Jason Franks's Blog, page 7
May 7, 2018
Top 100 Graphic Novels of 2017
As some of you may or may not be aware, in my day job I work as a software engineer and I have a growing interest (and pending postgraduate qualification) in data science. And so I have made some science for you. Comicbook science, in fact.
I made an app that lets you explore Diamond’s monthly top 100 graphic novel charts from last year. You can filter by publisher and/or work-for-hire/creator owned status. Check it out here: https://jasonfranks.shinyapps.io/Top100GNs2017/
Some Insights
Marvel, DC and Image massively dominate the charts. Dark Horse is clearly #4, but it’s much closer to the smaller publishers than the top three.
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Also pretty obvious is the way that Saga is absolutely killing it. By far the best performing title, with all eight volumes in the top 100, and many of them among the most frequently ordered books month in, month out. Paper Girls, Monstress and Walking Dead are also doing enough business to shame most work-for-hire titles. Probably the oldest title in the chart is… Watchmen.
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Watchmen is still one of the most frequently ordered single items, on par with any volume of the top volumes of any of the hottest new books.
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The creators of Saga, Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples are massively outperforming all other creators, together and singly. BKV is also a member of the second best performing creative team, with Cliff Chiang, for Paper Girls. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons are also in the top 10 creative teams for Watchmen, a book that is thirty years old.[image error]There’s a lot more stuff to see in there, if you’d are to play around with it. I found some other interesting information while I was analyzing the data that you can’t see in the app–stuff around pricing and creative team composition–which I might talk about another time. I might even extend the app, if there’s enough interest.
What do you think?
— JF
March 19, 2018
Eating Authors
Hey their, fussy eaters,
Hugo and Nebula nominated author Larence Schoen asked me to talk about food on his blog. I like food. You should read me talking to him about food. If you like food.
Everyone likes food.
Go read the interview here:
http://www.lawrencemschoen.com/plugs/eating-authors-jason-franks/
Then, when you’re done, go check out some of Lawrence’s excellent science fiction:
http://www.lawrencemschoen.com/books/
And then, I dunno, treat yourself to a nice meal. Or at least a snack. This has all made me very hungry.
Cheers!
— Jason
March 8, 2018
The Mechanics of Visual Storytelling returns!
Hi folks,
Thanks to the kind folks at Comics Mastermind I will be teaching my Mechanics of Visual Storytelling webinar for the third time this month. This is a nuts and bolts of how to write script for comics. It’s a creative writing course–it’s a look at the tools of visual storytelling and how to use them to write a workable script.
You can sign up for the workshop on Wednesday 28 March at the link below. If you can’t make it on the night the proceedings will be recorded and you can view them later. Otherwise, we’ll probably run the course again in the Southern Hemisphere spring.
http://www.comicsmastermind.com/training/masterclasses/the-mechanics-of-visual-storytelling/
If you’d like a bit more information, here is a brief interview I did for the Australian Comics Journal about this webinar:
http://australiancomicsjournal.com/?p=3883
Cheers!
February 28, 2018
The Noctuary: Pandemonium – Greg Chapman
Greg Chapman is an writer, illustrator and comic artist. Those of you with long memories will remember that I interviewed him a few years when his novella The Eschatologist was published. Since then Greg has gone from strength to strength, being short-listed for a Stoker award, becoming the President of the Australasian Horror Writers Association, and winning the Richard Laymon President’s Award from the (American) Horror Writer’s Association. Greg was kind enough to answer some new questions for me his various activities, and in particular about his new book, Noctuary: Pandemonium.
[image error]Congratulations on winning the Richard Laymon President’s Award from the HWA! Thanks for all your hard work and dedication to the organization. Thank you. The HWA is a fantastic organisation and I was invited to create some promotional artwork when the late Rocky Wood was President. I went from creating the occasional poster to concept designing the logos for the HWA’s annual StokerCon event. Every year I get to create the cover art for the Con’s souvenir book, which is really cool. I’m honoured to have been recognised in this way.
