Today is PLEASE TAKE MY CHILDREN TO WORK Day.

Talk about an unwieldy name!


arts...
Last week, I got a look at the art for my story in Siglo: Passion. It's supposed to be a piece about religious passion, but me being the infidel heathen that I am, it didn't quite turn out that way, although it does contain some of those elements.


I had the privilege of working on this one with Eisner Award-winner Lan Medina, the internationally-known Ed Tadeo, and Reno Maniquis, who seems to have the uncanny psychic ability to take the pictures out of my head and put them on paper, better than I had imagined them. Honestly, I think I could have written a bunch of crap, and these guys would make me look good. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that's exactly what happened...


...and letters
I finally finished my very first lettering job. I'm actually pretty quick at the task, but it took me two and a half tries because first, I did it on my PC before I realized that it would be too mammoth to upload on a dial-up connection, and I have no CD burner. So then I did it on Dean's laptop, but halfway through I discovered a couple of fonts I liked better, so I started over with them. Good thing there was no hard deadline!


This one is my story for Marco Dimaano's K.I.A., slated for release later this year. Marco would have graciously done the lettering himself, but since I'd been experimenting with lettering, I volunteered. It was actually a lot of fun! I highly recommend that comic book writers everywhere letter their own work, because when you first write your script, you are, in essence, flying blind, unable to entirely visualize how it's going to turn out. Working on the finished art gives you the chance to spot any little details that don't quite work out the way you originally envisioned them, and make revisions accordingly to better complement the script. Plus, you get to control the dialogue pacing, judiciously apply emphasis, and ensure that everything is spelled and punctuated exactly the way you want. (Barring snafus at the printer's, of course!) I'm so glad I get to letter my Siglo story, too!


The fabulous art above is by Andrew Drilon, who seems to be getting even better with every project he undertakes.

TRIVIA QUIZ
Why do we say that "it's raining cats and dogs"?


answer to yesterday's question
Acid rain is polluted rain, snow, fog, hail, or other precipitation that results from chemicals released into the air. When these chemicals mix with moisture and other airborne particles, sulfuric and/or nitric acid is created. Acid rain is often harmful to crops and trees, and can also cause sickness and severe eye irritation in humans.


Passers of the Acid Test: Marc, Ariel, Charles, and Katrina