IT CAME FROM PINEHURST!
NEWSLETTER #4
I’m excited!
The next chapter of BLOOD TREE is up and ready for viewing as
NYC detectives, Azzaro and Diaz, start piecing together the insanity of what’s going down. It’s the calm before the storm, and once it hits, there’s gonna be no stopping it.
I also just got BLOOD TREE #3 final lettering delivered to me from the great Atomic Monkey, Rob Leigh (who should’ve been listening to Van Halen’s Atomic Punk before settling on his company name, but that’s a story for another time), and I’m digging it and I can’t wait for you all to check it out!
Here's some rough layouts from our artist Maxim Simic for the first few pages of BLOOD TREE as he works out the visuals from the script, pops 'em over to me, we talk, maybe rejig a few things and presto change-o, you can see the finished color pages right here on Zestworld.com
I’m not sure why, but I’ve been fascinated recently with watching shows about evolving companies and business gone bad. You know the ones: WeCrashed, Super Pumped the Battle for Uber, The Dropout, Dopesick, etc. I found them engaging and involving and the cast of actors on each show was great.
Have found myself enjoying Behind the Scenes books of some of my favorite films. Almost through a beautiful oversized tome about the making of THE DEERHUNTER. Wonderful glimpse behind the curtain text along with a lotta great pics.
Half way through an eye opener non-fiction book entitled WATER: A BIOGRAPHY. Traces how civilization has been shaped by its attempts to control water for economic and societal benefits.
My fiction fix this week is being supplied by George V. Higgins in his wonderful novel, THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE. Seminal crime novel. Amazing dialogue. Also made into a great movie starring Bob Mitchum with Peter Boyle and Richard Jordan. Had a great conversation with Darwin Cooke many years ago about the movie when I was on staff at DC Comics and he was writing and drawing a DOCTOR FATE short story for me.
On the comic book front, just received WEAPON X by Barry Windsor Smith. A true classic. I remember after it first came out in the anthology Marvel Comics Presents, I had all the pages pulled from each individual issue and had a printer friend bind it all together. This new edition is great. It’s oversized and also contains Wolverine stories by BWS from Uncanny X-Men #205 and Wolverine #166. Can’t wait to dive in.
Watched another great Ken Burns documentary. Bought his new blu-ray on BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. My most important take-away: Those 18th Century folks sure gotta shit done since they didn’t have so many stupid diversions.
And one night, after deciding I would not look at my Macbook screen from dinner till bedtime, I treated myself to the beautiful and horrific film directed by Keith Gordon called MIDNIGHT CLEAR. I hadn’t seen it since it was in the theaters and I held off from buying it because it was never released in its full aspect ratio. Well, the blu-ray finally came out a little while ago and it looks great. Amazing cast. Based on an amazing novel by William Wharton, a World War Two veteran who also wrote a few of my favorite books, Birdy and Franky Furbo.
Helping to keep me in my writing head-space was a few soundtracks on repeat mode: The Thing, The Untouchables, and Alexander Nevsky. I’d also be remiss in not mentioning Tucker, my best buddy, who also keeps me company along with getting my ass up to keep my blood circulating when he needs to pee and play!
And another step closer this week to something cool in LaLa Land. I don’t like getting into any detail until it’s all signed, sealed and delivered so to speak. Also, tend to be a bit superstitious, so I don’t wanna jinx it.
Last but not least: Con Alert:
I’ll be at the Fan Expo Cleveland, Ohio show this weekend, Friday April 29th, Saturday the 30th and Sunday May 1st. Come on by and say hello, I’ll show ya some cool BLOOD TREE images that haven’t come out yet.
That’s all folks!
PJT