Tell us about original spate of madness that drove you to write the Noctuary?
After joining the Australian Horror Writers Association in 2009 I was selected for its mentor program with Brett McBean. I was struggling to find my ‘voice’ in fiction at the time and during the many conversations with Brett I started to think about where my horror writing came from. The Noctuary was literally born from that idea. I was reading about the muses of Greek mythology and I pictured much darker creatures that inspired evil and could change humanity’s path. Writing the novella was a very cathartic process and in a way, self-exploratory. The main character is an author whose name is Simon (the name I was initially going to be given when I was born, but my older brothers were apparently not keen). I guess it was written from my sub-conscious. I recall just letting it flow, with no definite plot, just one long journal entry. The only thing that was different from the final published book was the story-within-the-story section. That became my first published novella Torment!
You’ve just published Pandemonium, a sequel to the Noctuary. Did you plan this all along? What made you want to return to[image error] this world and these characters?
I didn’t plan to do a sequel initially, but the novella was so well received that it sparked in me a desire to revisit it. Seven years later, after I got a few more books and stories under my belt, I decided it was time. I wanted to explore the idea of madness, the psychology of it and it made sense to root that concept in the world of The Noctuary. Sadly, despite the positive critical reviews, the original novella had almost faded into obscurity, and when I got the rights back I immediately set to work on incorporating it into the sequel. I wanted to make it a REAL book and use it to send the reader mad. The critical reviews of Pandemonium make me think I’ve accomplished that. J
You have been producing a lot of illustrations and covers as well as prose fiction at the moment. Any plans for more comics in the near future? I started a non-fiction graphic novel last year called Bloodlust; the story of all the accounts of vampire hysteria throughout history. I only got about six pages into it when real life and extra responsibilities intervened. It’s a massive project that I hope to return to soon. In the meantime, I am creating some comic book-style illustrations for the second Gene O’Neill book, Shadow of the Dark Angel from US small press Dark Moon Books. Creating cover art for publishers, authors and myself is fun and I love doing them.
What are you working on now? What’s next for you?
I have a tonne of ideas for novellas, and a Halloween-themed novel that I’ve drafted the first chapter of, but I’ve been rather busy. I hope to get back to writing in the second half of this year.
You can find a copies of Greg’s work at the following links:
THE NOCTUARY: PANDEMONIUM
HOLLOW HOUSE *Nominated for a Bram Stoker Award*
THE ESCHATOLOGIST
THE LAST NIGHT OF OCTOBER
VAUDEVILLE AND OTHER NIGHTMARES
February 21, 2018
Amanda Bridgeman: The Time of the Stripes
I first met Amanda Bridgeman Continuum convention in 2013. My very first panel on the first day of my first con. We’d both just published our first novels, and I interviewed here here about that first book, AURORA DARWIN, way back when. Since then Amanda has navigated the publishing world through a variety of ups and downs and she now has seven published books to her name, which is no small feat. She was kind enough to answer some questions for me about her latest.
[image error]Tell me about your new book, the Time of the Stripes.
The Time of the Stripes is a contemporary thriller with SF elements. It revolves around an incident where an alien spacecraft appears, hovers over a small town in Virginia for 24 hours, then leaves. When the outside world re-establishes contact with the town, they soon discover that many people are missing and of those who remain, some have been branded with these strange red stripes.
The book explores the effect this crisis has on the town – of the town being segregated from the outside world (for fear of contamination) as well as segregated within – between the Striped Ones and Clean Skins. It explores the reactions from several different MC PoVs on all sides of the divide, how prejudice and ignorance can fuel mob justice and how things can quickly burn out of control. It’s the story of how some people succumb to mob rule, and of those that fight to rise above it.
This is a pretty different scale of storytelling to the Aurora series. You’ve gone from a military space opera to a small town SF drama about a group of mostly ordinary people.
