Jul 12, 2003
I was talking to my mysterious friend the other day, who is the alter ego of the subversive super hero Joe Citizen. Joe has posted a little display (little being an understatement) of the wide range of uses our flag is performing in these post 9/11 patriotic times.
Joe’s onto something here and it’s worth checking out.
Joe’s onto something here and it’s worth checking out.
I had to deal with a bad case of freelanceritis last week.
I wound up going into the client on Thursday to do finishing touches on Fat Man before he shipped. Part of that entailed getting a couple of color decks printed out. Usually, when I’ve been going in, I’ve been using the nearby 8100 for prints (grayscale is fine for proofing). No problem the job runs through fast, without a problem.
A couple of weeks back when I was trying to get Little Boy out, I ran up against someone while I was trying to get color prints out. The person in question was printing somewhere between 8 and 11 color decks and loathe be the person trying to get their prints out as well. Anyway, I’m not interested in making waves so, I try to maintain as low a profile as I can when I’m at the clients (this is a good gig).
Forced into having to print color decks I was left no choice but to use the color printer (a fiery hooked up to a xerox color copier). Last time, I had printed the decks collated and was told I should send the job three times (allowing other jobs to spool, a reasonable request) so, this time I did just that.
My client contact came back and said, “it was taking an awfully long time for the job to print.” I usually send the job to the printer there and forget about it, their printer seems to be the nexus for a lot of people (including some who feel the need to see their emails in color). Consequently, you never know how many jobs are backed up in the spool and how big the files that are spooling are - since the copier is on the other side of the floor, I just figure I’ll walk over in an hour and the printouts should be there.
So, at the behest of my client, I walk over and there’s this gaggle of people surrounding the fiery. I’m sorry but, truth be told is was a bit of a hen party. I checked to the queue to see what was happening and the first printout was spooling (it was about a 19mb file not altogether large) but, since there is art on every page it takes a bit of time but, it was moving. I don’t know what had gone before it as I hadn’t been over there to see.
Anyway, again with the accusations. One person just postulated, “Oh! There must be a freelancer in today.” (yeah folks, these problems never happen to staff people. One of the joys of my life as a freelancer is taking the fall for some idiot staff person who doesn’t take the time out to check their page setup or driver before they hurriedly hit the print button).
So, I was looking over the queue, trying to see if the spool had gotten clogged with printed jobs (for some reason the setting on their fiery retains quite a few printed jobs although no one seems to realize they can just rerun a job from the queue), I was also trying to see what was going on with the queue for waiting jobs (there were quite a few which was one of the reasons for alarm) but again, wonder of wonders, most of them were someone’s emails.
Then one of the resident geniuses, found out I wasn’t the “tech guy” but a freelancer and said she didn’t think it was a good idea for a freelancer to be touching the precious fiery. Not a problem, I lifted my hands as if I’d been burned and got out of there fast.
When it was realized someone (a staff person in a rush) had printed out a job that called for a manual feed of paper (another thing which I was almost blamed for), there was some speculation about printing from my laptop causing the delay (of course when I printed out two decks later in the day after everyone had left and they shot right through that didn’t seem to be much of a problem at all).
After seeing the way some of the “staff” geniuses construct files it’s a wonder anything prints out at all. Believe me, seeing how someone puts together a file is akin to going through someone’s underwear draw - no secrets after that. You find out just how sloppy a person can be.
I wound up going into the client on Thursday to do finishing touches on Fat Man before he shipped. Part of that entailed getting a couple of color decks printed out. Usually, when I’ve been going in, I’ve been using the nearby 8100 for prints (grayscale is fine for proofing). No problem the job runs through fast, without a problem.
A couple of weeks back when I was trying to get Little Boy out, I ran up against someone while I was trying to get color prints out. The person in question was printing somewhere between 8 and 11 color decks and loathe be the person trying to get their prints out as well. Anyway, I’m not interested in making waves so, I try to maintain as low a profile as I can when I’m at the clients (this is a good gig).
Forced into having to print color decks I was left no choice but to use the color printer (a fiery hooked up to a xerox color copier). Last time, I had printed the decks collated and was told I should send the job three times (allowing other jobs to spool, a reasonable request) so, this time I did just that.
My client contact came back and said, “it was taking an awfully long time for the job to print.” I usually send the job to the printer there and forget about it, their printer seems to be the nexus for a lot of people (including some who feel the need to see their emails in color). Consequently, you never know how many jobs are backed up in the spool and how big the files that are spooling are - since the copier is on the other side of the floor, I just figure I’ll walk over in an hour and the printouts should be there.
So, at the behest of my client, I walk over and there’s this gaggle of people surrounding the fiery. I’m sorry but, truth be told is was a bit of a hen party. I checked to the queue to see what was happening and the first printout was spooling (it was about a 19mb file not altogether large) but, since there is art on every page it takes a bit of time but, it was moving. I don’t know what had gone before it as I hadn’t been over there to see.
Anyway, again with the accusations. One person just postulated, “Oh! There must be a freelancer in today.” (yeah folks, these problems never happen to staff people. One of the joys of my life as a freelancer is taking the fall for some idiot staff person who doesn’t take the time out to check their page setup or driver before they hurriedly hit the print button).
So, I was looking over the queue, trying to see if the spool had gotten clogged with printed jobs (for some reason the setting on their fiery retains quite a few printed jobs although no one seems to realize they can just rerun a job from the queue), I was also trying to see what was going on with the queue for waiting jobs (there were quite a few which was one of the reasons for alarm) but again, wonder of wonders, most of them were someone’s emails.
Then one of the resident geniuses, found out I wasn’t the “tech guy” but a freelancer and said she didn’t think it was a good idea for a freelancer to be touching the precious fiery. Not a problem, I lifted my hands as if I’d been burned and got out of there fast.
When it was realized someone (a staff person in a rush) had printed out a job that called for a manual feed of paper (another thing which I was almost blamed for), there was some speculation about printing from my laptop causing the delay (of course when I printed out two decks later in the day after everyone had left and they shot right through that didn’t seem to be much of a problem at all).
After seeing the way some of the “staff” geniuses construct files it’s a wonder anything prints out at all. Believe me, seeing how someone puts together a file is akin to going through someone’s underwear draw - no secrets after that. You find out just how sloppy a person can be.
