Terry Moore's Blog, page 8

Rachel Rising covers… how it works.

The cover to issue 12, coming October.

The cover to issue 13, coming December.

Okay, so note the color change. Issues 1-6 were green and red, 7-12 yellow and red, 13-18 will feature this grayish purple… and red, of course. (I like red.)

When you lay the issues out in rows of six, the color scheme is obvious and helps define the arcs, as every six issues is a trade paperback. The photo below shows where we’re going with this.

I don’t really have copies of 11-13 printed yet, those are just graphic print-outs. Although, I should have my copies of 11 later this week. You’ll have 11 in a couple of weeks.

 

Rachel Rising 11 Final Cover (shipping now!)

The latest issue of Rachel Rising is on its way from the printer to the distributor and will hit the stores in 2-3 weeks. I’ve posted this cover art before, but when the time came to compose the real cover, I worked the art to make it more Rachel Rising appropriate. First look here (click cover to see big and pretty version):

Rachel Rising 10 on the stands now!

The new issue of Rachel Rising is on the shelf at your favorite comic shop, and comiXology, and in our very own webstore. Hopefully, it’s in even more places than that. You’ll have to read issues 10 and 11 to find out what this highly provocative cover means!

Oh, and yes, I know I mispelled “diphtheria”. One of those things I’ll have to fix for the TPB.

Coming Aug 22—Rachel Rising 10

My new French Interview & translation

Une interview for French fans. Here’s the URL. Below is the translation for the French-challenged among us.

I don’t know what the intro says. Google Translate it and it may say that I’m Jeff Smith’s pool boy. Also, I hate that goofy picture of me. Looks like I’m on happy pills. In real life I look like a vicious gorilla. Grown men with pickup trucks cower in fear behind the deodorant rack when I walk into the grocery store to buy my Diet Coke.

And I’m sorry I came off harsh about DC. I’m really just mad at the company that bought them and what they’ve done to the core office operations. My friends at DC… their lives have been turned upside down. I hate to see it happen. Once again, I shake my skinny fist at corporate America. Woodstock, man. It’s all been downhill since Woodstock.

 

1. Hi, Terry . Your last visit to France was ten years ago; what was it like for you to meet French readers?

TM: It was great. Comic fans are the same everywhere, friendly. What a wonderful world, comics. (I’ve actually been to France a lot for personal travel. This was just my second official show in that time.)

2. One of the defining traits about you and your work is precisely the diversity in your readership, as I could once again see for myself—you have the ability to federate men, women, gay, straight, younger and older people—how do you explain this phenomenon?

TM: I don’t know. I’m interested in people. Not just people like me or people I like, but all kinds of people. Humanity is fascinating, isn’t it? It’s the only thing worth writing about: the human story.

3. As years went by, you have proven you could be at home with any genre, be it comedy, drama, science fiction or even, lately, horror. Do you, however, have a favorite genre, as a storyteller?

TM: My favorite genre is comedy. I am happiest when drawing fun cartoons. I don’t do that much because it doesn’t attract as many readers as drama. It’s like somebody on the street corner telling jokes versus a major car wreck happening right behind him. We may smile at the comedian, but we’ll obsess over the car wreck.

4. Rachel Rising is incredibly well written, to the extent that it is impossible to predict how the story might turn out. What was your main source of inspiration for this series? Any particular horror movie that might have left an imprint on your younger self?

TM: I’m drawing from the older films where the point was to scare you with reality. Where the modern films use noise to scare you, the old ones used silence. That’s perfect for comics, isn’t it? If you drew storyboards of a Hitchcock film, it would make a fine comic. That’s where I’m coming from.

5. You planned Echo as a 30-issue series; is it also the case with Rachel Rising ? Or do you plan on keeping the story running for a substantially longer period of time?

TM: No, Rachel Rising will be 24 to 30 issues as well. I’m not sure how many exactly, yet.

6. I heard that a film adaptation of Echo might be in the works. Could you tell us more about it?

TM: Echo is optioned by Hellboy producer Lloyd Levin. It’s a big challenge to get a film made these days. I’m rooting for his success.

7. Next year will see the 20th anniversary of SiP , and as such we are all hoping to hear some news from Katchoo and Francine . Would you care to tell us more about what you have planned in this regard?

TM: I plan to release a new SiP story as a novel. Also, I’ll release a Treasury book that offers a behind the scenes look at the series, like a director’s commentary.

8. You have literally become an institution amongst independent and creator-owned comics authors. How difficult was it for you in the beginning? Do you think it has become easier, nowadays, for freelance creators to get started and to follow through with their projects? What is your take on such launching platforms as Kickstarter ?

TM: When I started in 1993, there was a large community of indy creators, so that helped me a lot with encouragement and big fish opening doors for little fish like me. Today is different. I don’t know if it’s harder or easier, but it’s always a challenge to make yourself known in the world. Kickstarter has helped some people. I don’t know if it will prove to be a permanent vehicle for promotion, or a novelty of 2012. The web has a way of quickly losing interest in things. Hot today, gone tomorrow.