Yep! And that was my intention. I wanted to try something different, something not set in space, and also something shorter and punchier. The Aurora series is a saga, more like a long term relationship and The Time of the Stripes is more like a one night stand.
Ultimately, though, readers can expect my voice and style to carry through both. I tend to write character-driven SF with adrenaline spikes. I spend time laying the foundations that ultimately lead up to a climatic finale!
The story is more intimate and you have a much greater spread of POV, but it still reads like Amanda Bridgeman. Did you find the shift easy?
Yes and no. With the Aurora series I started out with two POVs, but the later books in the series have many more – due in part to the large scale of the plot now. The good thing about the Aurora series is that I’ve had several books to develop the characters and it’s the one comment I get more than any other from readers of the series – that they feel like they know the characters.
It was a challenge having several POVs in one single book like The Time of the Stripes, because those characters are brand new to readers so I had less time (pages) to develop them. So in that respect they are very different beasts.
I know you like to write big, but I’ve seen Time of the Stripes in progress for a while. Are you planning any more smaller or stand-alone works?
Sure am! Writing stand-alones give you the opportunity to explore other worlds and other ideas. I have many, many books in my head that I’d like to write, and it’s nice to take a little holiday from the Aurora series every now and then. That said, it’s hard to beat the power of a series. Readers love to rejoin their favourite characters and share their next adventure. I find it hard even when writing a standalone – not to leave some threads dangling for a sequel or series to follow!
[image error]The Aurora series keeps on rolling along! Since Time of the Stripes came out you’ve already published Aurora book 6. Tell me about how the Aurora series has progressed since you started writing it. When is Aurora 7 coming out?
Well, when I first started writing the Aurora series, it was only supposed to be one book. But as I wrote the story grew! Once I knew where the story was going, and what the end point would be, it was just a matter of hitting the right notes in between to get to that end point. Once I knew I had a series on my hands, I’d planned for the series to be complete by book 8. That is still the plan, but whether I also do a spin off series… we’ll have to wait and see. Sometimes you need to listen to your readers, and my readers love the series and can’t seem to wait for the next one – so who am I to argue? Book 7 will be coming out this year!
You’ve been through a couple of changes in the way that you publish your books over the last year or so, from traditional publishing to coop to now being full-blown indie. That must have been a bit or a rollercoaster, but you’ve come through each transition in record time with that same indomitable spirit. There are many other writers in this boat–I’ve taken a trip or two myself. What advice can you offer to writers who are going through the same thing?
My advice? Patience. You’re going to need it. And time. You’re going to need buckets of that too. Also, dedication. For those times when you want to sit on the couch and watch TV, but instead you need to drag yourself into your office and work. And knowledge – get some. Whether trad published or self-published there’s a lot to learn!
Are you pleased with your current arrangement? It must be nice to be in full control of all of your work.
I won’t lie – it’s certainly been a ride! The first five books of the Aurora series were released through Momentum (Pan Macmillan Australia) and when they announced they were closing their doors I was devastated. Being five books into an 8 book series was going to be a very difficult ask finding another publisher to pick that up. I ended up self-publishing and to be honest, it hasn’t been that much different. Yes, I’m the one paying the editors and cover designers now, but I get full creative control and higher royalties. That said, I’m using the exact same creative team for the Aurora books – same editor that Momentum hired, same cover designer that Momentum used… Self-publishing is costly and very time consuming, but the rewards can be great.
Ultimately I’d like to pursue a hybrid career – self-publishing some books and traditionally publishing others. It’s the best way to reach the widest audience.
I know you’re a rock’n’roll fan. Recommend me a song to go with each of your books?
Aurora: Darwin – All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix. I actually received permission from his estate to include lyrics from this song in the book. The lyrics fitted the story perfectly:
“Outside in the cold distance, a wildcat did growl. Two riders were approaching, and the wind began to howl!”
