Out next week. EXILED really is motoring.

I’m totally going to use the WordPress media library from now on, so click-attack to get full size images.

Heh. Funny week this.

The last issue of Uncanny was hyper serious. This is, in every way, a romp.

Preview here.

As is this.

Preview here.

It’s Dan and Andy’s turn at scripting this week, but it’s the third part of our co-plotted Exiled. And is also fairly rompy.

Preview here.

The word this week is “romp”. Hope you enjoy ‘em.

Firstly, Uncanny X-men 12 wherein I return to Tabula Rasa. And have a fight.

Secondly, AvsX: Versus 2 wherein I write actual Spider-man for the first time. And have a fight.

Thirdly, part three of Exiled. This time it’s the New Mutants – so Dan and Andy are doing the scripting duties – but there was plenty of fighting in the Plotting. As is only right.

And the first one’s free.

Well, I’m lying a bit. Only the first three of seven are up, but the rest will surely be coming soon. Worth noting that they include all the back matter (the essays, the annotations, the letters and the extra free B-side stories). There’s at least 6 issues of comics that weren’t in the actual trade in each issue. If you’re a PG completionist, since the issues are a couple of dollars each, that may be enough to persuade you to double-dip.

And the first one is free!

Free, I tell you.

The second part of Exiled, out today. Wherein there are fun times, some answers and things starting to go awesomely, terribly wrong.

Preview here.

It’s a couple of weeks until Kapow, and I’ve been told my schedule. And I’ll tell you, as I do like to gossip and use the ol’ block quote tab.

Saturday 19th Mary
10-12: Signing, table F
2.15-3.00: Marvel: Cup O’ Joe, Gallery Hall

Sunday 20th May
10.30-12.30: Signing, table D
12.30-1.15: Marvel: Avengers vs. X-Men panel, Gallery Hall
1.30-2.00: Interview on Total Film/SFX/Comic Heroes stage

Worth stressing I don’t have a table at the con, so this will be the only time you’ll be able to really find me. Unless you find whatever bar I inevitably end up propping up. Or the gutter I’m crouching in. I’m not fussy, me.

You can still buy tickets here. I’m told there won’t be any sold on the day. So – er – buy if you want to come? Yes, that sounds right.

Is here.

There’s no prizes for spotting the movie reference, obv.

It’s May 2012. This is the month that, in future times, will be known as “The month where they did all those five issues of the JIM/New Mutants cross-over (You know, the awesome one). First issue is co-written by Dan and Andy and me, with the responsibilities bouncing back and forth on a weekly basis. To stress, it’s completely accessible to anyone wanting to join the story here, no matter what (if any) books they follow. It’s something of a dark farce at times, and I think people will dig it.

Preview here, a podcast interview with Ifanboy about the series is here and a text CBR interview is here.

I’ve been trying to get organised this year. Especially towards the end of last, my natural tendency to indiscipline was causing all sorts of woe. I set myself a really basic regime. Every work day, I’d write 5 pages in the morning, leaving the rest of the day for other things. I also planned to sort of do updates on my progress on a monthly basis. Like this, except for January, February and March.

I didn’t write them, because I ended up being a bit too productive and I ended up feeling bad about it. I wrote 102 pages in January, 121 in February and 103 in March. Because if you stick to a five pages a day minimum, on some days, you end up doing a few more… and it all adds up. So I was doing 5+ comics a month for each of the first three months of the year, which seems like… shitloads? Worryingly shitloads. And I worried people would judge me for not putting the proper hours in or something.

(In fact, I was putting the same hours in I always do, but I spent less time just wasting entire mornings pressing refresh on the internet.)

Thankfully, April was slower, which means I feel okay in writing this. My total page count was 66 pages, which looks a bit piddly, but is still three full length comics.

Why slower?

1) Life was crazy this month. I can’t say how crazy this month was. On a score of one to crazy, it was .75 crazy. Crazy is a hard scale.
2) I sort of wrote everything that I could in the first three months. I reached the point where I had to do major research and plotting on things before I could write another page – or, in the case of some mainstream books, reached the point where I had to wait for another writer to do something before I could carry on with it. Which, I stress, isn’t saying that another writer is behind deadline – Just that I was stupidly ahead of it.

Basically, being so far ahead of your deadlines that you have to stop is very much the First World Problems of writerdom. I’ve been particularly careful as a writer not to take too much on. When you’ve based your workload on being able to do it when you’re at your most disorganised, if you get your act together, you burn through it.

So, all in all, while I’m not happy I broke my own rule, I have to be fine with it. And I suspect Next Month will be another worryingly heavy one.

Onwards, etc.

I yabber with Ron about this week’s EXILED. Plus extra bonus gibberish!