So, also of note today, Fat Man is out the door. The bluelines came back today, I already had started on some of my own edits and what came back was relatively minor (although there was a mix up at the client about when it had to ship - being out to the printer early Monday instead of early Tuesday). Still not a problem and the thing is done. Little Boy came back from the printer. I looked through and found two things that were missed (my fault, proofer’s fault, client’s fault). Nothing major, as a matter of fact, I think you’d be hard pressed to notice it (but I did since I’ve lived this project). Since the check came in for Little Boy, I feel flush and can give up the ghost (so to speak).
The good thing is it all starts again in a short while. The books look really, really good - I designed them and did all the production work. I have a happy client and it’s a good base for me so, I’m momentarily basking in the glory of this moment.
The good thing is it all starts again in a short while. The books look really, really good - I designed them and did all the production work. I have a happy client and it’s a good base for me so, I’m momentarily basking in the glory of this moment.
So, while I have the TV with good ole Dom Jolly and Trigger Happy TV (where else can you see a man dressed up in a dog costume take on a guy in the street with a megaphone blabbing about neutering dogs or an excessively female flatulent yoga teacher), what better time for a quick roundup of the last few weeks c-books (mind you this is about a solid three weeks worth).
Black Panther #61 - Tight, well-done and wouldn’t be surprised at all to see this book wind up as the basis for a successful syndicated television series. The current story arc brings back a character from the Don McGregor/Billy Graham heyday of the Black Panther and it’s just been one of those books I’m looking forward to every month.
Captain Marvel #11 - Peter David was at that awful comics show a few weeks back and I resisted the urge to go up and ask him what happened. Most of the stuff he’s been writing lately has been a big turnoff. He’s had a couple of books get canceled (SuperGirl and Young Justice), SpyBoy seems to be MIA and honestly Captain Marvel hasn’t been altogether entertaining since it’s relaunch (ala the U-Decide stunt). May be time to drop this bad boy - a book about a hero with no redeeming qualities is usually a hard sell (see Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Punisher, Deadpool and Vigilante) and this book just isn’t making the cut. May be time to drop this in an issue or two.
Peter Parker Spider Man #57 - I think this was the last issue (as the titles been canceled to be replaced by another Spider based title). Ever since Paul Jenkins left, this has been one crappy and inconsistent book. Sam Keith’s artwork was really hard to get around but, the story was actually quite interesting once you got past the art. I can’t say I’m sorry to see this title go.
JSA All Stars #3 - I love the monthly JSA book and I’ve been enjoying this book as well. Nothing spectacular, just a solid book.
Avengers #68 - Geoff Johns breathes life into another title. Solid book, truly entertaining with a refreshing take on familiar characters that works really well. Copiel’s art is well suited for the book (although he’s missed from DC’s Legion).
Batman #616 - This is a big seller and to tell the truth, I don’t really find it anything spectacular. Brian actually looks out for this book now, making a point to get it each month (which is unusual for him since he doesn’t really buy books that often) and it is one of the best selling books in the industry but, Jeff Loeb has lost a lot of his magic with the crappy Marvel series he’s done of late (Daredevil: Yellow and Spiderman: Blue). I think the whole villain of the story has been telegraphed - SPOILER WARNING SKIP THIS - It’s probably Bruce’s doctor friend from childhood - hence the Ras Al Ghul L-pit thingy, you wouldn’t spend so much time developing a background character who was incidental to the story.
Robin #115 - I just like the book month in and month out. They’ve managed to round out the character of Tim Drake and make him entertaining and likable. Good supporting cast, has a tendency to lose it’s way with the convoluted plots from time to time and leaves a bit to be desired in the way it handles subplots but, still much better than a lot of the other stuff that’s out there.
Legion #21 - I’ve grown to like the book. I don’t think of it as one of the best that’s out there but, generally it’s an entertaining read and has a good mix of new and old thrown together.
Batgirl #41 - A book sorely in need of a stronger editorial hand. The art is beautiful but, it’s another of those books that seems to be treading water plot wise. Lacks drama.
Superman: Metropolis #5 - Chuck Austen somehow manages to keep me coming back month after month (which he did much the same way with his run on Birds of Prey). Throws in enough hooks to keep your interest. Title’s focus isn’t so much on the big “S” as the backdrop for his universe. Good use of characters, I wonder if any of Austen’s work will bleed over into the other Super titles - it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
The Incredible Hulk: NightMerica - One of those painted comics (watercolor) that’s supposed to be oh-so high brow. Story is passable, art is decent, I honestly don’t think I’ll manage to last all six issues.
Lucifer #39 - One of those odd books that doesn’t have big circulation numbers but, has enough going on for it that is has a good core following. After reading a few issues I got hooked and haven’t missed an issue since. It’s an interesting book with the first fallen as the lead character. Solid fantasy and a good read for anyone who enjoyed Sandman.
Astro City: Local Heroes #3 - One of the books you wait for. Busiek is slowly recovering from his mercury poisoning and has returned to his greatest work. There are very few books that can stand up to Astro City and it’s probably one of the few books worth buying even if you’re not a comics fan - remember Eight Ball was a comic, so was From Hell and a bunch of other hit movies over the last few years. This would be one of those books that would make another great ongoing series.
WildCats #3.11 -Now were hitting stride, another great book. When people talk about Joe Casey’s work, my eyes usually glaze over and I haven’t really been a fan of most of what he’s done but, he touches them all with this book and to top it off Dustin Nguyen has got to be one of the top storytellers in comics today, his work is just spectacular. Really tight well-done book.
The Flash #199 - Maybe one of my top 5 books. Another of Johns’ titles and the one he came to prominence on. It’s rushing headlong to a 200th issue and a dramatic conclusion to the current storyline but, that shouldn’t stop anyone from jumping on the roller coaster. Scott Kolins art (which I didn’t like at all at first) has just improved leaps and bounds to the point where I can’t imagine who would follow him on the title.
The Incredible Hulk #56 -Bruce Jones takes you on a ride with a villain you thought you knew. Still waiting for the payoff from his tenure on the book (lots of mysterious subplots). Fernandez’ art is very reminiscent of Leonard Kirk. Solid read.
Superman #194 - I’m a big fan of Scott McDaniels so I have to acknowledge my bias. Seagle crafts a good yarn and the book is another solid read.
Sentinel #3 -Has the same feel of the early run of Impulse (which I was a big fan of). I would hope it’s a big seller among young adults because I think that’s the audience it’s geared for but, it has the kind of naive, innocent fun of a 60’s book. Art is in the same vein as Weiringo’s work.
