I Feel I Should Explain......

...where I have been for nearly two months. Those that see me in real life know that I spend far too much time with joypad in hand, shooting things, driving things, jumping from precarious ledge to precarious ledge collecting things and otherwise engaging in virtual activities too numerous to mention. Those that know anything about computer games will know that the build up to Christmas is a heady time of AAA releases (as well as licensed tat) that can distract one from pretty much all that regular life has to offer.

Purchased games have been more numerous this year than previously due to my trading in my Gamecube and games that had been relegated to dust collecting paper weights following my purchase of an Xbox live starter kit this summer. Armed with a huge credit note for my local Gamestation I embarked on a journey, experiencing all that is great and good in this year's Q4 releases. Which is part of the reason for me being a bit slack with the old blog updates. Instead, I've been shredding cars to smithereens in Burnout 3, gangbanging in GTA:San Andreas, protecting the Earth from the evil Covenant onslaught in Halo 2, running like a bastard from the forces that pursue Gordon Freeman in Half-Life 2, fighting in Stalingrad, Africa and Germany in WWII as I answered the Call of Duty (breaking off only to answer the call of nature), challenging the world in Colin Macrae Rally 2005, taking revenge for the death of my parents in the Western world of Red Dead Revolver, fighting ravaged time beasts in Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, and shooting Rebels in Star Wars Battlefront, while a pile of other games sit waiting patiently for me to complete them.

Add to this the fact that I am now gaming online through the power of Bill's mighty Xbrick (Gamertag: OfficerSlade) and you see why I haven't written to you for a while. In fact it's fair to say, I have been busy making new friends thanks to an excellent community of gamers at the LiveLounge where I have made myself well at home, becoming a moderator while shooting my mouth off via the site's forums on subjects too numerous to mention.

That's not to say I haven't been writing. Tone and myself have completed the Cairn script and redrafted it to a sharp point capable of making a sticky mess of man if required. Also, while going about the serious business of gaming, I met a rather smart fellow by the name of Peter Gilmore, who will be drawing a rather smart samurai tale in the New Year. Just as soon as I get round to writing up the plot into a marvel style script for him to layout before I put the words in everyone's mouths. But I did write the plot this Q4. I did mange that much.

I also decided, after much deliberation, that my novel is not what I wanted, or even much good, beyond the odd bit here and there. So I am drawing a line under it, after some halting attempts to kick it up the arse and get it moving. I am currently in the market for a decent idea. Hopefully I'll have one in time to get a head of steam up before next year's onslaught of gaming goodness around October/November. Oh bugger. Just remembered, there's Forza Motorsport in March and Republic Commando, not to mention a decent looking lightsabre fighter based on Episode III in May or indeed Lego Star Wars. Damn you games publishers, damn you all to hell.

A month of old friends, new games and Cairn completion

Well it is finished. In what has been a very busy month I have written the final portion of my share of Cairn. I emailed it to Tone last night (still awaiting his usual astute verdict on what I have written)then took a few minutes to look back at the script in full and consider what Tony and I have achieved. I was quite surprised.

The story has turned out to be better than either of us hoped for and better than much if not all of what I have written before (Tone might well say the same). It has a very tight plot yet still manages to have moments of depth and stillness. It has Tony's trademark subtlety of character and control of dialogue. It has a kick arse ending. More important than the product though has been the process. Writing with another writer, particularly one whose style so obviously contrasts with my own has led to this old dog learning a few new tricks. I have written less dialogue for this project than any other. The fact that the ending I mention above has a large number of completely silent pages is nothing short of a revelation for me, one that occured when I looked over the pages and realised just how few speech balloons will feature on the forthcoming artwork from Chris Askham.

Cairn has been fun, with plot sessions fueled by beer and coffee, random emails in the dead of the night and lots of moments where we both forgot who wrote what and were pleased or disappointed to realise just who was responsible for which line. I recommend Tone as a co-writer to anyone. His deftness of touch and ability to see the finer points of a scene have generated many scenes in Cairn whose absence the story could not bear. As we plotted the ending he came up with one particular gem idea that had me proclaiming his genius loudly, while spilling tea on the carpet. I, of course, held up my side of the partnership by providing a way to make the ending seem less like a military action involving laser guided missles and more akin to a touching spiritual moment with added death. (The previous statement will make more sense when you read the final printed graphic novel at some indistinct future time).

The other event of note this month is my renewed contact with old Uni friend, Diane (who we called Den because of her Menace like sweater). She found me through this site and my other one, knowing that I would still be writing comics and doing music. Weirdly it was a friend of hers who had heard of my that pointed her in the direction of my sites. What it is to be a legend in your own lunchtime. We emailed, phoned each other, and finally met up which was great. Sooz and Ethan took to her straight away and it was great to see important people from such different times in my life meeting up and getting on so well. In a year of meeting up with old mates this was like the cherry on top of a delicious cake.

Add to that the release of GTA: San Andreas and Colin Mcrae Rally 2005 and you can see why I haven't blogged for a while. I've been building up my criminal empire in Rockstar's epic crime sim and setting fastest times on Codies website in my gamertag psuedonym of OfficerSlade. And Halo 2 comes out in a few days. I'm going in. I may be some time.

Doppelgangers!

