the dopamine, he was practically vibrating in a chair, super-charged and agitating to get back to 7-West. Finally, he was cleared to move over at 5 and was a hyperactive chatterbox to the amusement of his nurses.

On Wednesday he was both in the hospital and well enough to attend his first Teen Night. He and three others worked with a videogrpaher to make a one-minute video on dating tips which was kind of cute. He met a fellow 7-West patient, Mercer, who recently had been admitted. The two guys hit it off and chattered away Wednesday night. They went to Play Group on Thursday and wound up hanging out together all afternoon, which was great to see. In the small world department, Mercer’s brother and Robbie had the same class at Housatonic in the fall.

So, he came home Friday and the expectation is that he is re-admitted on Tuesday for round four. It will start in clinic as they check his blood and perform the usual bone marrow biopsy and lumbar puncture then back up to 7 for a week.

Unfortunately, his hopes of attending the New York Comic Con were dashed but at least he’s in his own bed, with his dog and has some time to himself. He was also visited Friday by friends and enjoyed sitting in the sun, reading Manga and having Dixie sit by his side.

On the other hand, while at Comic Con, I was floored by the number of people throughout the show who cornered me and after a hug and/or handshake immediately asked after him. I remain humbled by the affection received during this time.

As a result, a rule of thumb tells you that more of your time should be spent chasing down new work than actually doing the work. For example, last August I started talking to someone about maybe a fulltime gig, then it became freelance from home and then it whittled down to less and less, and then when it was supposed to start at ten hours a week as of December 1, managed to be delayed and then done in starts and stops and so far not once has it really turned into anything steady. Had I done all the work and the cash flowed, things would be swell, but this is all too typical so you keep looking.

Proposals take time to be read and if turned down at one company, then you look elsewhere. One editor said he had not one but two different book projects to discuss with me and approval was imminent. That was in late February. We might be able to discuss it this weekend at the New York Comic Con but it would be a conversation not an offer because they still are not approved.

So, I was delighted that three different freelance opportunities arrived unsolicited on my doorstep in the span of 36 hours this week. One is to be part of a pitch so requires minimal investment of time right now; one is a guaranteed project that would start in June, we just need to sit and work out details; and one is short-term to be discussed on Saturday at the con.

All of a sudden, the number of irons in the fire has grown, and with luck, a few will turn into real work to help fill out the gaps in my 2008 schedule. It’s certainly encouraging but it’s also head-spinning since several could come through at once and then I’d have to pick and choose or several could vanish and I’m back to scrambling.

I’m hoping that some of the above gets settled in the next couple of weeks since family life will also require attention as we juggle Robbie’s round four, Kate’s college graduation and some extended family events that we hope to attend.

The first issue boasts material from Craig Rousseau, Rick Burchett and John Byrne so it looks and feels like familiar comic book fare. Overall, the slick magazine looks like fun and you’d think kids would bodyslam their parents for a chance to own a copy.

Unlike comic book publishers, no sooner was the first issue published than WWE hired someone to hold a focus group to assess their efforts. A group of 10 year olds were brought into a room, they read and discussed the magazine and notes were taken.

One finding was that the kids didn’t like the comics material. Based on these comments, the comics material, which WWE had hoped would be the beginning of something they could grow, will now vanish and Paul was let go.

Is it because the pages that could have been devoted to more photos of Rey Mysterio and Stacey Keibler were spent on drawings of unfamiliar wrestlers? Is it because sports don’t always translate well to the more static medium of comics? Maybe. I have other ideas.

Is it that despite the rise of graphic novels in school libraries, there’s still a substantial percentage of younger readers who don’t like comic books? Why? I’d wager that it has a lot to do with the fact that since the 1980s, comic books have been moving further and further away from where the readers are.

Kids love the animated adventures of the comic book heroes but since they don’t walk into comics shops and the newsstands outlets are few and far between, they have nowhere to find comics and therefore don’t become comics readers. The overall failure o figuring out how to put comics material where the kids are has been one of my frustrations with the entire field.

Scholastic took some nice steps with Bone and related projects but the major characters, except Archie Andrews, are tough to find in print. Kids don’t know to look and statistics show that kids heavily influence parents purchases so if they don’t know there are comics, they don’t ask their parents, and the adults don’t always know where to find comics material.

If we’re really losing the 10 year olds, a prime age for comic books (or at least it used to be), then we have some serious problems. I don’t know of any publishers who have done focus groups or market research or product testing to figure out what package, price point and delivery method would be optimal for these younger readers. I don’t even know if publishers take advantage of the non-comic readers attending comics conventions to talk to the kids and find out why they’re there, what they might like and so on. As more cons have kids days, the more opportunities exist to learn.

There are great comics for younger readers ranging from Amelia Rules to X-Men: First Class to Teeny Titans but it remains important to have these available in the widest markets possible.

The kids are our future and without them, the comics won’t have one.