Erik Burnham's Blog, page 4
January 1, 2022
2021 Movie Log
A little more than one a day.
I don't think I'll pull that off in 2022!
Another Thin Man
LA Confidential
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight
The Long Kiss Goodnight
Superman: The Man of Tomorrow
The Dark Crystal
Bloodshot
Fool's Gold
Beastie Boys Story
Wonder Woman 84
The King of Staten Island
Batman: Hush
Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms
Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron
Any Given Sunday
Good Will Hunting
How I Got Into College
Mr. Deeds
Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay
Battleship
Friday Night Lights
We Are Marshall
The Rookie
Million Dollar Arm
This is Spinal Tap
Justice League Dark: Apocalypse War
Justice League vs. the Fatal Five
The Legend of Zorro
Cowboys & Aliens
Courage Under Fire
The American President
Justice League: Gods and Monsters
The Quick and The Dead
The Mummy
Silver Linings Playbook
Virtuosity
Tequila Sunrise
Constantine: City of Demons
Einstein & Eddington
A Walk In The Clouds
High Fidelity
Dazed & Confused
Cyborg
The Devil's Own
Can't Hardly Wait
Godzilla Raids Again
Dead Poets Society
In & of Itself
American Reunion
Going the Distance
Chill Factor
Plus One
The Brothers McMullen
Gemini Man
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
Never Been Kissed
Take Me Home Tonight
Swingers
Accepted
Shakespeare in Love
The Killers
Chef
Waiting...
Four Christmases
The Competition
The Rainmaker
Made
Roxanne
Chain Reaction
Bulletproof
Hard Rain
3000 Miles to Graceland
Premium Rush
Hoosiers
Dude, Where's My Car?
Cuban Fury
Motherless Brooklyn
Stardust
The Saint
The Phantom
Happy Gilmore
The Lincoln Lawyer
61*
Greyhound
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla
A Clear And Present Danger
Clue
Black Friday!
Predators
The 13th Warrior
Wolfwalkers
Labyrinth
Invictus
The Avengers
Doctor Strange
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Jumper
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The Faculty
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Wimbledon
The Groomsmen
Knocked Up
Playing it Cool
Wedding Crashers
The Brothers Grimm
Eurotrip
Lucky Number Slevin
The Perfect Score
Mallrats
Push
Godzilla vs. Kong
Seventh Son
Angel Has Fallen
How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
The Watch
Summer Catch
The Program
Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster
Hot Tub Time Machine
CHIPS
The Tao of Steve
Glory Daze
Josie & The Pussycats
Speed
Maverick
Larry Crowne
Thunderheart
Unstoppable
Dead Man on Campus
I Love You, Man
American Pie 2
Couples Retreat
Libeled Lady
Fired Up
The Holiday
School of Rock
The Negotiator
The Replacement Killers
Mortal Kombat
Men in Black 3
Concrete Cowboy
The Muppets
Taxi
Varsity Blues
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge
Training Day
John Carpenter's Escape From L.A.
Deathstroke: Knights and Dragons
Miracle
Under Siege
Twister
Marauders
Double Dragon
Those Who Wish Me Dead
Kissing A Fool
Hidalgo
Basic
48 Hrs.
The Bourne Identity
Beverly Hills Cop
Parenthood
Caddyshack II
Green Lantern
We Love You, Sally Carmichael!
The 6th Day
Piranha 3D
Fletch Lives
Space Truckers
Orange County
Conan the Barbarian
Three Days of the Condor
The Newton Boys
Blue Thunder
The Wedding Singer
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
Midway
Dave
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Adventures in the Secret Service
Kid90
It Could Happen To You
Scorpion King 3
Diggstown
In The Heights
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
What Love Is
Big Trouble in Little China
Role Models
No Sudden Move
Jaws
Necessary Roughness
The Pelican Brief
Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Superman
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters
The Rundown
Daredevil
Fatman
Blue Chips
Coming 2 America
William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
Hudson Hawk
Working Girl
Fast Five
Top Secret!