Outsiders #1 -Judd Winick’s first issue of DC’s new team book. Much ballyhooed, it is nothing spectacular. I have been cooling to Winick (an alumnus of MTV’s Real World) since he left Green Lantern. His Green Arrow is truly horrible. Tom Raney is a draw but, I don’t know if he can save this title from Winick’s mediocrity.
Fantastic Four #70 -Unfortunately, Waid and Weiringo wind down their spectacular run on this title. The battle with a rejuvenated and now mystical Doctor Doom is riveting. Reed Richard's, dyslexic? Need I say more?
Batman: Gotham Knights #42 - Brian Bollands covers are what sells this book. It just doesn’t manage to achieve the level of drama it’s reaching for. Something is missing. Soon to be dropped.
Daredevil #48 -Bendis is making me a fan. I implored him on the boards to bring back older characters like the Owl and he did successfully. I’m not as crazy about the hero-as-celebrity trend which is prevalent in Marvel’s books these days but, Bendis knows how to write and Maleev’s art is some of the most beautiful work Marvel is publishing right now.
Amazing Spider Man #54 -Also has to be in the top 5. Solid book with great writing and great art, never disappoints. This title is enjoying a renaissance of sorts since Straczynski came on board. Romita Jr. just gets better and better. Straczynski has a terrific knack for writing dialogue, manages to elicit a few solid laughs with his skill at it.
Action Comics #805 - Joe Kelly and Pascual Ferry turn in a yeoman effort. Good, entertaining read and Ferry’s work harkens to Mignola’s with his use of shadow.
The Authority #3 -Tanking in a big way. The book that had so much buzz around it a year or two ago is running out of steam. It’s moment may have passed (remember Preacher?). This is a book sorely in need of a new creative team before the current team runs the title into the ground. It’s just not making the grade compared to what has gone before it. How very disappointing.
...and in passing some stuff that was laying around:
Tales of Bulletproof Monk - I had to force myself to read this, just wasn’t enough there for me.
Green Lantern: Brightest Day/Blackest Night -Prestige format title harkening back to the days of the golden age of comics (radio/ww2). Fun, good story, good art but, nothing earth shattering. 5 on the 10 scale.
Black Panther #61 - Tight, well-done and wouldn’t be surprised at all to see this book wind up as the basis for a successful syndicated television series. The current story arc brings back a character from the Don McGregor/Billy Graham heyday of the Black Panther and it’s just been one of those books I’m looking forward to every month.
Captain Marvel #11 - Peter David was at that awful comics show a few weeks back and I resisted the urge to go up and ask him what happened. Most of the stuff he’s been writing lately has been a big turnoff. He’s had a couple of books get canceled (SuperGirl and Young Justice), SpyBoy seems to be MIA and honestly Captain Marvel hasn’t been altogether entertaining since it’s relaunch (ala the U-Decide stunt). May be time to drop this bad boy - a book about a hero with no redeeming qualities is usually a hard sell (see Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Punisher, Deadpool and Vigilante) and this book just isn’t making the cut. May be time to drop this in an issue or two.
Peter Parker Spider Man #57 - I think this was the last issue (as the titles been canceled to be replaced by another Spider based title). Ever since Paul Jenkins left, this has been one crappy and inconsistent book. Sam Keith’s artwork was really hard to get around but, the story was actually quite interesting once you got past the art. I can’t say I’m sorry to see this title go.
JSA All Stars #3 - I love the monthly JSA book and I’ve been enjoying this book as well. Nothing spectacular, just a solid book.
Avengers #68 - Geoff Johns breathes life into another title. Solid book, truly entertaining with a refreshing take on familiar characters that works really well. Copiel’s art is well suited for the book (although he’s missed from DC’s Legion).
Batman #616 - This is a big seller and to tell the truth, I don’t really find it anything spectacular. Brian actually looks out for this book now, making a point to get it each month (which is unusual for him since he doesn’t really buy books that often) and it is one of the best selling books in the industry but, Jeff Loeb has lost a lot of his magic with the crappy Marvel series he’s done of late (Daredevil: Yellow and Spiderman: Blue). I think the whole villain of the story has been telegraphed - SPOILER WARNING SKIP THIS - It’s probably Bruce’s doctor friend from childhood - hence the Ras Al Ghul L-pit thingy, you wouldn’t spend so much time developing a background character who was incidental to the story.
Robin #115 - I just like the book month in and month out. They’ve managed to round out the character of Tim Drake and make him entertaining and likable. Good supporting cast, has a tendency to lose it’s way with the convoluted plots from time to time and leaves a bit to be desired in the way it handles subplots but, still much better than a lot of the other stuff that’s out there.
Legion #21 - I’ve grown to like the book. I don’t think of it as one of the best that’s out there but, generally it’s an entertaining read and has a good mix of new and old thrown together.
Batgirl #41 - A book sorely in need of a stronger editorial hand. The art is beautiful but, it’s another of those books that seems to be treading water plot wise. Lacks drama.
Superman: Metropolis #5 - Chuck Austen somehow manages to keep me coming back month after month (which he did much the same way with his run on Birds of Prey). Throws in enough hooks to keep your interest. Title’s focus isn’t so much on the big “S” as the backdrop for his universe. Good use of characters, I wonder if any of Austen’s work will bleed over into the other Super titles - it wouldn’t be a bad thing.
The Incredible Hulk: NightMerica - One of those painted comics (watercolor) that’s supposed to be oh-so high brow. Story is passable, art is decent, I honestly don’t think I’ll manage to last all six issues.
Lucifer #39 - One of those odd books that doesn’t have big circulation numbers but, has enough going on for it that is has a good core following. After reading a few issues I got hooked and haven’t missed an issue since. It’s an interesting book with the first fallen as the lead character. Solid fantasy and a good read for anyone who enjoyed Sandman.
Astro City: Local Heroes #3 - One of the books you wait for. Busiek is slowly recovering from his mercury poisoning and has returned to his greatest work. There are very few books that can stand up to Astro City and it’s probably one of the few books worth buying even if you’re not a comics fan - remember Eight Ball was a comic, so was From Hell and a bunch of other hit movies over the last few years. This would be one of those books that would make another great ongoing series.
