Yeah, it's early... but like Francis said to me last night on twitter, "(It) feels like Christmas morning to me! I hope I don't get coal in my stockings."
CBR and COMICVINE have already posted their reviews of Flash #1...
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=3956
http://www.comicvine.com/the-flash-/37-293585/staff-review/
...where's yours?
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
TOMORROW IS THE DAY...
...that my Flash journey officially begins. Am I excited about it?
Uhm... YEAH! I can't wait.
For Francis and I, it's been a pretty long road since we started this adventure... and to FINALLY see it come out is an amazing feeling that is beyond my ability to describe.
The initial reaction to the announcement that we would be taking over writing duties was met with something less than confidence. The reasons for this are obvious and one hundred percent fair. But that just made us more determined to prove ourselves as writers. And as he and I chugged along, sweating, working our asses off, doing interviews, talking to people, and putting together the book, we started to build up a good head of steam.
In the last month or so, things have REALLY taken off!
The book pre-sold over 100,000 copies... After the launch of JLA #1, the orders jumped quite a bit higher than that... Many professionals and peers read the book and weighed in with OVERWHELMINGLY positive reviews. A couple of BIGWIGS @ DC even confided in us that Flash #1 was their favorite of the New52. The worm has started to turn. The covers. The preview art. The interviews. The convention exposure. All good stuff. I can't wait.
And now here we are, on the eve of the book's release...
Starting tomorrow, the books will hit the shelves... and anxious fans will hopefully start buying those 100K copies. The reviews will start appearing on the web... Fans will head to the forums to weigh in with their opinions. Some will offer glowing praise... others will find fault with ever word and/or image. The Flash experts will deconstruct our story and offer their analysis. Starting tomorrow, things are going to change for me.
I'm going to acquire passionate new fans... AND passionate new haters. And you know what? I can't wait.
Francis and I are already knee deep in issue #4. We're here and we are crafting stories that we are insanely proud of. We're working SO hard, we're SO exhausted... and we're SO having the time of our lives.
And starting tomorrow, EVERYONE gets to see what we have done.
I can't wait.
Uhm... YEAH! I can't wait.
For Francis and I, it's been a pretty long road since we started this adventure... and to FINALLY see it come out is an amazing feeling that is beyond my ability to describe.
The initial reaction to the announcement that we would be taking over writing duties was met with something less than confidence. The reasons for this are obvious and one hundred percent fair. But that just made us more determined to prove ourselves as writers. And as he and I chugged along, sweating, working our asses off, doing interviews, talking to people, and putting together the book, we started to build up a good head of steam.
In the last month or so, things have REALLY taken off!
The book pre-sold over 100,000 copies... After the launch of JLA #1, the orders jumped quite a bit higher than that... Many professionals and peers read the book and weighed in with OVERWHELMINGLY positive reviews. A couple of BIGWIGS @ DC even confided in us that Flash #1 was their favorite of the New52. The worm has started to turn. The covers. The preview art. The interviews. The convention exposure. All good stuff. I can't wait.
And now here we are, on the eve of the book's release...
Starting tomorrow, the books will hit the shelves... and anxious fans will hopefully start buying those 100K copies. The reviews will start appearing on the web... Fans will head to the forums to weigh in with their opinions. Some will offer glowing praise... others will find fault with ever word and/or image. The Flash experts will deconstruct our story and offer their analysis. Starting tomorrow, things are going to change for me.
I'm going to acquire passionate new fans... AND passionate new haters. And you know what? I can't wait.
Francis and I are already knee deep in issue #4. We're here and we are crafting stories that we are insanely proud of. We're working SO hard, we're SO exhausted... and we're SO having the time of our lives.
And starting tomorrow, EVERYONE gets to see what we have done.
I can't wait.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
LISTEN TO ME...
...talk about the Flash (and say "Uhm" a lot) in this handy little podcast interview that I did with the good folks at Modern Myth Media.
http://modernmythmedia.com/ModernMythMedia/Podcast/Entries/2011/9/25_Episode_29__FLASH_FACT.html
I had a lot of fun doing the interview. I hope you all like it... in spite of my excessive "uhming" and the fact that I carry on for about forty minutes. Man, I'm long-winded!
:)
Enjoy!
http://modernmythmedia.com/ModernMythMedia/Podcast/Entries/2011/9/25_Episode_29__FLASH_FACT.html
I had a lot of fun doing the interview. I hope you all like it... in spite of my excessive "uhming" and the fact that I carry on for about forty minutes. Man, I'm long-winded!
:)
Enjoy!
Friday, September 23, 2011
A SNEAK PEEK...
Since I haven't had time to post more of my inane ramblings... enjoy this image from Flash #3!
SIGNING/CON SCHEDULE 2011
Hey all,
It's been way too long since my last entry. Sorry, folks. As you can imagine, I've been pretty busy with a host of different commitments that have kept me from staying on top of this blog. I'm really going to try to have another entry in the next few days, focusing my creative process as a writer.
But for now, I just wanted to post my upcoming schedule of signings and con appearances. FLASH #1 is less than a week away from hitting the stores, and I'm REALLY looking forward to meeting the fans and signing... oh, I don't know, a hundred thousand copies of the book?
Anyway, here's my schedule so far. As I get more details I will certainly pass the info along...
SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 (WEDNESDAY)
5:30-7:30pm
The Comic Bug
1807 Manhattan Beach Blvd
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
http://thecomicbug.com/2011/09/28/scott-lobdell-brian-buccelato-and-norm-rapmund-signing-sept-28th/
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=203507256383331
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 (FRIDAY)
7pm
Golden Apple Comics
7018 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
OCTOBER 1, 2011 (SATURDAY)
Frank & Sons Collectible Show
19649 San Jose Ave.
City of Industry, CA 91748
OCTOBER 2, 2011 (SUNDAY)
1:00-4:00pm
Emerald Knights Comics and Games
4116 W. Burbank Blvd.
Burbank, CA
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=160192984062306
OCTOBER 5, 2011 (WEDNESDAY)
5pm
Beach Ball Comics
3024 W Ball Road Suite G
Anaheim, CA 92804
OCTOBER 14-16, 2011
New York Comic Con
@ The Javitz Center
OCTOBER 29-30, 2011
Long Beach Comic Con
@ Long Beach Convention Center
http://www.longbeachcomiccon.com/comic-con-guests.php
NOVEMBER 5-6, 2011
Comikaze Expo
@ Los Angeles Convention Center
http://comikazeexpo.com/brian-buccellato/
Hope to meet as many of you as humanly possible! Thanks!
It's been way too long since my last entry. Sorry, folks. As you can imagine, I've been pretty busy with a host of different commitments that have kept me from staying on top of this blog. I'm really going to try to have another entry in the next few days, focusing my creative process as a writer.
But for now, I just wanted to post my upcoming schedule of signings and con appearances. FLASH #1 is less than a week away from hitting the stores, and I'm REALLY looking forward to meeting the fans and signing... oh, I don't know, a hundred thousand copies of the book?
Anyway, here's my schedule so far. As I get more details I will certainly pass the info along...
SEPTEMBER 28, 2011 (WEDNESDAY)
5:30-7:30pm
The Comic Bug
1807 Manhattan Beach Blvd
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
http://thecomicbug.com/2011/09/28/scott-lobdell-brian-buccelato-and-norm-rapmund-signing-sept-28th/
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=203507256383331
SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 (FRIDAY)
7pm
Golden Apple Comics
7018 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
OCTOBER 1, 2011 (SATURDAY)
Frank & Sons Collectible Show
19649 San Jose Ave.
City of Industry, CA 91748
OCTOBER 2, 2011 (SUNDAY)
1:00-4:00pm
Emerald Knights Comics and Games
4116 W. Burbank Blvd.
Burbank, CA
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=160192984062306
OCTOBER 5, 2011 (WEDNESDAY)
5pm
Beach Ball Comics
3024 W Ball Road Suite G
Anaheim, CA 92804
OCTOBER 14-16, 2011
New York Comic Con
@ The Javitz Center
OCTOBER 29-30, 2011
Long Beach Comic Con
@ Long Beach Convention Center
http://www.longbeachcomiccon.com/comic-con-guests.php
NOVEMBER 5-6, 2011
Comikaze Expo
@ Los Angeles Convention Center
http://comikazeexpo.com/brian-buccellato/
Hope to meet as many of you as humanly possible! Thanks!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
TO READ OR NOT TO READ – PART TWO
Better late than never, eh?
Sorry, folks! I intended to get back to this post sooner than now, but deadlines and parenthood and Disneyland and working on my own personal projects got in the way of getting this done in a timely fashion.
Jumping right into it, let me address the concept of using social media to interact with fans. Am I for it? YES Do I think it's for everyone? NO! I wouldn't recommend doing so to those that can't disconnect their personal feelings from their professional persona. I say this because it's a recipe for creating conflict, and I say this because while I was at the midnight release of JLA #1, I was talking to an well-known artist friend who warned me to STAY OFF THE MESSAGE BOARDS. This personal warning came with the revelation that he got into it with fans online and that it "nearly ruined his career". I don't know how much of an exaggeration that is, but I do know that (by his own admission) he is a fellow that can't disconnect himself emotionally from his work.
I thanked him for the advice and politely agreed to disagree. We have two different temperaments and I just don't see myself getting into it with fans.
NOW PLEASE...
...don't take this as an invitation to antagonize this Super Professional Blogger in order to see if you can get a rise out of me. That's not nice. And not to come off as cocky, but I have a pretty sharp tongue and it's never a good thing when it gets to acting the crazy. Be warned that if we end up in dialogue about something and you try and bait me... I will turn Derek Jeter on you. I will not go A-Rod on you and say something regrettable and stupid.
At least I hope not. :)
As an aside, my artist friend also advised me AGAINST talking sports with fans, because that's another sure-fire way of driving a wedge between people. But then again, he's a Spurs fan, so how could you blame the fans for turning on him. Kidding! Sort of. Not really... okay, maybe a little.
Of course the willingness to interact with fans via social media comes at a price.... TIME. In order to do so, one must make it a priority to create an interactive online presence. This means tweeting, facebooking and reading through various forums. Like most people, I am a busy dude with a host of responsibilities... BUT I have made a commitment to do what I can to maintain an interactive public presence.
Obviously, I'm not Warren Ellis (of the nearly 500k twitter followers)... nor am I Geoff Johns (35K) or even (and I don't mean that in a negative way AT ALL -- I love him) Josh Fialkov of the 2,339 followers. I'm new to this and I have way less than 400 followers. Now, I'm not saying that to bemoan my lack of popularity... I'm saying it because it WAY EASIER for me to connect to all the fans that want to communicate with me. I imagine that it's much harder for those guys to respond to everyone that wants to talk to them.
All that to say that I will try my best to stay in dialogue with the fans. I want to know what you think... even if I don't agree with it.
Don't start disagreeing with me just cause you can. Play nice!
Sorry, folks! I intended to get back to this post sooner than now, but deadlines and parenthood and Disneyland and working on my own personal projects got in the way of getting this done in a timely fashion.
Jumping right into it, let me address the concept of using social media to interact with fans. Am I for it? YES Do I think it's for everyone? NO! I wouldn't recommend doing so to those that can't disconnect their personal feelings from their professional persona. I say this because it's a recipe for creating conflict, and I say this because while I was at the midnight release of JLA #1, I was talking to an well-known artist friend who warned me to STAY OFF THE MESSAGE BOARDS. This personal warning came with the revelation that he got into it with fans online and that it "nearly ruined his career". I don't know how much of an exaggeration that is, but I do know that (by his own admission) he is a fellow that can't disconnect himself emotionally from his work.
I thanked him for the advice and politely agreed to disagree. We have two different temperaments and I just don't see myself getting into it with fans.
NOW PLEASE...
...don't take this as an invitation to antagonize this Super Professional Blogger in order to see if you can get a rise out of me. That's not nice. And not to come off as cocky, but I have a pretty sharp tongue and it's never a good thing when it gets to acting the crazy. Be warned that if we end up in dialogue about something and you try and bait me... I will turn Derek Jeter on you. I will not go A-Rod on you and say something regrettable and stupid.
At least I hope not. :)
As an aside, my artist friend also advised me AGAINST talking sports with fans, because that's another sure-fire way of driving a wedge between people. But then again, he's a Spurs fan, so how could you blame the fans for turning on him. Kidding! Sort of. Not really... okay, maybe a little.
Of course the willingness to interact with fans via social media comes at a price.... TIME. In order to do so, one must make it a priority to create an interactive online presence. This means tweeting, facebooking and reading through various forums. Like most people, I am a busy dude with a host of responsibilities... BUT I have made a commitment to do what I can to maintain an interactive public presence.
Obviously, I'm not Warren Ellis (of the nearly 500k twitter followers)... nor am I Geoff Johns (35K) or even (and I don't mean that in a negative way AT ALL -- I love him) Josh Fialkov of the 2,339 followers. I'm new to this and I have way less than 400 followers. Now, I'm not saying that to bemoan my lack of popularity... I'm saying it because it WAY EASIER for me to connect to all the fans that want to communicate with me. I imagine that it's much harder for those guys to respond to everyone that wants to talk to them.
All that to say that I will try my best to stay in dialogue with the fans. I want to know what you think... even if I don't agree with it.
Don't start disagreeing with me just cause you can. Play nice!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Best. Email. Ever.
While on line at Space Mountain, I got a really touching email from a fan... One that I HAD to share. I'm keeping it anonymous at the author's request...
"Brian
-OK, this maybe the weirdest email you get. Hopefully not. Earlier today I was playing around on twitter and I came across some Flash posts that you made. The Flash has always been one of my VERY favorite super heroes and I'm honestly looking really forward to your book at the end of the month.
-This past week I've had some set-backs in my life. Some that I've been very depressed over the past few days. Brian, when I saw these:
https://twitter.com/#!/BrianBooch/status/110367327106760704/photo/1
https://twitter.com/#!/BrianBooch/status/110367153462591490/photo/1
https://twitter.com/#!/BrianBooch/status/110366901556871168/photo/1
-They spoke to me on a level that you had not intended. It seems you snuck a couple of really valuable life lessons in there, not just promos for a comic. They've changed my whole attitude for the day. I can't thank you enough. Looking very forward to reading Flash at the end of the month. And thanks to you, I'm off and running!!! Thanks again, sir."
There's no greater compliment to us as writers than to have quotes from our book affect someone in a positive way. I'm honored beyond words.
And I REALLY hope things get better for this person, SOON!
"Brian
-OK, this maybe the weirdest email you get. Hopefully not. Earlier today I was playing around on twitter and I came across some Flash posts that you made. The Flash has always been one of my VERY favorite super heroes and I'm honestly looking really forward to your book at the end of the month.
-This past week I've had some set-backs in my life. Some that I've been very depressed over the past few days. Brian, when I saw these:
https://twitter.com/#!/BrianBooch/status/110367327106760704/photo/1
https://twitter.com/#!/BrianBooch/status/110367153462591490/photo/1
https://twitter.com/#!/BrianBooch/status/110366901556871168/photo/1
-They spoke to me on a level that you had not intended. It seems you snuck a couple of really valuable life lessons in there, not just promos for a comic. They've changed my whole attitude for the day. I can't thank you enough. Looking very forward to reading Flash at the end of the month. And thanks to you, I'm off and running!!! Thanks again, sir."
There's no greater compliment to us as writers than to have quotes from our book affect someone in a positive way. I'm honored beyond words.
And I REALLY hope things get better for this person, SOON!
OFF TO DISNEYLAND... (AND A WORD ABOUT BARRY ALLEN)
I'm taking my son to the Magic Kingdom for a day of awesome. But before I go, I wanted to post this amazing piece of artwork from The Flash.
I also wanted to address the whole SINGLE BARRY issue. For the record, making Barry single was a creative choice that Francis and I made. There wasn't any pressure from up high, and there is no DC-wide mandate to abolish marriages. We didn't even know Clark and Lois were going to be single at the time we made this choice (over 6 months ago). We even had to ask permission from the bigwigs... and clearly they totally supported our choice.
Also, I'm not sure that it's been stated, but ALL of the DC characters have been de-aged and are in their twenties. So we decided to make him single because he is a younger Barry and this is a fresh angle to draw from... with a lot of interesting (for us) places to go. I know this flies in the face of those that identified with Barry as a married man for 40+ years... and I'm sorry if that turns anyone off to the extent that they won't even give our book a shot. But I'm not sorry about the choice we made. We like what we are doing and we think the fans will too.
Will Barry fall in love? Yes. Will he end up with someone? Yes. Will it be Iris or Patty or Lois? Maybe. :)
I also wanted to address the whole SINGLE BARRY issue. For the record, making Barry single was a creative choice that Francis and I made. There wasn't any pressure from up high, and there is no DC-wide mandate to abolish marriages. We didn't even know Clark and Lois were going to be single at the time we made this choice (over 6 months ago). We even had to ask permission from the bigwigs... and clearly they totally supported our choice.
Also, I'm not sure that it's been stated, but ALL of the DC characters have been de-aged and are in their twenties. So we decided to make him single because he is a younger Barry and this is a fresh angle to draw from... with a lot of interesting (for us) places to go. I know this flies in the face of those that identified with Barry as a married man for 40+ years... and I'm sorry if that turns anyone off to the extent that they won't even give our book a shot. But I'm not sorry about the choice we made. We like what we are doing and we think the fans will too.
Will Barry fall in love? Yes. Will he end up with someone? Yes. Will it be Iris or Patty or Lois? Maybe. :)
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