Jason McNamara's Blog, page 8

30 Days of Might

The Rattler Kickstarter campaign has wrapped up and we were able to attract nearly 400 backers. For a black and white horror book by two relative unknowns, that is huge. But there's no rest for the wicked, Greg and I are working hard to get the book to the printer as soon as possible. If you backed the project please fill out the survey we sent you so we can put your name in the book and get it in your hands. Oh, and I'm not getting weepy in this video. That's just how whiskey leaves my body. 

 

The Rattler impresses reviewers!

Greg and I sent out some early review copies of The Rattler and have have been blown away by the critical reaction. Positive word of mouth, and Greg's beautiful artwork, has led the Kickstarter to succeed in a mere 55 hours! Here's a quick round up of what advance reviewers had to say. 

“Hinkle’s world, like McNamara’s, is a terrifying place, and the art makes the script even better, which is always nice.”

— Greg Burgas Comic Book Resources

“a truly fantastic piece of work from McNamara that delivers on all fronts. Hinkle’s art really elevates the story.”

— Cody Ferrel Comic Book Resources

“I’m thankful to know that a graphic novel can still keep me on the edge of my seat with every panel.”

— Bobby D Nerdlocker

“This book was pure excitement from the first page to the last! ”

— Rob Caprilozzi Comic Monsters

The campaign has been funded and now every pledge is a pre-order for the book, which ships in August. 

Short Hand gets the nod from Den of Geek

Den of Geek contributor Jason Tabrys selected Short Hand, my collaboration with Rahsan Ekedal, as one of the best comics offered under the Comixology submit umbrella. High praise when you consider the company we're in. Fialkov's Bunker, one of my favorite books of the year, was also chosen. For a book that every published told me was a terrible idea it sure seems to get great reviews. 

The Rattler is coming for you.

After a year of work, Greg and I are completely done with our graphic novel thriller. We're going to have an announcement very soon that I don't think will surprise anyone. 

Conflict is the Story

It’s a daily struggle, for your story and yourself.

When building a story, my first inclination is to make my protagonist, and the supporting cast, the best of friends. They agree on everything, respect each other’s feelings and compliment each other’s outfits. “Can you believe it? I got it on sale!” Isn’t that what we’d all like in our lives? But writing graphic novels isn’t the real world, kids. Next time someone asks you, “Why can’t we all just get along?” you have my permission to smash a bottle over their head and scream “Because it’s dull.”

In fiction, your characters need to have differences; they need to chafe under pressure, screw each other over and basically do what they said they wouldn’t do. And, especially for comics, they need to look different. The more physical, emotional, social and ideological differences you can put between your characters the better. There’s a goldmine of conflict in odd-couple pairings. Look at Abbot and Costello, Harold and Maude, Chris Farley and David Spade, Christopher Walken and, well, anybody else.

But characters aren’t created entirely on the page. Sometimes they need to cook a little longer in the toaster oven of your mind. Lock your cast up in a virtual room and listen to them. You can do this on the bus, at the gym or while your boss is talking. What’s the worst thing that can happen to each of your characters? Who falls in love? Who cracks? Motivation is key; even characters working towards a common goal will have different reasons for doing so. The more attention you give your characters, the more likely the story conflict will deepen and grow.

My favorite stories are ones that connect the personal and environmental conflict. The 1953 film The Wages of Sin is a great example of this. Four expatriates hiding in South America are offered a fortune to drive two trucks, filled with unstable nitroglycerin, over a hazardous mountain terrain. The guys don’t get along, they could blow up at any minute and they’re running out of time.

Now if you took that same plot and made them best friends, from high school, and had it take place on Long Island, and had the trucks filled with golf balls, the “will they or won’t they” becomes “who cares?” even though it’s still four guys on a road trip.  Where your story takes place, and how your characters interact with that environment, is an opportunity.

Writing a graphic novel, or anything, can be a herculean task no matter where you are in your career. That is our conflict, as creators. Take every raw emotion this process ignites in you and throw it back at the page. You are the protagonist of your own journey. 