WildCats #3.11 -Now were hitting stride, another great book. When people talk about Joe Casey’s work, my eyes usually glaze over and I haven’t really been a fan of most of what he’s done but, he touches them all with this book and to top it off Dustin Nguyen has got to be one of the top storytellers in comics today, his work is just spectacular. Really tight well-done book.
The Flash #199 - Maybe one of my top 5 books. Another of Johns’ titles and the one he came to prominence on. It’s rushing headlong to a 200th issue and a dramatic conclusion to the current storyline but, that shouldn’t stop anyone from jumping on the roller coaster. Scott Kolins art (which I didn’t like at all at first) has just improved leaps and bounds to the point where I can’t imagine who would follow him on the title.
The Incredible Hulk #56 -Bruce Jones takes you on a ride with a villain you thought you knew. Still waiting for the payoff from his tenure on the book (lots of mysterious subplots). Fernandez’ art is very reminiscent of Leonard Kirk. Solid read.
Superman #194 - I’m a big fan of Scott McDaniels so I have to acknowledge my bias. Seagle crafts a good yarn and the book is another solid read.
Sentinel #3 -Has the same feel of the early run of Impulse (which I was a big fan of). I would hope it’s a big seller among young adults because I think that’s the audience it’s geared for but, it has the kind of naive, innocent fun of a 60’s book. Art is in the same vein as Weiringo’s work.
Outsiders #1 -Judd Winick’s first issue of DC’s new team book. Much ballyhooed, it is nothing spectacular. I have been cooling to Winick (an alumnus of MTV’s Real World) since he left Green Lantern. His Green Arrow is truly horrible. Tom Raney is a draw but, I don’t know if he can save this title from Winick’s mediocrity.
Fantastic Four #70 -Unfortunately, Waid and Weiringo wind down their spectacular run on this title. The battle with a rejuvenated and now mystical Doctor Doom is riveting. Reed Richard's, dyslexic? Need I say more?
Batman: Gotham Knights #42 - Brian Bollands covers are what sells this book. It just doesn’t manage to achieve the level of drama it’s reaching for. Something is missing. Soon to be dropped.
Daredevil #48 -Bendis is making me a fan. I implored him on the boards to bring back older characters like the Owl and he did successfully. I’m not as crazy about the hero-as-celebrity trend which is prevalent in Marvel’s books these days but, Bendis knows how to write and Maleev’s art is some of the most beautiful work Marvel is publishing right now.
Amazing Spider Man #54 -Also has to be in the top 5. Solid book with great writing and great art, never disappoints. This title is enjoying a renaissance of sorts since Straczynski came on board. Romita Jr. just gets better and better. Straczynski has a terrific knack for writing dialogue, manages to elicit a few solid laughs with his skill at it.
Action Comics #805 - Joe Kelly and Pascual Ferry turn in a yeoman effort. Good, entertaining read and Ferry’s work harkens to Mignola’s with his use of shadow.
The Authority #3 -Tanking in a big way. The book that had so much buzz around it a year or two ago is running out of steam. It’s moment may have passed (remember Preacher?). This is a book sorely in need of a new creative team before the current team runs the title into the ground. It’s just not making the grade compared to what has gone before it. How very disappointing.
...and in passing some stuff that was laying around:
Tales of Bulletproof Monk - I had to force myself to read this, just wasn’t enough there for me.
Green Lantern: Brightest Day/Blackest Night -Prestige format title harkening back to the days of the golden age of comics (radio/ww2). Fun, good story, good art but, nothing earth shattering. 5 on the 10 scale.
Jul 11, 2003
HULK SMASH!
So, the secret about what the Hulk’s purple pants have been hiding is out (and so is the Hulk I guess). This children’s toy is causing quite the stir across the big pond.
This story gives new meaning to the phrase “Beat Your Meat.”
Yes, much as I hate to admit it, I will be compelled to watch this, this weekend. This reminds me of another show I’ve enjoyed watching, TNN’s Most Extreme Elimination Challenge.
Unfortunately, I think Takeshi’s Castle would be much funnier if they just translated the show from the Japanese instead of trying to be clever and writing a ton of bad dialog. The dialog doesn’t sell the show as much as the video of people doing truly painful stunts.
Knowing Bill Jemas from his days at the Garden, I can hardly be surprised by the tastelessness of this latest stunt. The surprising thing is Marvel developed a conscious before publishing this dreck.
I made $1,150 in 4 hours today working from my home as a “freelance desktop designer” -- even though I can’t program a computer or draw a straight line!
...and lastly, I have to post this link forwarded to me by Les (from my days at Equity and MSG). Just proving how radically the world of graphics is changing. This harkens back to a conversation I had with Harry Stahl about a class he was proposing to teach at a local school that would teach secretaries the finer points of Quark. Nothing against secretaries mind you, I’m waiting for them to teach the janitor how to perform surgery at the local hospital or the baggage claim guy how to fly the plane - we all are interchangeable after all, aren’t we?
Fat Man has left the building, I repeat Fat Man has left the building.
So, once again I am facing the uncertainty of a period of no work after the conclusion of a project. On the one hand, I am glad for some time off and for having receivables out in the world (it’s always good to know there are checks coming in). Plus, it being summer, there’s the opportunity to enjoy the nice weather.
I still have bluelines to deal with and truth be told I caought something which is pretty major (in my opinion) which I’ll fix before the job goes to press - I had been using a TrueType font without realizing it. Even though it’s a medium weight (of which there is no corresponding type 1 version in the family), I’ll still have to figure something out (probably scale the bold weight back).
I didn’t realize it until late in the game and if I had I would have fixed it long ago but, isn’t that always the way of these things?
I try to keep in touch with people and I hear mixed things about the state of how busy the workaday world is - some people observing this is a quiet period others having enough to keep them busy - even when we were going through the “boom” of the late 90’s, I never got the sense there was this abundance of work. I still had to hustle.
So, once again I am facing the uncertainty of a period of no work after the conclusion of a project. On the one hand, I am glad for some time off and for having receivables out in the world (it’s always good to know there are checks coming in). Plus, it being summer, there’s the opportunity to enjoy the nice weather.
I still have bluelines to deal with and truth be told I caought something which is pretty major (in my opinion) which I’ll fix before the job goes to press - I had been using a TrueType font without realizing it. Even though it’s a medium weight (of which there is no corresponding type 1 version in the family), I’ll still have to figure something out (probably scale the bold weight back).
I didn’t realize it until late in the game and if I had I would have fixed it long ago but, isn’t that always the way of these things?