Met Phil for a drink in Brum yesterday. Few pints in The Fox, the pub our mutual group of friends use for the monthly pub meet; a gathering of friends who write, draw or just enjoy comics. Two pints in, Phil goes to the loo and I look over to the next table and feel like I've fallen into a parallel dimension.

Sat on the the table next to us, one of the tables our pub meet crew gathers round, are four men, late twenties/early thirties, pouring over pages of original comics artwork in portfolios. Coming back from the loo, Phil catches my eye, smiles and sits down.

Me: Look mate, it's us.
Phil: I was thinking that.
Me: I've gotta say something.

Which I do. Turns out they are one comics professional (James Hodgkins, inker on Jenny Sparks amongst other things) and a group of aspiring pros who meet regularly in The Fox but who we've never seen as the middle Saturday in the month is obviously theirs (while we take the last Saturday of the month). We tell them about our meet, invite them along, and after a few laughs and some discussion of the industry go back to our table feeling slightly Twilight Zoned. For a moment , both Phil and I feel like everyone else must when watching our pub meet group seriously discussing kiddie comics in a pub. An eye-opening experience, like meeting your Earth 2 counterparts.

Not sure if they will turn up at our meet in a fortnight, though it would be smart if they did. I'll be bringing my Jenny Sparks trade just in case. Ho ho!

Ico, Ico, OK!

Ico 2/Wanda and the Colossus/Nico - whatever it is called, it's going to be great. I can't wait to start climbing and fighting these architectural beasts.

Once upon a time I played a magical game called Ico. More tranquil adventure than action adventure I have returned to it's fairytale stylings often. Now I find that a psuedo-sequel is coming out from Ueda-san and his team. Marvellous. Now if the new game can receive as much commercial success as it will critical all will be well in the world. Whatever happens, I'll be playing this with a smile on my face and a glint in my eye.

Was I too saucy?

In the spring I entered the BBC's 'End of Story' competition, writing an ending for the Alexei Sayle story 'Imitating Katherine Walker.' I had a phone call from the BBC regarding my story in June, then nothing, though I did read an interview with Alexei Sayle where he talked about the fact he enjoyed seeing middle-aged men in compromising sexual situations which raised my spirits as I thought Mr Sayle might like my ending if it got through to the final three he would judge.

I knew I hadn't won when July turned into August and I had heard nothing more. I was a little disappointed as I thought the ending rather good if a bit rude but then forgot about it as I got wrapped up in writing Cairn with Tone. Clicking on the BBC site today I found they had posted the winning entry, which you may or may not be interested to read. I have to say, and this is not sour grapes, it's a little flat and unfunny when compared to the opening. It starts really well actually but seems to just reassert the stories opening situation with a twee character change where everyone just gets on. A shame really, but then I am probably being unrealistic expecting the Beeb to pick good literature for a reality tv writing competition. I can only assume that my ending, filled with men in saucy red underwear, hand jobs and duvet lurking was a little too risque to be selected and then aired on Radio 4. Also it would have to be dramatised on the BBC3 show. Probably shot myself in the foot by trying to write an ending that fit the story not the tv channel.

If you are wondering what the hell I am talking about, check out the links above, read the one that won, then click on comments below, where I will post my ending. Was I so wrong? You decide.

My Son Has Superpowers! or A comics fan's dream come true!

My son's mutant powers have manifested well before puberty it seems. No wonder he can tire me out so quickly and manages to get through doors, the living room safety gate and any and all seemingly impassable furniture barricades I build. Now we just have to make him a costume, give him a name and I can exploit him via a series of pay per view tv spectaculars.

See the blurry nature of the photo as Ethan's super speed kicks in. I plan for him to us this power to win races at school sports days at first.


Here Ethan displays his burgeoning Kitty-Pryde-alike power of phasing. I plan to have him use this power for evil, robbing banks, that kind of thing. In a mask of course. Note that he phases the sandwich in his hand, a precocious display of control of this power, as Aunty Shiralee watches with pride.

Driving round the bend.

Two quick things about certain drivers and their driving.

1) Saw on the news this week that those ridiculously large car stereo speakers used by boy racers and car modders are crushing their lungs because of the oomph of the sound. Good, at least its not just the peace and quiet of my home they are destroying when they stop at the lights by my house with their windows down and some sad shit blasting out for all to hear. Crushed lungs are too good for 'em if you ask me. Wouldn't 'ave happened in my day.

2) Some idiot crashed through my nextdoor neighbour's fence at three this morning. Which was nice. And guess what, it was a modded Peugeot with an official 'kick-ass' sound system. Add to that, the arrival of a tow truck an hour later, when Sooz and I had just managed to doze off again, and you can proably guess how much sleep we had. If not, let me add that they started using some kind of cutting tool to chop up bits of fence/or the car or something. I don't know what they were doing or why as Sooz and I buried ourselves under the duvet to try and grab a little sleep before Ethan's 6.30 wake-up. Which was actually 5.45am today. And because his bedroom is at the back of the house he had a great night's sleep and is full o'beans.

As I said, crushed lungs are too good for these idiots. As things go I may take to slashing tyres and smashing windscreens, vent my spleen in a more productive manner.

Rant over, I go back to my Xbox to play Burnout 3. Oh the irony!


A Max Power-ed Peugeot like the one that destroyed my neigbours fence. You too could spend all your cash on a doing up car like this. Or you could just buy a decent car to start with. Modded cars, created and driven by arses.