Gunpowder Milkshake
Gladiator
Boyz N The Hood
Bridge of Spies
The Package
She's Out of My League
School Ties
Mother's Day
Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy
The Sweetest Thing
Bio-Dome
The Chamber
Runaway Jury
Pitch Black
Mo' Money
Money Train
The New Guy
Talent for the Game
Bad Boys
Along Came Polly
The Proposal
Jungle Cruise
Your Highness
Goon
The Suicide Squad
Coyote Ugly
Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion
Under The Tuscan Sun
No Way Out
Blast From The Past
Fantastic 4
Timeline
Murder at 1600
Freejack
Silverado
Kiss of Death
Star Trek
Patriot Games
Star Trek: Beyond
Sonic the Hedgehog
D.C. Cab
Demolition Man
Doctor Detroit
Erik the Viking
The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf
Menace II Society
Billy Elliot
Firewalker
Catch and Release
Fever Pitch
Eraser
Jumanji: The Next Level
The Paper Tigers
The Replacements
Thrashin'
Guardians of the Galaxy
Star Trek Into Darkness
Godzilla
Only You
Midnight Run
The Quest
San Andreas
Marshall
Draft Day
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Under Suspicion
R.I.P.D.
The Guns of Navarone
Mars Attacks!
House Party
Enemy of the State
The Predator
Showdown in Little Tokyo
The Specialist
Solomon Kane
Skyfall
The Shadow
House Party 2
Field of Dreams
The Librarian: Quest for the Spear
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines
The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice
Armored
Superman III
Cry Macho
Black Widow
Van Helsing
Grown Ups 2
The Mummy
Grown Ups
The Incredible Hulk
The Invisible Man
Iron Man
Iron Man 2
Thor
Thor: The Dark World
My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising
Singin' in the Rain
Independence Day
Staten Island Summer
Crazy Rich Asians
Addicted to Love
The Many Saints of Newark
Empire Records
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Iron Man 3
Ant-Man
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part I
Batman: The Long Halloween, Part II
The Right Kind of Wrong
Nice Guy Johnny
Road Trip
The Invisible Man Returns
Muppet Haunted Mansion
Used Cars
Live by Night
Say Anything...
Loco Love
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Son of Frankenstein
Leap Year
Bye Bye Love
So I Married An Axe Murderer
Dune
Serenity
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Judge Dredd
Batman Forever
The Misfits
Doom
West Side Story
Just Friends
Tommy Boy
Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
Murder Mystery
Old School
Brewster's Millions
The Great Outdoors
The Harder They Fall
Klaus
Only the Lonely
Cool Runnings
The Ice Pirates
Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach
The Cutting Edge
The Money Pit
Peggy Sue Got Married
Big Daddy
Red Notice
Singles
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Rush Hour
Dan in Real Life
You Cast A Spell On Me
Making Contact
8 Bit Christmas
High Anxiety
Lured
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms
Bell Book and Candle
Christmas in Connecticut
The Bells of Saint Mary's
Man of the World
Finian's Rainbow
Army of Darkness
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Being the Ricardos
Encanto
Designing Woman
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
December 31, 2021
Happy New Year!
2021 was a heck of a busy year for me.
I wrote a bunch of comics -- some of which aren't even coming out until next year -- started a couple of prose projects, two of which are ALSO due out next year, more on that as soon as I can tell you, and I kept up on my 2x weekly Downside comic over on Patreon.
I also put together a Downside collection, now available on Amazon.
...But there's a catch: Amazon's POD service is stretched thin by a graphics-heavy book. There are occasional printer lines. Drives me nuts (and they're never in the same place in the book, owing to the print-on-demand nature) but it's the best I can do for the book! Fulfilling a Kickstarter is a bit beyond me right now. (I may try another book in the future, however. We'll see.)
So the hardcopy is a little iffy -- but the KINDLE version looks great!
You can find it here: DOWNSIDE Vol. 1 @ Amazon
If you give it a try and it makes you chuckle, please leave a review.
My second bit of new is that I complete an 8 page Nick Landime story to celebrate the character's (and my comic career's!) 20th anniversary. More news on that this coming spring!
And of course 2022 will also see:
More Beast Wars
GI Joe (inspired by the Sunbow cartoons)
An Alien Samurai Dinosaur Warriors book (based on Dimitri Vegas' concept)
Potions, Inc from Mad Cave
...And a few others I can't speak of yet!
I hope 2022 is safe, healthy, and prosperous for you and yours.
Take care out there!
--Erik!
End of 2021
October 16, 2021
A New Comics Writing Essay: FINISH THEM!
One of the things I have in the prose tier of my Patreon is an essay series on comics advice I've given when asked.