I try to keep in touch with people and I hear mixed things about the state of how busy the workaday world is - some people observing this is a quiet period others having enough to keep them busy - even when we were going through the “boom” of the late 90’s, I never got the sense there was this abundance of work. I still had to hustle.
Everytime I start to think there’s hope for the Mets this year, they go on a nice five or six game losing streak just to dash my hopes. I still like the team better than the one that broke spring training. The interesting thing to me is that the Mets instituted tiered pricing depending on their opponent - meanwhile the Yankees are having $5 ticket nights - something is wrong with this picture.
Jul 9, 2003
Last night I was giddy with celebration as I got Fat Man out the door. Six weeks of little or no sleep coming to an end and the official start of summer.
Of course it was too good to be true as I got the frantic phone call from the client this morning. It appears they forgot to include a title in the catalog meaning the bulk of the thing had to be repaginated (never mind the art revisions and content). No use grumbling - just getting it done although I could’ve used another 20 hours of sleep.
Yesterday it occurred to me when you do a good job it’s usually not noticed because doing a good job means there aren’t any problems - when you f**k up though, watch out, everyone notices that (because everything is flying).
I’ve got to find a way to accentuate my successes and minimize my failures, not an easy thing to do in our society.
Of course it was too good to be true as I got the frantic phone call from the client this morning. It appears they forgot to include a title in the catalog meaning the bulk of the thing had to be repaginated (never mind the art revisions and content). No use grumbling - just getting it done although I could’ve used another 20 hours of sleep.
Yesterday it occurred to me when you do a good job it’s usually not noticed because doing a good job means there aren’t any problems - when you f**k up though, watch out, everyone notices that (because everything is flying).
I’ve got to find a way to accentuate my successes and minimize my failures, not an easy thing to do in our society.
4am and closing...
Winding down now watching the Kids in the Hall.
Last week I finally got a chance to see the cards I did for Irene (which I hadn’t mentioned before now since Irene has been known to read the blog from time to time). This was a big event as it meant I finished something!
Like a starting pitcher I can’t pitch a complete game often so, when I manage to actually finish a personal project it is a momentous event.
The cards look good! Maybe all the research I did into printers was worthwhile (I wound up going with some guys I found in California in the back pages of either Photoshop User or MacWorld). I was really afraid the cards would be cheap looking and that they’d be on thin stock - well they came back with a good gloss to them and the stock while it could’ve been just a shade thicker was good enough for me to be happy.
Of course, the moment after I sent the job out I was thinking about things I would have liked to do with the back of the card (this happens a lot). I think I picked this up from some of the designers I’ve worked with over the years.
Irene seemed happy though and I was glad I came through and finished them for her. At the very least I think I did a good job on them and I think it says something - another thing I probably picked up from the designers I worked with - there is no such thing as a small client (God, I’ve given over to speaking in platitudes).
I wanted to mention this months National Geographic while I had it in mind. There is a great article on Korea which got me thinking about Sung. It talks about the fact that there is a country in Asia where people are still officially at war. Interesting fact was that South Korea has a larger population than the north but, the north has more people under arms (conscription?) than the south.
The geography of Korea is just as important as the conflict, especially when you find the capital of the country lies only 35 miles from the demilitarized zone (Gosh! Only a short tank ride away!).
Sung had mentioned how his dad still had family in the North and how he hadn’t seen them since the Communists came to power. I don’t think people can really understand a thing like that and how it hurts on such a personal level. We just get these headlines vilifying the North and talking about them lobbing nukes into California.
Winding down now watching the Kids in the Hall.
Last week I finally got a chance to see the cards I did for Irene (which I hadn’t mentioned before now since Irene has been known to read the blog from time to time). This was a big event as it meant I finished something!
Like a starting pitcher I can’t pitch a complete game often so, when I manage to actually finish a personal project it is a momentous event.
The cards look good! Maybe all the research I did into printers was worthwhile (I wound up going with some guys I found in California in the back pages of either Photoshop User or MacWorld). I was really afraid the cards would be cheap looking and that they’d be on thin stock - well they came back with a good gloss to them and the stock while it could’ve been just a shade thicker was good enough for me to be happy.
Of course, the moment after I sent the job out I was thinking about things I would have liked to do with the back of the card (this happens a lot). I think I picked this up from some of the designers I’ve worked with over the years.
Irene seemed happy though and I was glad I came through and finished them for her. At the very least I think I did a good job on them and I think it says something - another thing I probably picked up from the designers I worked with - there is no such thing as a small client (God, I’ve given over to speaking in platitudes).
I wanted to mention this months National Geographic while I had it in mind. There is a great article on Korea which got me thinking about Sung. It talks about the fact that there is a country in Asia where people are still officially at war. Interesting fact was that South Korea has a larger population than the north but, the north has more people under arms (conscription?) than the south.
The geography of Korea is just as important as the conflict, especially when you find the capital of the country lies only 35 miles from the demilitarized zone (Gosh! Only a short tank ride away!).
Sung had mentioned how his dad still had family in the North and how he hadn’t seen them since the Communists came to power. I don’t think people can really understand a thing like that and how it hurts on such a personal level. We just get these headlines vilifying the North and talking about them lobbing nukes into California.
Weeeeooooohhhhhh!
A little after 3am on a Tuesday night and I have just finished burning Fat Man to CD! I can’t believe it’s almost over (don’t forget the bluelines). The last week seems like a haze (hence the absence in posts).
The car broke down just in time for the holiday weekend (it’s two for two having been in the shop over Memorial Day). I wish I had been able to get out more but, there was plenty to do. After delivering the first round of drafts early in the week, I got another round in and finished a bunch of loose pages needing design by Wednesday so the proofreader Dan the Man could do his work.
That was just in time to get all the art, which I spent all night Thursday resizing, retouching and dropping into the file. Lots of stuff missing which meant putting together a slew of dummy covers on the fly.
On the fourth, I managed to go to bed at 6am - yeah I can do it but, only when I work from home. At the end of the day is a 10ft walk to the bed as opposed to the hour plus ride and drive (let’s not even talk about having access to your own refrigerator instead of the crap you wind up gobbling down while you’re stuck at the office).
We did the bar-b-q thing. Vito did a big spread with plenty of people. The funny thing to note was the Met game being on the big screen TV early in the afternoon and no one being in the living room watching then, when the Yankee game was on later three wasn’t a place to sit in the living room - talk about going deep behind enemy lines!
