RNM Dispatch #20–Things Are Heating Up!
Literally.
Hello Mummy Chums,
I don’t know about where you are (how could I? I don’t even know WHERE you actually are!), but it’s getting CRAZEE HOT here. I hope you are cool and comfortable, wherever you may be.
Shoutout: Gamal Hennessy
Gamal Hennessy is an attorney, author, and business consultant for independent creators. He’s represented major corporate clients including AfterShock, Amazon, Mad Cave, and Marvel, as well as individual creators and small publishers. I’ve seen him speak at conventions, and utilized his legal expertise on a couple of occasions. He’s, as we say here in The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “wicked smaht”. He literally wrote the book on how to profitably publish comics. If you’re a creator, self-publisher, or freelancer, you’d be wise to seek his wisdom and advice.
Check out Gamal’s The Business of Comics podcast/blog.
Reading: Sunset Empire
Ya’ll might remember I read Josh Weiss’ first Morris Baker novel, Beat the Devils, a couple months back. (Quick premise re-cap: A noir murder mystery in the late 1950’s in an alternate timeline in which Joseph McCarthy became President. Spoiler: McCarthy’s America was pretty fascist, racist, and anti-semitic.) Josh creates an amazingly real world, as well as an interesting protagonist in Baker, a Jewish L.A. cop-turned-private-dick with a traumatic past. I’m only a few chapter into Sunset Empire, but so far it’s just as strong as the first. Recommend.
Watching: Supergirl
I know it’s been pronounced a box-office-flop, but I thought Supergirl was a fun time in the theater. Not perfect by any stretch (the script approaches the emotional punch of Tom King & Bilquis Evely’s The Woman of Tomorrow series that it’s based on but never quite gets there), but Milly Alcock gave a winning performance, there were some great action sequences, and plenty of Krypto the Superdog. All in all, a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon with my daughter.
Listening: Frugit
If you’re not familiar, Frugit is a musician whose songs are all 100% bangers, and seemingly all about cats. The genius of Frugit is that if you heard these EXTREMELY danceable songs in a club, you’d just think the lyrics are just fun double entendres. But the animated videos prove these are indeed about cats, and they are almost as fun as the songs. As one YouTube comment says “a song about cats kneading biscuits does not need to go this hard or be this funky and i am overjoyed that it is”. So say we all.
Raising: Chickens!
These little cluckers aren’t so little anymore! Look at them! The wee-un’s have started socializing with the big chickens in the main coop, and so far everyone is behaving themselves — more or less. There’s occasional puffing of chests and flapping of wings to assert dominance and establish a literal pecking order, but overall things are progressing well. Huzzah.
Making: Bixby Grant 5
Here’s a peek at a page layout from Gonzalo Ruggieri for the fifth installment of Zombietown, the backup story in Bixby Grant: Fangs & Brimstone. I can’t say anything without spoiling things, but I can’t WAIT to share the finished story with you guys this fall! Sh*t is poppin’ off! More details soon!
> "If you’re not familiar, Frugit is a musician whose songs are all 100% bangers, and seemingly all about cats."
Frugit was a SOLID recommendation! I loved the music + animation, and played several of those songs on repeat yesterday. Excellent music to help get chores accomplished. Apparently my wife had been trying to identify the "I Need a Lil Treat" song independently, so double bonus. I will also note that Frugit's complaints apply equally to bunnies - the desperation increases the longer any perceived lack of attention and lack of treats occurs.
> "Gamal Hennessy is an attorney, author, and business consultant for independent creators."
A second good recommendation! I seemed to have missed his Kickstarter campaigns, but I will be picking up his two business books to better understand that side of the publishing fence.