David Hopkins's Blog

I'll confess it's difficult to mourn the passing of John Hughes. For one obvious reason, I didn't know him. To me, he was always an adjective. "John Hughes" described a type of movie.

A John Hughes movie had something important to say. A John Hughes movie often dealt with teen alienation and the absurd battle for acceptance, acceptance from peers and parents. A John Hughes movie introduced the viewer to a world of humorous stereotypes and then fleshed them out until they were beautifully nuanced

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Brock Rizy posted the first pages of "Koo Too" (click here) on his website. This short story was entirely written and illustrated by Brock. I looked at his script beforehand, but didn't have any notes. We've been discussing the future of Emily and Koo for awhile. "Koo Too" and "Emily Edison Stomps Sassy Pants" fit within our master plan for a second volume. You're getting a few pieces of the puzzle. You may want to re-read volume 1 (I'll have copies available at Dallas Comic Con). There are a fe

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When I write, I always keep this quote by Alan Moore at the forefront of my mind:

"Don't be afraid to use your own ideas."

Some people never have a problem. They are fiercely independent. However, by nature, I am a people pleaser. I want everyone to be happy and happy with me. Often, I get into the terrible habit of adapting to people's own preferences. You lose your identity pretty quickly. For anyone pursuing a creative interest, this can be the kiss of death. You have your ideas for a reason.

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Scott Kurtz posted this video, and I wanted to pass it along. "A must watch for anyone who struggles with being creative on a regular basis." A few months ago, April and I saw Elizabeth Gilbert as part of the Arts & Letters Live program hosted by the Dallas Museum of Art. She is a true inspiration and a teacher to this generation of writers and artists.


I watched the video last night, and the timing couldn't have been better.

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For those who worry that a year spent writing a novel will mean a year with no comics from me (awww... thank you hypothetical fan, too kind), you'll be glad to know that won't be the case. I will have short stories featured in PopGun Vol. 4, Outlaw Territory Vol. 3, the roller derby anthology from Oni Press, plus another anthology searching for a publisher. That's four comics right there. ASTRONAUT DAD is finished (as previously mentioned), and I completed the first draft for HOW TO LOSE BIG. So

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I have a superstition. I believe that the more you talk about a book (before it's finished) the less likely it will happen. If I go on and on, it jinxes the book. I have evidence to support this claim. Think of all those friends who told you they were writing a novel.

Now, where is that novel?

So, it is with great fear that I tell everyone: this week, I'm starting my novel. Yes, an actual novel.

I spent the summer finishing KARMA INCORPORATED: VICE & VIRTUE and HOW TO LOSE BIG in order to clear som

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The latest SOUVENIR OF DALLAS, written by me and illustrated by Paul Milligan, is now available in the August issue of D Magazine. We're featured in the "Best of Big D" section (click here and scroll down).

This particular comic is about the "best comic book store" in Dallas. I'll admit it was fun to write, but difficult to share. We have several of the best comic book stores in the country located right here. The notion of choosing one is difficult for me. Thus, the comic was about that very iss

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Yesterday, I finished the first draft of HOW TO LOSE BIG. It was a good feeling. I've worked on a lot of proposals lately, but many were just a synopsis, chapter one script, and some art. I decided to script this one from beginning to end, to stay sharp as a writer. I'm glad I did so.

Now comes the next stage, which is editing. However, it's important to clarify that the editing process begins the moment I start writing. I can't really separate the two. Some writers have a more polished first dra

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Once again, I will not be at San Diego Comic-Con. I went four years in a row (four wonderful years), but I've taken a sabbatical from pop culture mecca. One of the main reasons is financial. I braved the pilgrimage during some rocky times -- almost always with negative results. And since I'm oh-so-close to getting out of debt, I decided it would be better to wait until things are more stable. Another reason is obvious. I don't have any new books out.

However, if things go the way I hope they do,

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Today, I was scripting the final segment of PRINCESSES VS. UNICORNS. (Speaking of which, I got some page layouts and a character design from Alison Acton. The art looks awesome!) I'm now on page 119 of HOW TO LOSE BIG. According to my writing program, there are 16,783 words in the script. 5,190 of the words were in dialogue. Not bad. However, one word was eluding me: the sfx of a knife stabbing someone. It needed to sound gross. I'll admit my use of onomatopoeia is fairly boring. I use "blam" or

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