My eldest cousin’s son Brandon was there. I find myself more and more interested in what he has to say as the years pass. He’s a very different person than I am but, at the same time I see some of the things in him that I dealt with in our family.
He freelances, which is really hard to describe (your work situation) to someone who doesn’t really do it - or doesn’t work in an industry that uses "freelancers." He works for MTV so, there’s always some good stories he has to tell. He’s in his late twenties now and didn’t wind up in college right after high school but, he’s managed to stick with MTV for almost 5 years slowly making his way up the ladder. He did a stint on TRL and has worked on a bunch of other shows. And he winds up doing a lot of editing work himself on the shows he works on (yes, Final Cut Pro is everywhere - gotta get off my ass and learn some new skills). So, he’s a lot of fun to talk to.
Jill, my youngest cousin is building up her career as a writer. I just found out she’s been writing a column for her local paper - not even going in to the novel she’s been working on so, they’re a talented batch.
Anyway, we wound up going in the other car which has no air conditioning - I was half in the bag most of the day since I got to sleep so late and I could only think about all the rest of the stuff I had to get done on Fat Man before Monday. The rest of the weekend wound up just blurring by - not much of a holiday. I did get one good day of sleep in (Saturday) which was great because I think I had gotten about 15 hours of sleep over the previous five days combined.
And since I’m up so late and have gotten about 7 hours sleep since the aforementioned Saturday, I present you with this link which you should file under WWJD (what would Jesus do). Blasphemy!
A little after 3am on a Tuesday night and I have just finished burning Fat Man to CD! I can’t believe it’s almost over (don’t forget the bluelines). The last week seems like a haze (hence the absence in posts).
The car broke down just in time for the holiday weekend (it’s two for two having been in the shop over Memorial Day). I wish I had been able to get out more but, there was plenty to do. After delivering the first round of drafts early in the week, I got another round in and finished a bunch of loose pages needing design by Wednesday so the proofreader Dan the Man could do his work.
That was just in time to get all the art, which I spent all night Thursday resizing, retouching and dropping into the file. Lots of stuff missing which meant putting together a slew of dummy covers on the fly.
On the fourth, I managed to go to bed at 6am - yeah I can do it but, only when I work from home. At the end of the day is a 10ft walk to the bed as opposed to the hour plus ride and drive (let’s not even talk about having access to your own refrigerator instead of the crap you wind up gobbling down while you’re stuck at the office).
We did the bar-b-q thing. Vito did a big spread with plenty of people. The funny thing to note was the Met game being on the big screen TV early in the afternoon and no one being in the living room watching then, when the Yankee game was on later three wasn’t a place to sit in the living room - talk about going deep behind enemy lines!
My eldest cousin’s son Brandon was there. I find myself more and more interested in what he has to say as the years pass. He’s a very different person than I am but, at the same time I see some of the things in him that I dealt with in our family.
He freelances, which is really hard to describe (your work situation) to someone who doesn’t really do it - or doesn’t work in an industry that uses "freelancers." He works for MTV so, there’s always some good stories he has to tell. He’s in his late twenties now and didn’t wind up in college right after high school but, he’s managed to stick with MTV for almost 5 years slowly making his way up the ladder. He did a stint on TRL and has worked on a bunch of other shows. And he winds up doing a lot of editing work himself on the shows he works on (yes, Final Cut Pro is everywhere - gotta get off my ass and learn some new skills). So, he’s a lot of fun to talk to.
Jill, my youngest cousin is building up her career as a writer. I just found out she’s been writing a column for her local paper - not even going in to the novel she’s been working on so, they’re a talented batch.
Anyway, we wound up going in the other car which has no air conditioning - I was half in the bag most of the day since I got to sleep so late and I could only think about all the rest of the stuff I had to get done on Fat Man before Monday. The rest of the weekend wound up just blurring by - not much of a holiday. I did get one good day of sleep in (Saturday) which was great because I think I had gotten about 15 hours of sleep over the previous five days combined.
And since I’m up so late and have gotten about 7 hours sleep since the aforementioned Saturday, I present you with this link which you should file under WWJD (what would Jesus do). Blasphemy!
Jul 8, 2003
Well, here it is Tuesday, if you asked me I would probably not be able to tell you what day it was without checking first. Once again, I return to the world of the office worker. It reminds me of how I felt at school dances when I was in high school, I just didn’t know what to do. As things go this isn’t so bad so, it’s stupid to complain.
I am right on the precipice of getting Fat Man out the door. That’s a big reason for not making too many entries of late (bad habit).
I am right on the precipice of getting Fat Man out the door. That’s a big reason for not making too many entries of late (bad habit).
Jul 4, 2003
Here we are on the eve of the Fourth of July.
It’s a big holiday for our nation. It doesn’t feel any different to me. It just feels like a Friday.
I’m not a big one for holidays for the most part. Outside of getting together with the family (which of course we will do since it’s time for the annual bar-b-que at Vito’s and Val’s - and “you can’t say no, to a man named Vito”) which is nice, my life just doesn’t have the kind of structure to it where the holidays become that big escape from the drudgery of work (thank God).
I’m in the home stretch on Fat Man, I can’t believe it!
The last few days have blurred together as the ship date gets closer and closer. Managed to finalize the design, do a first setting, do a round of changes, repaginate twice, flow new copy, design the spreads and get everything back to the client to circulate and go out to the proofreader. Today I got all the art I received in. All that’s left is a final round of changes, one page where I haven’t gotten copy, dropping in any missing art, and then just putting together the last nine pages - then it’s done! Yayyyy!
I don’t have a sense of what market is like right now, because I have my blinders on while I’m trying to get this job out the door. I did notice however, the lead story on the evening news tonight was unemployment was at its highest in a decade and that there were 100,000 jobs lost last month. That’s a lot of people out of work (to put it mildly).
It brings to mind a discussion I have been having with more and more frequency not only about the state of the economy within our country but, also about this “ism” we structure our lives around and it’s relevance as a working model for a society.
If that statement seems vague, let me get a little more specific.
Capitalism as we know it, is a relatively recent phenomenon. It’s very easy for us to live in the moment, seeing the way we live today as something that is enduring and unchanging. If you think about it though, as recently as 150 years ago, people lived a radically different lifestyle than the ones we live today. They traveled less, spent most of their lives in one area and in one job. There wasn’t the manufacturing base there is today and people’s labor was very, very different from what our labor today is.
