Indy Comics Writer

Sometimes a surprise twist ruins a story. Think of the first movie in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. The kids appear to have defeated Freddie Krueger. The story has wrapped up on a clever note, with an enterprising heroine using her brains to defeat a seemingly unstoppable foe.

But then, at the very end of the movie, we see that Krueger has returned from the dead. And he’s captured the kids we thought defeated him.

The ending scenes do have shock value, but they cheapen what was until then a thoughtful, truly frightening movie. The sequels that resulted were junk.

But then there comes the twist that defines a work of fiction. Take Robert Kirkman and perhaps his most enduring creation, the superhero series Invincible, published by Image.

Invincible at first seems like a typical superhero story: A young boy gains super powers and struggles to learn how to control them or use them effectively. Sounds a bit like the early days of Spider-Man, right? But then, early in the series’ run a twist occurs that is so amazing and surprising, I won’t even hint at it. All I can say is, read the trades of Invincible. You’ll be amazed at the switch that Kirkman pulls.

Not all twists are created equal. Some, like Kirkman’s, can transform a series into something amazing. Others can make everything that happened before the twist meaningless.

Alan Moore has long said that his graphic novel “Watchmen,” the one that everyone points to as one of the most important ever written, is unfilmable.

That word has popped up again several times during stories written about the upcoming film, due to open, unless a legal battle sidetracks it, in early March.

I’m inclined to side with Moore here. I remember when I first read the story. I never could imagine a big-screen version. The story is long on drama, character development and intrigue. But its real beauty is how densely packed it is, with story, plot and, most of all, mood. It’s hard to capture all this on the movie screen.

Besides, we already have a wonderful visual production of “Watchmen.” Why do we need what will probably be an inferior film version?

There are some works of fiction that Hollywood should leave alone. Moore might be right in suggesting that all of his stories fall into this category.

I have a friend who loves Tintin. The first time I heard her going on about the comic, I thought she was talking about Rin Tin Tin, better known as the world’s most famous German Shepherd.

Of course, Tintin is actually a cub reporter of sorts who, along with his trusty dog Snowy, get into adventures across the globe. It’s quite popular in certain quarters, and the art is undeniably fetching. But ever try to read these stories? To say they haven’t aged well is an understatement.

Here’s an interesting story by the BBC News about what the news service calls the cult of Tintin. Steven Spielberg is beginning a Tintin film, so if you don’t understand the appeal, just wait: You’ll be hearing a lot about Tintin soon.

Personally, though, Tintin feels to me like Walt Kelly’s Pogo. I know as a fan of comic books and comic art, I’m supposed to like it. But I’ve never quite been able to get into Pogo, either. Some people love the comic strip Mutts. It barely makes me smirk. Then again, there’s something about Blondie that almost always makes me smile. Others would say that strip is old-fashioned and past its prime.

Maybe it’s the same way with Tintin; You either love it or you’re a bit bewildered by all the fuss.

You never know what you’re going to find in the daily papers.

Sure, you’ll certainly come across plenty of bad news — more housing foreclosures, more job losses, a tumbling stock market, violence across the world. But once in a while, you find a tidbit of information that you never expected.

For instance, you might be surprised to discover that Playboy Magazine founder Hugh Hefner considers a homemade comic book he made as a teen to have led him down the path to publishing that eventually gave us unfunny party jokes, a bewildering unabashed dictionary and plenty of airbrushing.

Yep, according to this story, America’s favorite dirty old man used to write his own comic based on the adventures of himself and his gang of friends. He eventually turned the project into a scrapbook, which eventually — this might be a stretch, I suppose — led to Playboy magazine.

See, comics aren’t only for geeks. They’re for guys who hang around in their pajamas all day, date three girls at once and every once in a while wear really goofy looking yachting captain hats.

So next time you’re working on your own comic, sure that it will never amount to anything, remember the fate of Hugh Hefner. Things worked out well for this former comic writer, right?

I love a good comic-book movie. Last summer was a particularly good one, with Dark Knight, Iron Man and Hellboy 2 providing some real cinematic magic.

Comic fans can look forward to more comic-book movie action soon, as both Marvel and DC are moving ahead with plans to film their best-known superhero teams. According to this story, Marvel has put plans in motion for a movie version of the Avengers while DC is working on a film version of The Justice League.

I have to say, I’m worried about both. It’s hard to imagine movies packed with so many characters giving justice to each of them. It’s hard enough in the ongoing comics to truly develop the members of the Avengers and Justice League. Many characters get short shrift. Will it be even more difficult in a two-hour movie?

The worries aside, I’m thrilled that comic-book movies had such a strong year in 2008. The hope is that even the recent stinkers — the new Punisher and Spirit movies — won’t slow down the number of comics hitting the big screen in the years to come.

Sometimes writing for comics seems like a thankless job: No one wants to pay new writers. Artists are tough to find, and often disappear in the middle of a project. The industry is so dominated by two big players that it’s almost impossible to land a job anywhere as a writer in the comics world.

But for all the stresses and frustrations, comics writing is still great fun. For one thing, it’s creative. For another, the medium allows you to tell stories in a way no other medium can.

And, most importantly, it’s not commercial real estate.

Let me explain this: One of my major freelance non-fiction jobs involves writing for and editing a commercial real estate magazine. These days, everyone involved in the magazine is a bit touchy. If you’ve not turned on the TV or read a newspaper in the last year, you might not know that the U.S. real estate industry is suffering a major crash. For our magazine, this means it’s harder than ever to get those ads.

