I guess it hasn’t been forever since the last time I’ve sat down and put my thoughts into this blog. It feels like it, it feels like months or years, really. I know that’s an expression, and I can see that my last blog was April 8th, but really, a lot has happened in these few weeks and a lot will continue to happen as life moves on.
I’ve been hiding from the world in a way. Not sure why. Shortly before the Boston Marathon attacks I decided to take a step back and face a lot of things that were troubling me. My issues centered around my comics here and, if you really want to focus in on things, lettering. I threw myself into the process and ultimately made things a lot more complicated for myself. There are thousands of neat things and tips and tricks I could do if I really wanted to devote myself to lettering comics and logo design, but, in the end, I still have to produce issues of the comic book.
I let things overwhelm me and consume me for a while. Modular design theory, tail aspect ratios, squared vs. circular word placement. All things that are really goofy when you know what they mean but all things you have to decide on as you’re finding your way as a letterer. Add the fact that I absolutely hate the way that word balloons and tails look on the page and you’ll know that I have a million issues to deal with here.
Then, Boston.
I used to escape into CNN. The 1990s were great for that. You’d have all day coverage of every celebrity trial or issue. You could literally step into coverage and not notice as five hours had passed. It was so easy to escape the actual world and let it overwhelm you because they had great reporting, they had scoops, and they were the only outlet that carried news 24/7.
I had a relapse for a few days, though CNN is not what it used to be. The reporting was sloppy. The hunt for the terrorists was really like watching an abstract play. You WANTED something to finally happen more than things actually were happening. The hunt for and capture of the terrorist brothers was entertaining television, but, really, it was a game of “my best friend told me that Judy wanted to date Bobby but Bobby is sleeping with the mailman…” There was so many completely fabricated “facts” and “events’ given out by this channel (not to mention FOX and MSNBC), that every nut with a website will be spouting off conspiracy theories from now until the end of time.
I’m not ashamed, I watched every minute of it. I allowed myself to escape into the world presented on TV from Boston and the all-but-forgotten Texas tragedy. Then it ended and I found myself facing life again. Life is far less interesting than what’s presented on TV, I must admit. As I extricate myself from my latest obsession (in Season 11 of Cheers now), things are happening around me and life is getting interesting again.
New issues up soon.
I’m dealing with my own personal ones at the moment. 🙂
Jim