The dollar is the world's reserve currency, which gives us the ability to finance trade deficits that no other country could afford. When an alternative reserve currency appears, the United States will undergo wrenching economic, social and political adjustments.
We may, in our lifetimes, see significant economic, social and political change in our country we could have never imagined as a consequence of our leaders not having the foresight to move our country in the direction it needs to be taken. Technology has removed jobs from the marketplace, it has also resulted in manufacturing jobs being lost overseas as American workers compete on a global (as opposed to national) scale. This downward pressure on wages is creating adversarial workplaces as the American family feels the pressure to stay afloat in the face of rising food, shelter and medical care costs.
Interesting things to take the time to think about on Independence Day.
It’s a big holiday for our nation. It doesn’t feel any different to me. It just feels like a Friday.
I’m not a big one for holidays for the most part. Outside of getting together with the family (which of course we will do since it’s time for the annual bar-b-que at Vito’s and Val’s - and “you can’t say no, to a man named Vito”) which is nice, my life just doesn’t have the kind of structure to it where the holidays become that big escape from the drudgery of work (thank God).
I’m in the home stretch on Fat Man, I can’t believe it!
The last few days have blurred together as the ship date gets closer and closer. Managed to finalize the design, do a first setting, do a round of changes, repaginate twice, flow new copy, design the spreads and get everything back to the client to circulate and go out to the proofreader. Today I got all the art I received in. All that’s left is a final round of changes, one page where I haven’t gotten copy, dropping in any missing art, and then just putting together the last nine pages - then it’s done! Yayyyy!
I don’t have a sense of what market is like right now, because I have my blinders on while I’m trying to get this job out the door. I did notice however, the lead story on the evening news tonight was unemployment was at its highest in a decade and that there were 100,000 jobs lost last month. That’s a lot of people out of work (to put it mildly).
It brings to mind a discussion I have been having with more and more frequency not only about the state of the economy within our country but, also about this “ism” we structure our lives around and it’s relevance as a working model for a society.
If that statement seems vague, let me get a little more specific.
Capitalism as we know it, is a relatively recent phenomenon. It’s very easy for us to live in the moment, seeing the way we live today as something that is enduring and unchanging. If you think about it though, as recently as 150 years ago, people lived a radically different lifestyle than the ones we live today. They traveled less, spent most of their lives in one area and in one job. There wasn’t the manufacturing base there is today and people’s labor was very, very different from what our labor today is.
The dollar is the world's reserve currency, which gives us the ability to finance trade deficits that no other country could afford. When an alternative reserve currency appears, the United States will undergo wrenching economic, social and political adjustments.
We may, in our lifetimes, see significant economic, social and political change in our country we could have never imagined as a consequence of our leaders not having the foresight to move our country in the direction it needs to be taken. Technology has removed jobs from the marketplace, it has also resulted in manufacturing jobs being lost overseas as American workers compete on a global (as opposed to national) scale. This downward pressure on wages is creating adversarial workplaces as the American family feels the pressure to stay afloat in the face of rising food, shelter and medical care costs.
Interesting things to take the time to think about on Independence Day.
The TV was on while I was writing an entry, I was flipping channels and passed MTV.
Any day now, Madonna is going to get too old to parade around in the nude (or her underwear) without looking totally ridiculous. It won’t be shocking, it won’t be entertaining, it’ll just be flesh going south for the winter like it does on a lot of people past the age of forty. If Madonna can’t run around in her underwear anymore, will she still have a career?
Any day now, Madonna is going to get too old to parade around in the nude (or her underwear) without looking totally ridiculous. It won’t be shocking, it won’t be entertaining, it’ll just be flesh going south for the winter like it does on a lot of people past the age of forty. If Madonna can’t run around in her underwear anymore, will she still have a career?
Jul 2, 2003
A brief respite in a busy day...
Saturday I wound up going with Brian to a comic convention in Manhattan. It was a chance to revisit the Garden (which I’ve gone to sparingly since I worked there years ago). There’s always a mixture of feelings you have revisiting a place you once worked. Depending on the terms you left under, the feelings can be good or bad. My departure from the Garden was under weird circumstances to say the least - I freelanced there for just over a year, it was my “second tour of duty” there and there was as much good as there was bad.
I got a chance to work closely with Mike again, which was a plus. Also I got a chance to learn quite a bit. I worked at the Garden as a designer (as well as doing the production work I normally do), because of the structure (or lack thereof) - I wound up doing much, much more than I would have if I had worked in a traditionally structured agency or design studio. At the time, the art department at the Garden was constituted of 5 designers (with an occasional freelance person coming in for a special project) now I understand they have over 15 people in the art department which should give you an idea of the kind of work load we dealt with.
The bad thing was you always had a pile of projects on your desk and they all were due yesterday.
The good thing was you always had a pile of projects on your desk and they were due yesterday.
When you worked on a project, you had to make decisions much, much faster than you would in a normal situation. You had to come up with solutions quickly and if you failed you didn’t have the time to spare to dwell on your failure, then again, it made your successes all the more sweeter.
I had a couple of successes while I was at the Garden. They’re still using one logo I designed for one of the TV shows on the MSG Network (this after six years - even though I’m not really happy with it). When I went to get my ticket at the box office, I saw another logo I remember working on (I can’t remember if it’s mine or not, a lot of the projects blur together).
I probably would do things differently now if presented with the same situation but only from a design sense, I don’t know if I would have reacted any differently to the situation there as I think in many ways I’m still the same person. I wasn’t happy with how I left but, I didn’t have to leave and the sense I got was the place was better off for my absence so, I took some solace in that (not being the problem).
So, I had my eyes open in the building, looking around to see what was up and what they had done around the place. The Garden lacked any kind of cohesive “brand” for themselves and many of their divisions so, I was curious to see if any of the thinking I had been a big proponent of while there had taken hold - still looks like they’re struggling.
The convention was in the Expo Center. MSG’s Expo Center is the area surrounding the bowl of the main arena (what people think of when they envision the garden). The arena is a bowl sitting in a cylinder and the MSG folks looking to make money any way they can will rent it out (it’s notably the place where they keep the animals when the circus is in town and is known for having a odor reminding one of a stable).