9. You recently decided to make your comics available in digital form via Comixology . What was the main drive behind such a decision? Can you already tell whether this has allowed your work to reach new readers?

TM: I’ve heard from fans around the world who did not have access to a comic book retailer, either because they live in a sparse population or their location is so remote that even shipping merchandise is impractical due to the cost. For instance, a fan in Australia is looking at very expensive mailing fees to get things from the U.S. The digital comics solve that problem and open up the world to readers who were previously cut out. Now you can read the new issue of Rachel Rising the day it comes out, even if you’re at the summit of Mount Everest! This is a good improvement, don’t you agree? I’m very happy to be able to reach more people.

10. What is your outlook on the comics industry as a whole? Would you say it has evolved since your debut, or that, on the contrary, it struggles to reinvent itself, despite all the “Big Two”’s efforts and editorial brainwaves?

TM: At the heart of the American comic book industry are two companies that are built on 50-year old ideas. And everything you do with them causes fractures in your customer base. There, deal with that.

So, yeah, it’s tough to keep the America version of comics vital and in the now. I honestly don’t know where they will go in the future. But you could have said the same thing every year since WWII, right? American comics have always been at risk of crash and burn, but they’re still here, still a part of pop culture. Pretty impressive. Clearly there is more to our comics than 3 or 4 famous characters, otherwise we wouldn’t be here. I’m grateful, because my comics are sold in the market Marvel and DC keep alive. Thanks, guys.

11. What is your opinion of the DC relaunch? Which titles you are following?

TM: I’m not following it. I think DC is a mess right now and I don’t care. They did it to themselves. If they want me to save them, I’ll write Supergirl. (big smile)

12. Apart from the relaunch, what else are you reading?

TM: I like to read books on physics, history and murder mysteries.

13. SiP ’s publication history in France is a rather chaotic one, but at the end of the day, KYMERA has done an excellent job, showing a deep respect for your work. Are you happy with it?

TM: Yes, I’m very happy with them. Great work.

14. What about Rachel Rising —are there any plans for a French release in the near future?

TM: Yes, I think so. I don’t handle the business side of my publishing, but I know we have a very good relationship with Kymera.

15. You are one of an all-too-rare kind: a male writer who constantly manages to create strong, deeply layered female characters—celebrating women, in a way, as it turns out. Do you think the status of comics heroines has changed since the time you made your debut? What about the status of female creators?

TM: There are definitely more women writers and artists now than in 1993. And good ones they are too! As for the heroines, I don’t think anything has changed. The characters are the same. Most are still sidekicks. That’s just my opinion, of course. I know they’ve been through a lot of story changes, but in terms of how they are portrayed against modern culture… eh. When you think about how they could be leading pop culture, but they’re not. You don’t see major magazines talking about how the youth of the world is influence by this or that female comic character. That should be the goal of the big companies. It’s not about making more comic books. It’s about establishing pop culture icons that redefine modern mythology. None of the major super-heroines meet that standard. A lot of work to be done there.

 

Dead Dog Party Art… Oh. My. God.

Each year at San Diego Comic Con, on Sunday night after the convention is complete, Bob Chapman of Graphitti Design has generously thrown a party for exhausted pros to come relax with friends and unwind. It’s called The Dead Dog Party. Invitations to the DD party are much sought after, but very hard to come by. As you might imagine, the invitation itself is cool to see because it’s always drawn by one of the pros who will later be at the party. For years, I secretly wanted to be asked to join the elite list of artists who had drawn a DD party invitation and finally, this year, I got my chance.

For some reason I thought it would be a great idea to draw a few of the more recognizable faces in the comics industry, gathered round to celebrate Graphitti Design’s 30th Anniversary (!).  Once I started drawing it occurred to me that I was a fool. I was drawing caricatures of some of the best artists in the world… and they were going to see it. These people are Bob’s friends. What the hell was I thinking?

Oh well, it was too late to change my mind, so I finished the job. And since I was already a marked man, I added a second picture to cement my place in hell. So here you have it, a sizable grouping of some of comics most beloved folks, in a Before and After picture at the Dead Dog Party. (Can you name them all?)

So, two things we now know: 1) I can never leave the house again, and 2) never invite Zoe (and her cohort—see him?) to your party.

Before… (click pic to enlarge, then click Next arrow at bottom right for After pic)

Check my tumblr archive for goodies

A reminder: my tumblr archive is packed with art from my sketchbooks over the last few years, plus photos and music.

 

Ads for Rachel Rising TPB#2 & How To Draw TPB

Thought you’d like to see the ads for the Diamond Previews listings of the upcoming Rachel Rising trade paperback, Fear No Malus, and the How To Draw trade paperback. Both coming in November, so start saving up those pennies.

Rachel before the shirt

Here’s a clean look at the graphic for the new Rachel Rising tshirt from Graphitti Design. I like this image, so I also want to use it for something in print. Not sure what yet.

symbols are important

Note to self: this is a Star of David…

This is a pentagram. Get it right, you dork!!