NOTE: This article originally appeared in the book Writing and Illustrating the Graphic Novel, which you can purchase here. 

Broken Frontier spotlights the Martian Confederacy

Art by Paige Braddock

In his year end round up of over looked gems, Broken Frontiers Josh Finney takes a look at the Martian Confederacy graphic novel series. Confederacy illustrator Paige Braddock and I were humbled by the kind words. "The Martian Confederacy is brimming with a gonzo sense of humor and pop-culture satire. The last time I saw anything even begin to approach this sort of serious yet funny vibe was Shawn of the Dead‘s deconstruction of the zombie genre." Thank you Josh and Broken Frontier. 

 

Every Day Is Halloween

Yes, I am a horror nerd and a sucker for packaging. Here's a short video of me unboxing the Halloween Box set from Fright Rags. 

Signal to Noise

I'm featured on this weeks Deconstructing Comics Podcast and, it to my surprise, the conversation took some interesting turns. This is my third, maybe fourth, time talking with Tim Young and we managed to eschewed the usual "what are you working on" tropes and instead had a frank conversation about careers, digital distribution and the personal process of story telling. I also channeled Joey Ramone during the interview and said "ya know?" more than any non-Ramone should ever be allowed to say in public. Check it out! 

Conventional Logic

One of my favorite people in the world, Paige Braddock, has asked me to appear with her at the upcoming Alternative Press Expo October 12 & 13, we’ll be at table 800. Paige and I created the Martian Confederacy series and formulating our plans for a third entry to tie up the series. This will be my first convention appearance in some time. 

After some disastrous experiences, I decided to take a break from comic book conventions for a while, possibly forever. I was burnt out and not making the most of my appearances. I needed perspective on why it is I pursue the goals that I do. Also, I get claustrophobic in crowds and usually drink my face off to deal with it. As you can imagine this doesn't make me a networking magnate. 

My first convention, as a professional, was the Alternative Press Expo in 2003. I had arrived with the first issue of my Ditko influenced Less Than Hero mini series. I was immensely proud of that first issue, despite a litany of spelling typos, and sold my first copy within 5 minutes of the doors opening on Saturday. My mind did the math, if I sold a copy every five minutes I would have a bona fide hit. This would kick start my career! I could be writing Spider-Man before the end of the year! Well, my math was off because I didn't sell another copy until the next day.

Conventions bring up uncomfortable emotions in me. I oscillate between being excited about my latest project to feeling like a one in a million hack. Expectations mixed with competiveness, ambition and economics can make the whole endeavor emotionally unbearable. At Emerald City Comicon I abandoned my table midway through the convention when it became clear my table would be forever buried behind the line for Scott Capullo’s autograph. Instead I went bar hopping in Seattle, telling strangers I was in town for a convention I couldn’t bring myself to attend.

My love of comic books is a deep and personal one and I’m grateful to be expressing myself in the medium that has shaped my life. The challenge for me going forward is maintaining the rewards of that relationship in an antithetical environment.

Hopefully our table won’t be near the bar. 

 

Short-Hand reviewed!

My one-shot noir comedy Short-Hand is finally available on the Comixology reading app! Illustrated by the incredibly talented Rahsan Ekedal, Short-Hand was previously only available at conventions. You can buy it now for 1.99!

Oscar is an 80-year-old detective hoping to crack one more case. When a thief begins targeting the elderly, Oscar goes undercover to catch him. But can Oscar crack the case before his own secrets destroy him? 

Comic Legend James Robinson was the first to Review Short-Hand in 2011, calling the book “Quite simply wonderful.” Since launching the book on Comixology we’ve received some kind words of praise. 

"McNamara writes an absolutely stellar story" 

-Cody Ferrell @ Comic Book Therapy. 

"one of the most quick-witted comics you’re going to come across"

-Henry Chamberlain @ Comics Grinde 

"a compelling one-and-done detective story"

-Andrew Sanford @ Comic Spectrum

So if you get the chance please check out Short-Hand, the project is a labor of love from Rahsan and I and we would love to tell more stories of our cantankerous sleuth. 

 

Cover to Comixology edition.