As conventions go, the thing was pretty tiny. I got a little creeped out being there. I had gone to this other thing, held by MOCCA down at the Puck building last year and was jazzed by the energy of the place. There were as many women as men, lots of young people (twenty somethings), people with their own books - not superhero stuff, using comics as a medium of expression. The Puck building is a nice space too, even though they had the windows covered with gauzy curtains a good amount of light still made it into the space and it had a nice ambiance.
The Garden didn’t have anything like that. “(steel) Pipe and crepe dividers, narrow aisles, cheap folding tables and chairs and a grey concrete floor in a windowless cinder block space - comics as prison sheik. Lots of guys (circle jerk) looking as if they all needed pointers in the how to dress yourself department. The whole place kind of reinforced the clichéd vision of the comics fan (ala the comic guy from the Simpsons).
It wasn’t pretty.
I got a chance to have a brief conversation with one of the artists who was a childhood idol if you will (Jim Starlin). He’s in his fifties and was just a gas to chat with - the comics business isn’t any different than a lot of other businesses are these days. He grumbled about some of the stuff he had to deal with getting his projects done (which I will not go into detail about erring on the side of discretion) and was anxious about something he had been
working on for awhile.
There were lots of artists there as a matter of fact, lots of people you could meet but it was in such a crappy, dismal space - the opposite of the beautiful, sunny day Saturday was, I didn’t want to spend a lot of time there.
I felt bad for the artists too. You had bunches of them behind these folding tables offering to do convention sketches and sell pages of artwork - a good chance for them to make some money of the books. It just seemed wrong, here these guys are responsible for things like Spider Man which makes hundreds of millions of dollars and they’re trying to scrape together a few extra bucks at a convention - the phrase “quiet desperation” came to mind.
After we left, I made up my mind that I like reading the books but, I don’t like going to things like that (the convention). It spoils my enjoyment of comics.
Good seeing Brian though, he’s slowly dipping his foot back in the pool. He did a sketch of the Hulk and I expect any day now he’ll surprise me and tell me he’s penciling a book just for the heck of it.
Saturday I wound up going with Brian to a comic convention in Manhattan. It was a chance to revisit the Garden (which I’ve gone to sparingly since I worked there years ago). There’s always a mixture of feelings you have revisiting a place you once worked. Depending on the terms you left under, the feelings can be good or bad. My departure from the Garden was under weird circumstances to say the least - I freelanced there for just over a year, it was my “second tour of duty” there and there was as much good as there was bad.
I got a chance to work closely with Mike again, which was a plus. Also I got a chance to learn quite a bit. I worked at the Garden as a designer (as well as doing the production work I normally do), because of the structure (or lack thereof) - I wound up doing much, much more than I would have if I had worked in a traditionally structured agency or design studio. At the time, the art department at the Garden was constituted of 5 designers (with an occasional freelance person coming in for a special project) now I understand they have over 15 people in the art department which should give you an idea of the kind of work load we dealt with.
The bad thing was you always had a pile of projects on your desk and they all were due yesterday.
The good thing was you always had a pile of projects on your desk and they were due yesterday.
When you worked on a project, you had to make decisions much, much faster than you would in a normal situation. You had to come up with solutions quickly and if you failed you didn’t have the time to spare to dwell on your failure, then again, it made your successes all the more sweeter.
I had a couple of successes while I was at the Garden. They’re still using one logo I designed for one of the TV shows on the MSG Network (this after six years - even though I’m not really happy with it). When I went to get my ticket at the box office, I saw another logo I remember working on (I can’t remember if it’s mine or not, a lot of the projects blur together).
I probably would do things differently now if presented with the same situation but only from a design sense, I don’t know if I would have reacted any differently to the situation there as I think in many ways I’m still the same person. I wasn’t happy with how I left but, I didn’t have to leave and the sense I got was the place was better off for my absence so, I took some solace in that (not being the problem).
So, I had my eyes open in the building, looking around to see what was up and what they had done around the place. The Garden lacked any kind of cohesive “brand” for themselves and many of their divisions so, I was curious to see if any of the thinking I had been a big proponent of while there had taken hold - still looks like they’re struggling.
The convention was in the Expo Center. MSG’s Expo Center is the area surrounding the bowl of the main arena (what people think of when they envision the garden). The arena is a bowl sitting in a cylinder and the MSG folks looking to make money any way they can will rent it out (it’s notably the place where they keep the animals when the circus is in town and is known for having a odor reminding one of a stable).
As conventions go, the thing was pretty tiny. I got a little creeped out being there. I had gone to this other thing, held by MOCCA down at the Puck building last year and was jazzed by the energy of the place. There were as many women as men, lots of young people (twenty somethings), people with their own books - not superhero stuff, using comics as a medium of expression. The Puck building is a nice space too, even though they had the windows covered with gauzy curtains a good amount of light still made it into the space and it had a nice ambiance.
The Garden didn’t have anything like that. “(steel) Pipe and crepe dividers, narrow aisles, cheap folding tables and chairs and a grey concrete floor in a windowless cinder block space - comics as prison sheik. Lots of guys (circle jerk) looking as if they all needed pointers in the how to dress yourself department. The whole place kind of reinforced the clichéd vision of the comics fan (ala the comic guy from the Simpsons).
It wasn’t pretty.
I got a chance to have a brief conversation with one of the artists who was a childhood idol if you will (Jim Starlin). He’s in his fifties and was just a gas to chat with - the comics business isn’t any different than a lot of other businesses are these days. He grumbled about some of the stuff he had to deal with getting his projects done (which I will not go into detail about erring on the side of discretion) and was anxious about something he had been
working on for awhile.
There were lots of artists there as a matter of fact, lots of people you could meet but it was in such a crappy, dismal space - the opposite of the beautiful, sunny day Saturday was, I didn’t want to spend a lot of time there.
I felt bad for the artists too. You had bunches of them behind these folding tables offering to do convention sketches and sell pages of artwork - a good chance for them to make some money of the books. It just seemed wrong, here these guys are responsible for things like Spider Man which makes hundreds of millions of dollars and they’re trying to scrape together a few extra bucks at a convention - the phrase “quiet desperation” came to mind.
After we left, I made up my mind that I like reading the books but, I don’t like going to things like that (the convention). It spoils my enjoyment of comics.
Good seeing Brian though, he’s slowly dipping his foot back in the pool. He did a sketch of the Hulk and I expect any day now he’ll surprise me and tell me he’s penciling a book just for the heck of it.
Jul 1, 2003
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