So not sure where to start.
I’m in the second day of a total revamp of my schedule at work. I’m getting the same hours, but they’re much more condensed and I’m no longer really waiting around for a shift here, three hours off then a shift there. I have huge swaths in my schedule where, you know, I can sleep or do things and it’s going to take a while to get used to this.
Before I go further, should anyone be actually READING this blog from work, I am INCREDIBLY HAPPY and THANKFUL for the new responsibilities and the new schedule. If I’m giddy on shifts, it’s not because I’m incredibly strange (well, okay, it is), but I’m also happy with where I am and what I’m doing. I haven’t said that in a long time. It’s VERY VERY nice and if you’re out there, THANK YOU for helping to make it happen.
I also realize that I need a car badly. I haven’t owned a car since the Explorer died (my family always had 2 or 3 cars) and since Mom totaled our second car at Christmas I’ve been stranded. I didn’t notice when I was working around the clock with just enough time to sleep between sessions, but now that I have some time, I’m realizing that I can actually go places and do things.
This is new to me. It’s actually scary.
I’ve also come back to my comic. I’ll probably go my usual six issues and out again, but I really want to get some things done. This time was getting stuck on one of the zero issues and over thinking the story. I’m screwing myself up because the zero issues are sequential one way, but they also have huge gaps between them for the old issues. So yes, while you can read 01-00, 02-00, 03-00, 04-00 etc. in order, there are things that happen in each series that follows the zero issues that will impact the next one.
Of course, I haven’t re-released the new versions of those comics yet so… yeah.
I turned my attention to that this week. I’m redoing some old sets. In fact, I’m probably going to redo all of the old sets in some way. Most of them are getting spiced up with new lighting and new textures. I was going to go old school with the “old” issues and make them as reflective as the original comics as I could, but really, a lot of them just don’t work these days.
Some have glitches that I can’t explain. Like the Intern’s room. I can’t use the angle facing the door without half of the Intern’s hair vanishing. It is a giant set and all the other rooms work, but for some reason, that angle will take his hair. Hardly the thing you want for stories set in that room, you know.
There was nothing I could do about it the first time around. I just didn’t have the time or the skill to fix things. I mean, I was putting sections out every three days and I really didn’t have time to breathe, let alone figure out the animation program. Now, though, I know what was in those issues. I know that I don’t need gigantic sets any more because I never used them as intended. I also know what shots and sets made it into the old stories and I’m not on a time limit here. I’ve already conceded that Evil James is going to publicly humiliate me for not making the promised deadline so hey, I may as well have some fun while I’m filling in gaps.
With that said, as I tackle these issues, due to space, some may be spread out a bit more. I’m trying to keep to what works. For me, that’s 20 pages of story and 4 pages of covers and extras. Some of the old issues are ginormous (going 28-40 pages), so I’m trying to fit the stories into 20 pages without losing anything. More often than not the story will continue in the next issue without major cuts so the print runs of each series will be a bit longer than the first time around. Cuts will be made, sure, but you’ll be getting as much of the originals as I can give you.
As always, you can follow my work here or see how I’m doing over on my Facebook page (where I’ve been sticking up exclusive shots of the retexturing), and I thank you all for following along on my merry little crusade into oblivion.
Jim