I've posted one a few months back on this blog, and hey, it's time for another! After the jump, you'll see the best way to improve your work as a storyteller. (As noted, I'm not the only one to shout this piece of advice from the rooftops. It's as rock solid as you'll find!)
One of the prompts I got for these essays was for some of the advice I give to people who approach me at cons. You know, the quick-hit, bite-sized stuff. That sounded simple on the face of it, and I came up with a good list of stuff... but I quickly realized that if I compiled it all into one piece, it’d be easier to gloss over something.
So, I decided to split the advice up into one-a-week entries. Each thing will get its time in the spotlight that way, and nothing will be glossed over.
That’s not to say that every piece will resonate with every reader; heck, I don’t even give every piece of advice to every person who asks. That said, I’ve given all this advice at one time or another, whether it be over the convention table, at a Q&A, or via email.
Hopefully, by the time this series is all said and done, anyone reading it will have found something to aid them in the writing of comics.
Now let’s get after it.
First things first, I’ll tell you one of the best ways to improve, especially as a storyteller. It’s deceptively simple, too:
FINISH WHAT YOU START!
I see this advice coming out of the mouths/websites/twitter feeds of more successful writers; I know filmmaker James Gunn has said much the same about screenplays. In fact, to paraphrase his tweets, “there is nothing that will teach you better than finishing a project.”
It really is helpful advice across-the-board, no matter what it is you happen to be writing; comic scripts, screenplays, novels, short stories, articles, poetry...
It’s also one of the hardest things to do.
Having the idea? Easy! Starting? A snap! But getting to “the end” is often a bear, not the least of which because you gotta go through the middle to get there, and not every writer pulls off that trip with every idea. (I’m no exception; I have bunches of unfinished work sitting in notebooks or floating around up there in the cloud somewhere.)
But when a project is finished, and by finished, I mean something with a beginning, middle, and ending... you can mold them. Rework them. Improve them. (The easier parts!)
And, of course, if you’re in the business of writing, you can then pitch them and hopefully sell them.
Let me reiterate; it’s not easy. A Shiny New Idea appears all the time. It’s what they do! Jot down enough of the new idea to come back later, and then get back to completing the incomplete!
As an aside, it’s also funny how—when you’re on deadline with Project A—another project can unfold itself to you in such a way as to make it irresistible to work on. Maybe it’s a spec gig; maybe it’s another deadline that is nowhere near due; maybe it’s another form of art (you might also be a poet or musician or line artist or painter or sculptor or...) the pull of the other project is like gravity. I know. I’ve felt it. I’ve never written so much as when I have a drawing due, and vice versa. (I understand that this is a digression from the main point of finishing what you start, but it sure underlines how easily creative focus can be yanked away from you!)
Since spec work is harder to get yourself to finish than WFH with its firmer deadlines, I suggest giving yourself a deadline on spec work. Try to hit it.
But like Gunn said, you’ll always learn more by finishing.
I won’t speak to screenplays or prose; but let me give you a little trick for turning the comics scripting process into a well-oiled machine and getting more finishes.
We’ll start with 8 pagers; short, efficient, and if you need to hire an artist, much more affordable to complete.
All you need to do is write two pages per day. Monday to Thursday. On Friday, give it a look and edit it.
Ideally, if you’re churning out a story a week, your schedule will look like this:
Week 01: M-Th, write Story A. Friday… nothing.
Week 02: M-Th, write Story B. Friday... EDIT STORY A.
Week 03: M-Th, write Story C. Friday... EDIT STORY B!
...And so on.
Giving the week between writing a revision, especially while working on a different story in between, gives you a little distance and allows you to see flaws to sand away or diamonds to polish.
But if you feel you must edit a week’s story on Friday, you know, go with God. You can always revise further in the future.
Do this enough, and in no time, you’ll have yourself an anthology’s worth of stories... and you’ll get better with everything you finish. (Practice does make perfect.)
I shoot for this same schedule when writing a standard sized comics script; 5 pages a day gets me the script done in 4 days, and then time to revise from there.
(I don’t recommend going for more than 5 pages a day – which is perfect for single issue comics and chipping away at OGNs – if for no other reason than to avoid burnout. That kills progress dead for a good long while.)
Good luck on finishing early and often!
August 30, 2021
New Project: Alien Samurai Dino Warriors
I was brought on board to write up the graphic novel for this new property--working on it even as we speak!
Check out the announcement!
August 14, 2021
It's Free Comic Book Day!