Because of this, the salesmen working on the magazine are taking out their frustrations on the editorial staff. For instance, last month, I held out a column written by an advertiser because we didn’t have enough space for it. Instead, the column is running in our January issue. You’d have thought I went to that advertiser’s office and set it afire the way the sales staff reacted. I’ve been dealing with the wailing and whining all day. In fact, I am ready to set an office on fire, the office of the magazine that I edit.

Anyway, this kind of aggravation makes the headaches that come with comic-book writing seem like a vacation to Hawaii. Remember this the next time you’re ready to toss those dreams of making it in this field.

My 9-year-old son — soon to be 10 — recently discovered the BBC’s new Doctor Who series. He’s especially a fan of David Tennant’s portrayal of the Doctor.

I was happy, then, to see that IDW publishes its own Doctor Who comic. Unfortunately, after reading through several issues, which my son later read, I have to say that the comic doesn’t quite capture the inspired madness of the Doctor Who series at its best.

It tries. The comics I’ve read, which depict the David Tennant Doctor along with his companion Martha Jones, is filled with wisecracks, odd science and lots and lots of running. Problem is, it’s awfully hard to follow at times. The first arc I read was practically impossible to decipher until I’d gone through its very final issue.

I’ve not tried the comic adaptations of the new Battlestar Galactica yet. But I hope that that series manages to more accurately capture the flavor of the cable show. I imagine it will, considering that the new Battlestar Galactica is awfully grim, and comics do a good job of capturing that dark feel.

The sad truth about writing for the comics industry is this: Unless you’re a hotshot, famous writer, you probably can’t earn enough money to make a living. If you’re a novice, like I am, you’d be lucky to make enough money to treat yourself to McDonald’s once a week.

Because of this, I spend the majority of my writing time working on non-fiction stories for newspapers, magazines, trade publications and Web sites. Much of this is boring; I write for trade magazines that focus on topics such as erosion control, water treatment and real estate, after all.

But sometimes you hit upon a story that’s actually fun and actually pays well. In that vein, I am working now on a story for Phoenix Magazine about people who hunt Bigfoot, UFOs, ghosts and other mysterious creatures. It’s a fun story to write. And I’m talking to some people who are truly committed to what they’re doing, and you have to appreciate that, whether you believe in ghosts and UFOs or not.

It’s important to find stories like this. For one thing, they force you to be creative while writing nonfiction. That can be a challenge. As a writer trained in journalism school, it’s often hard for me to break free of the “just the facts” style of writing. Writing about a man who claims Bigfoot once chased him back to his truck three decades ago, though, begs for a more colorful, fun type of writing.

Don’t get down, then, just because you can’t always write for your favorite medium. If I had my choice, I’d spend my entire day writing comics. But I have a family to keep feed and sheltered. I try to remember that every story I write, no matter how boring the topic might seem, represents a chance to practice and, hopefully, improve upon my writing.

Even though I love comic books and graphic novels, and even though I’m striving to break into the business of writing for the medium, I still like to read prose novels and short stories. There’s a lot of great writing out there that doesn’t come with pictures, and if you’re ignoring it you’re not helping to develop your own writing skills at all.

For instance, for Christmas I received The Boy Detective Fails, the new novel by Joe Meno. If you’ve never read anything by Meno, you’re missing out. Check out his work and you’ll see: They all have their own distinctive style, and they’re all heartbreaking. But Meno’s not depressing to read. His work can also be heartwarming, and his characters will stick in your mind long after you finish reading one of his stories or novels.

If you ever read the adventures of the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew when you were younger, you’ll enjoy The Boy Detective Fails. The story concerns the exploits of a real-life (well, this is fiction, but you know what I mean) version of everyone’s favorite teen detectives. Mysteries are a bit more complicated in Meno’s world than they are in the works penned by the pseudonymous F.W. Dixon.

Like all the best writers, Meno can teach aspiring pros all about pacing, wit, style and, of course, hooking the reader. Just because he doesn’t write graphic novels and you want to, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check out his work.

Remember Creature Features? If you were lucky, your local UHF station showed late-night — or maybe early evening — horror movies hosted by a wisecracking host. They’d play the classics, like Bride of Frankenstein or Dracula. Sometimes, they’d play the not-so-classics, duds like Night of the Lepus or Bride of the Monster.

If you were like me, you waited each week for the next chiller. It didn’t matter if the movies were lousy, if the dialogue was inane and the special effects made out of cardboard, you loved those movies.

I was thinking about these old-time films because Bluewater Publishing, an independent comics company that I’ve written several limited series for, is coming out soon with a comic-book sequel to Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Plan 9 is often referred to as the worst movie ever made. Ed Wood was its director, and Wood, of course, was famous for his ineptitude.

There’s a certain nostalgia I have for old horror movies, bad or good. And I have the feeling that there are a lot of comics creators out there who feel the same way. In fact, I’d bet that there are several creators out there who were inspired by Creatures from the Black Lagoon, Saucer Men and Teenage Werewolves to create their own fantastic tales.

I’m thrilled, then, that my son and I watch Channel 26 here in Chicago Saturday nights at 9. That’s when the Svengoolie show comes on. Svengoolie, of course, is our local wisecracking host. Last week, he showed Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. My son loved it.

Maybe, must maybe, all the mummies, vampires and robots he’s watched on the Svengoolie show will inspire him to create his own tales one day.