Aurora: Pegasus – Broken Bones by Birds of Tokyo. Ideally it would roll over the end credits of Darwin if it were a film, but with lyrics like:
“I won’t go back. You must be out of your head!”
It’s pretty perfect for capturing the feeling of the Aurora team when they find out what their new mission is!
Aurora: Meridian – The Halcyon Days by The Tea Party. Carrie goes under to get close to her nemesis and kill him.
“Vengeance moves so swiftly. I’ve conquered fear. I’ve shed my tears. Now I’m seething, barely breathing . . .”
Aurora: Centralis – Goodnight, Travel Well by The Killers. This song captures the end of the book…
“Stay, don’t leave me
The stars can wait for your sign
Don’t signal now
And there’s nothing I can say
There’s nothing I can do now”
Aurora: Eden – Pickup Truck by Kings Of Leon. Mostly because I was listening to a lot of K.O.L. while writing this book. In some respects it became the theme for the romance in this book….
“Pour yourself on me
And you know I’m the one
That you won’t forget”
Aurora: Decima – 24000 by Primary. It captures Harris’s ability and also the need to join together to win the battle against the invading Zetas.
“And what if I could see the future
Happen before it does?”
“24000 arms raised up in defiance, a sense of security”
The Time of The Stripes – Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. Well, it captures a revolution and an apocalypse, so….
“I raise my flag, and dye my clothes
It’s a revolution, I suppose
We’re painted red to fit right in”
“This is it, the apocalypse”
Some great songs there, AB, by some of my favourite bands. You have good taste! Thanks so much for answering these questions.
The Time of the Stripes is available from the following vendors. Do your self a favour and check it out:
Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play | Barnes and Noble | Booktopia | Book Despository
February 8, 2018
Faerie Apocalypse booklaunch
This is it folks! IFWG Publishing are putting on a combined book launch for Faerie Apocalypse and Steve Paulsen’s collection, Shadows on the Wall.
This is gonna be a fun event hosted by superstar Jack Dann and you should all come along and buy multiple copies of the books.
The event will take place on
Thu 15 Feb 2018 at 6:30pm
at Readings Hawthorn — 701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn, Victoria, 3122.
Full details here: https://www.readings.com.au/event/double-book-launch-faerie-apocalypse-and-shadows-on-the-wall
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/142072406490635/
See you there!
January 29, 2018
Interview for Greg Chapman
[image error] The excellent and generous horror writer/illustrator Greg Chapman asked me some questions about Faerie Apocalypse, comics, and writing in general.
Read about it right here:
https://darkscrybe.com/2018/01/28/interview-with-author-jason-franks/
January 24, 2018
Interview for Amanda Bridgeman
The excellent Amanda Bridgeman interviewed me about Faerie Apocalypse, comics and other writing topics. Go read about it here:
Then go and buy all of Amanda’s excellent Aurora series, and her new book, Time of the Stripes.
January 22, 2018
Narrelle Harris reviews Faerie Apocalypse
[image error]Second review for Faerie Apocalypse is in, this time from the inimitable Narrelle Harris.
Narrelle sez:
“Faerie Apocalypse plays with the tropes of quests and fantasy violence. He twists the old storytelling standards of cycles-of-three, cunning humans outwitting faerie malevolence, all the same-old-same olds.
Franks isn’t afraid of being pretty damned gruesome with it, either. ”
Read the whole thing here:
http://www.narrellemharris.com/reviews/review-faerie-apocalypse-by-jason-franks/
January 21, 2018
James O’Keefe reviews Faerie Apocalypse
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First review in apocalypse season is up! Big thanks to James O’Keefe for his speedy reading and kind words.
Here’s a snippet:
The style used… allows the story time to move along at a cracking pace. With each sitting, I found I had read significant chunk each time. There are moments that are violent, but the short prose allows that broad brush stroke without it being so vividly brought to life.
Read the whole thing here:
