In 2005, Dan Fleming and I
self-published the first issue of Warrior27.
Since then, there have been three other issues and a collection, weekly
columns for the Pulse in 2007-08, year-long blogs from both of us on Crime and Watchmen, respectively,
as well as stories published in other venues.
That January, as we began planning that initial anthology, I decided I
start taking my writing seriously – emphasis on “start” – and, after ten years,
take a look back to see where I stood and if it was something I should continue
to pursue. At this point, I have met
with some success and couldn’t stop even if I thought that was the way to
go. So, let’s take a look at where my
writing has been published. [hey, it’s
my blog; I get to be self-indulgent, if I want]
2005 –
1.
Pacesetter #6,
“Breaking the Mold,” published by Tony Lorenz.
This was the first thing I ever had
accepted for publication. Pacesetter
is a fan-produced magazine centered on the work of my favorite superhero
artist, George Perez. It includes
interviews, little-seen artwork, and articles, all focused on that issue’s
theme. This one revolved around Wonder
Woman, and I did a piece on how Perez and the rest of the creative team worked
to make distinct, strong female characters in the relaunch of the title, in
1987.
2010 –
1.
Ape Comics’ online UFO Anthology, “Life is Funny,” with artist Jason Copland,
published by Ape Entertainment.
This story came as a result of my
first time submitting to an open call for stories. My initial idea was rejected – it was tired
and clichéd – but the editor, Troy Dye, accepted my second pitch. From there, we went back and forth on five or
six drafts of the script, until it was ready for publication, which was a great
learning experience. After that, I had
to find a team to draw, color, and letter the eight-page story. I got lucky enough to work with a group of
great artists, including Jason Copland, who has since worked for Marvel, Boom!,
and Dark Horse. The site for the
anthology is no longer available, but I’ve made it available at the link
above.
2011 –
I was lucky enough to work with
Jason again, when he posted a series of images he’d drawn while on vacation in
Las Vegas. He had no story in mind, as
he drew, and offered them up to any writers who might want to craft a narrative
around them – similar to the Marvel style popularized by Stan Lee and the
stable of artists at Marvel Comics in the early 60s. I could re-arrange them as I liked, or leave
them in the order Jason posted them. I
opted for the latter and created a strange, neo-noir short that I was quite
proud of. Brett Warnock, at Top Shelf,
really liked it and agreed to publish it on their online anthology, Top Shelf
2.0. Top Shelf is one of my favorite
publishers, so this was a huge deal for me.
2012 –
1.
Indie Comics Horror #1,
“Minister to the Undead,” with artist Dan Lauer, published by Aazurn Publishing.
This story was one that initially
ran in our anthology, Warrior27. The
third issue, from Fall 2008, to be exact. The prologue to a longer story that I might
get to one day, I was really impressed with Lauer’s art on a story he did with
my buddy Dan (Fleming) and was really happy when he agreed to draw this short
story. When it found a home in the
inaugural issue of Indie Comics Horror, I was stoked. The longer narrative revolves around this
minister who welcomes all people to worship, even those afflicted with
vampirism, lycanthropy, and similar magical/demonic possession. He also harbored a secret that would lead to
a chilling climax.
2013 –
I caught the open call for
submissions for this anthology when Greg Rucka retweeted the announcement. A prose, steampunk anthology revolving around
the city of New Orleans during the American Civil War, I did a lot of research
for this one – not only reading books on steampunk, but also finding a
wonderful book on voudou that treated this religion with the respect it
deserves. I tried to incorporate that
same respect into my story, and I think it shows.
This was another story that
involved research. An anthology from Red
Stylo Media revolving around the themes and scenarios of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,
I read the book, for the first time, over a weekend, in order to get ideas for
a story. From there, I made my way
through the open-call gauntlet and was lucky enough to work with an artist I
was familiar with, Gary Fitzgerald. He
really did a great job with a script that was, at times, a bit trying. I can’t thank him enough for this.
2014 –
I saw an open call for this new literary
magazine. The editors wanted flash
fiction and poetry. I sent in a grim
short set in a dystopian future that revolves around a grisly scenario that I
had conceived while picking blueberries with my wife a number of years
back. This is a story I had sold once
before – but the publisher ran out of money before the anthology was published
– and was happy to finally give it a home.
Ever since I was introduced to
Needle, I wanted to be a part of it. I
wrote a bit more about that here.
It’s 9,000 words of crime and horror
with an ending that’s a shocker. It’s
the story I’m most proud of.
Forthcoming –
I also had two comic stories accepted
in 2014, which made it my most successful year to date. One, “The Call of the Sea,” is still in need
of an artist and is scheduled to be published by GrayHaven,
once all the stories are drawn and lettered.
The other is an adaptation of my New Orleans by Gaslight story,
with the steampunk stripped away, that was beautifully illustrated by AngelaAllen. It is scheduled to be in the fourth issue of
Indie Comics Quarterly.
Warrior27 –
And there are always the original
issues of our comics/prose anthology, Warrior27, which are available for
purchase in the sidebar. There’s some
great stuff in there from Dan and Matt
Constantine (one of the “In the Mouth of Dorkness” dorks) and a slew of
fantastic artists. Worth checking out,
but I might be biased.
Thanks for indulging. Hopefully I’ll be updating this list sooner
rather than later. And, obviously, I’ll
let you know when that happens
-chris
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