6. A Matter of Cute Cats
Upcoming work, reflections on 'ReincarNation', cat video games, and cat videos
Howdy Brave Being,
Welcome back, it’s another week and another month! Wow, I just realized that we’re also over half way through the year. Don’t be freaked out, you’ve accomplished a lot already just to get to this point. So, I’m going to get down to brass tacks in this month’s update because there’s no time to waste!
What I’m Working On
Well, last week I returned to an old script, one that was recently accepted by a comics anthology. Which one I can’t say yet, but I can hint at a few things. First, I didn’t write it—I’m the comic’s editor. Second, it’s a story that was part of another anthology that didn’t get to see the light of day. Third, it’s a supernatural story for kids (and adults but catered to kids) that teaches a valuable lesson about family. I’m super excited about it, it’s so wonderful, so stay tuned for more info about how to get it.
I’m going to spend the rest of this month on a pitch to Mad Cave’s Talent Search. They want four writers and four artists to pitch to them using their Wolvenheart comic. I have yet to read it but I’m hoping to incorporate a cat into the story if possible, because cats are cute. Wish me luck!
Tips & Tricks of the Trade
One thing I’ve been thinking about recently is how best to add the title (a.k.a. logo) and credits to short comics—something I recently had to tackle in that old script I mentioned. I think the following tips are relevant to short comics for where ever they end up, especially if the short doesn’t have a cover and/or ends up in an anthology and there’s no title page for the book. It’s also important to know what it’s called and who made it, right?!
So, when it comes to adding the title and credits, there are loads of ways to do so, loads, and there are ways to plan for it. Clear, concise directions in scripts is one way (if you’re a writer like me who needs an artist) or having a chat with your artist and/or letterer. But really, I’d recommend doing both because comics are truly a team sport. Here’s an example of how I included the title and credits in Burn the Breeze.
I think as long as the artist knows to leave room on the page where you want the title and credits before they start the layout and thumbnail process, then they can accommodate it in the art. I found it’s also particularly important so that the title and credits don’t cover up the art too much and won’t overcrowd the page as a whole.
Looking back on another short of mine, REINCARNATION, I encountered this issue the hard way. Here’s the pitch for the short in case you haven’t heard of it yet:
Down on her luck, Joanna has died and wakes up in the limbo land ReincarNation--a weigh station of sorts where she has to figure out how to live her (next) life!
Sounds fun, yeah? To break down the problem, I’ll show you what I mean. Below is the whole first page of the short sans letters, title, and credits featuring fantastic art and colors by Madeline Corrette-Bennett. Take notice the out-of-this-world pastries in the first panel.
Now, below, check out the art with letters, title, and credits by letterer Calico Davis:
Looking back on this comic, I feel I could have reorganized the first page a bit, especially the dialogue, before handing it off to the artist. At the time, the title and credits placement was something I honestly forgot about until I saw the letters. Calico did an excellent job balancing the text with the art, but I will always regret covering up the first panel with all my words.
Also, despite criticizing myself, I have several favorite things about how this page turned out. One of them is the slanted sentence case lettering. I think it was a perfect choice by Calico. When I saw it, I was delightfully surprised and I think it makes this comic accessible to younger readers (sentence case is used for kids comics). Another, is Madeline’s pastries in the first panel, which I mentioned earlier. Scroll back up and check them out in full, they are adorable. But of course somewhat hidden by everything else. So learn from what I think was a mistake, but also (shameless plug) check out our adorable slice of afterlife comic using the button below. I love it so much and hope you do too!
Madeline will soon be joining me to explore how she tackled this comic in The Making of a Comic series, so stay tuned.
As for other tips and tricks from the industry, some of my colleagues are doing incredible work for the comics community. I highly recommend checking out writer Lonnie Nadler’s recent newsletter covering Comic Book Scripting Basics. As an experienced comics writer who has juggled several titles such as MARVELOUS X-MEN, CABLE, and the most recent UNDONE BY BLOOD, his advice is invaluable and captures a lot of what I tell my clients when they’ve never worked in comics before.
Be sure to check out Stephanie Cooke, writer of OH MY GODS! and PARANORTHERN, who is making some super helpful TikTok videos on how to break into comics.
Things I’m Digging
I accidentally stumbled upon this incredible animation short while letting YouTube play continuously. It’s called Kitbull and it’s from Pixar. It has over 68.5 million views so maybe you’ve seen it?! I hadn’t. So, if you like cats, dogs, both, and/or feel like having a good cry, I highly recommend it.
So cute, right?!
I recently read this fascinating article on Substack called Cowboy-Knight. It examines the history of cowboys and the mythology around them, specifically how the archetypal hero cowboy typically presented as white isn’t real and in reality were more often Black or Brown. I found it to be enlightening. It certainly makes me think more critically about the past—how whitewashed it is—and encourages me to research things a bit more when it comes to my writing, especially when I dabble in the Western genre. Even though I write fiction, it doesn’t hurt to incorporate aspects of real life. Art reflects life and all that.
Have y’all heard about the video game STRAY? Check out the gameplay above. It sounds like it’ll be coming out early next year for PC and PS5. I need to get me one of those. Excuse me while I get distracted and go hunt down a PS5—oh just kidding, not an option.
Speaking of distractions, my friend and colleague Sasha E. Head introduced me to the term Context Switching. It’s a term originally used to describe specific computing processes but it can also be applied to human behaviors and relates to shifting from one unrelated task to another. Context Switching causes a person to lose focus, decreasing productivity and increasing mistakes. This concept is extremely relatable and opened my eyes about my own work productivity as it relates to my mental health—it’s not really something I’m digging now that I know that it’s a problem, but I think it’s important to learn about these kinds of things. There’s a great article about the term which explores it in a much deeper way here.
Merry Musings
Back to more cat content because how else would I round out this month’s update? Here’s an amazing video of actor/comedian Ricky Gervais and his foster cat.
Thanks for reading and hope you got something good out of it. Take care out there!
Mercy buckets,
Brittany