So here's a very silly, very quick free comic, below the break.
The plot point was left alone for so long it made me chuckle.
July 19, 2021
Comic Writer Advice from my Patreon!
Hey!
Here's the thing -- I, like many, many others, have a Patreon. What I do is two comic strips a week (which, a few months later, become public), random blog thoughts, experimental comics, and occasionally fan art.
I also do a weekly essay in a Prose Tier. The last few weeks, I've been writing about the advice I give writers who ask me (some of it is short hits, stuff I'd give at a convention, and some is stuff I've given to folks who ask for script notes.)
In any case, I wanted to share one of those essays with you folks who stop by my website!
This one is about the importance of learning to write small. Check it out after the jump!
This is the piece of advice that gets me eye rolls like no other, and I’ve heard that other writers who suggest this tend to get the same response. Here it is:
Practice writing SHORTER WORKS.
A common thing I hear from aspiring comic writers is how they’re going to write an ongoing for years. Many believe they’re going to write the maxiseries that redefines the Marvel or DC Universe for years to come...
...As their first gig.
These writers often think in blocks of hundreds, sometimes thousands of pages.
Stop. Stop that right now. Don’t do that.
You really need to train yourself to think small and distill your stories down. Yes, need.
Try to learn how to introduce a concept and tell a complete story in eight pages. (If you’re a humor writer, or even a horror writer, it’s also worth practicing getting things down to one or two pages, but for the sake of “typical comics drama,” especially of the superhero variety, 8 pages allow enough room to stretch your legs for a little action.)
This is a worthwhile skill. First off, the most likely debut for you as a published writer is in an anthology, where space is at a premium.
Secondly, and this happens often with a professional gig, you’ll be asked to cut things more than you’ll be asked to expand. (Even with anthologies. I did one recently where I had one page to do a story. And one before that where I had eight pages but was asked if I could make it somehow fit into six.)
But let’s say you’re working on a full issue story, and you’re asked to add a beat (by an editor, maybe, or a licensor—either way, it’s a hard change. Something you can’t say no to.)
Your script is already packed full; what do you do, hotshot?
This is where having practice condensing a story down to its barest form is invaluable. You’ll be better able to cut some things to fit new content in while keeping the darlings you need to kill to a minimum, all because you’re comfortable turning a two-page sequence into a one-page sequence.
Take it another way; say you’ve pitched your way into an ongoing series! You have a couple of years’ worth of arcs that build to a beautiful crescendo. The editor is in tears at how perfectly it all works. The construction is perfect.
...But the sales numbers suck. Your book is cancelled as of issue #4. You’ll get one trade out of things, or maybe it won’t be collected at all. With any luck, you didn’t end this first arc on a cliffhanger of some sort and can work in some closure to your ideas with the space you still have left. But you can only do this if you can condense and like crazy.
(This isn’t a hypothetical, by the way; this has happened to several writers, myself included, and many of us have publicly kicked ourselves for not remembering to leave a good off-ramp.)
So: learn to cut, condense, and get as much of your story as you can in as little space as possible. It will only be to your benefit!
As a bonus, being able to write shorter stories means that if you need to get someone to do the art on your work, it will be done much faster and cost less per story (assuming you’re paying.) In no time, you can have an anthology full of your own work to show, or at least a couple of low-time-investment pieces that editors can skim when they have five minutes and an open heart.
Once again, it’ll only be to your benefit!
June 2, 2021
Friendly Neighborhood Webhead Podcast Update!
All episodes of the Webhead Podcast are updated and ready for your consumption (excepting the finale to ASM2, which Ethan will have ready soon!)
And today, June 02, we begin our look at Spider-Man: Homecoming! Check it out!
June 1, 2021
New Patreon Content!
New content over the last couple of weeks include:
* New Comics on Tuesdays and Thursdays (for Blog and Prose tiers)
* New essays -- I go into my different approaches to creator owned and licensed comics, as well as share some active brainstorming games in an essay about where I get my ideas (for the prose tier.)
* There's a sneak preview of a future episode of the Friendly Neighborhood Webhead Podcast (for all tiers)
* An experimental 4 page short story (Blog and Pros tiers)
* A look at the proof of concept 8 page short for my first creator owned pitch in over 15 years!
Check it out!
January 20, 2021
New Article: Scripting Method
Affixed to the top of the board is a sample script I threw together to demonstrate how I work out a comics script from start to finish.
