6 of My Own Creative Ideas
X-Factor-scribe Peter David once wrote, “One doesn’t decide to become a writer and then go scavenging for ideas. One becomes a writer because the ideas keep coming to you, whether you want them or not. It’s just how your mind is wired.”
And for me, that’s exactly what it’s like to be a creative writer.
Now if only I could find somebody to pay me for my ideas. It’s no secret that I want to be a professional writer someday. I have so many ideas for stories, characters, moments, dialogue and more that it would be a crime against humanity for me to never get discovered. Or it would be a crime against me, at least. But making it big in the world of comic books or novels is just as difficult as becoming a movie star. It doesn’t help that most of my writing these days is just recreational, that I haven’t completed a novel or a script or anything else I can shop around.
If I didn’t have a day job, I’d definitely be a starving artist.
For my 300th blog post, I’ve decided to give my readers a peek behind the curtain that is my mind. What are these stories that I’m so excited about? What wild ideas do I hope to bank my future on? What were the tales I doodled into my notebook in middle school? I’m not going to tell you every single story I’m working on – and definitely not the super important ones I hope to publish someday – but here are 6 different ideas I’ve had and cultivated over the years. Some of them are from my childhood, and only ever existed in my fevered mind. Some are actually stories I’ve written and published online, and you can read for yourself if you’re so interested.
Some are wholly original, and some are based around my favorite movies and video games from pop culture. I hope you enjoy the visit.
Sean vs. Pure Evil
I’ve been doing more posts about my day job recently. Perhaps I just like stealing the title idea from Chuck. But this story is definitely worth it. Because today I saw the face of pure evil. I even got to write about it for my newspaper! We’re talking the scum of he Earth. A man so volatile and repugnant that we would all be justified in just snapping his vile neck.
Meet Robert W. Blainey, serial rapist and murderer.
Robert W. Blainey
This is a man who has spent most of his adult life behind bars. And the both times he has been released on parole, he has almost immediately gone back out to rape again. Only this time, in November, he not only raped a poor woman, but killed her as well. Today he plead guilty in court. He didn’t even try to fight the charges of murder, robbery and rape. He happily excepted the sentence of life in prison without parole.
He was arrogant, flippant and simply monstrous. This man rapes women. It’s what he does, and he’s perfectly OK with it. You can read my full story here. For once, my newspaper has posted the story online in a timely fashion.
Review: Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man #6
Oh Sarah Pichelli, I miss you already.
Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man has a new artist with this issue, and I hope Chris Samnee is just a fill in. He does an OK job, but is nothing compared to the emotional and detailed glory of regular artist Pichelli. At least I hope she’s a regular artist. I don’t know why the switch, I’m just hoping we see her again soon.
Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #6
Because the not-quite-as-amazing art brings down an otherwise stellar issue.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good!
Though not by much. Writer Brian Michael Bendis gives us a fantastic issue of Miles Morales getting used to his new role as Spider-Man, while adding in some family time, a visit to J. Jonah Jameson and a preview of the next storyline and new villain. Even Uncle Aaron, the Prowler, is back! This issue is a definite transition, bringing us down from the opening story and moving us into the next.
The only complaint I can really make is that it doesn’t transcend the written word into full-on comic book perfection. It doesn’t rise to the level where I would give it a perfect score.
Still, very damn good comic book. Spoilers and synopsis to follow!
Resident Evil 6 Announced!
I’m a pretty big fan of the Resident Evil series, so I figured this was definitely worth sharing. Capcom has announced that Resident Evil 6 will come out on Nov. 20 and feature both single player and co-op gameplay. Sweet!
That's the creepiest #6 I've ever seen
According to Capcom, the game is going to star both Chris Redfield and Leon Kennedy, arguably the two stars of the franchise. The last game, RE5, made the switch to co-op, so this isn’t too much of a surprise. Capcom also says that the two stars have separate storylines that will eventually merge by the end. And that both Chris and Leon will get their own sidekicks in their stories. So that means more co-op!
I liked the RE5 co-op, no matter how much single player was the franchise’s bread & butter for years. It was a fun game to play with my girlfriend/gaming partner.
Alyssa and I spend a good portion of our lives fighting video game zombies
Here’s the official game synopsis:
It has been ten years since the Raccoon City incident and the President of the United States has decided to reveal the truth behind what took place in the belief that it will curb the current resurgence in bioterrorist activity. Due to be by the President’s side is his personal friend and Raccoon City survivor, Leon S. Kennedy, but when the venue suffers a bioterrorist attack, Leon is forced to face a President transformed beyond recognition and make his hardest ever decision.
At the same time, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance member Chris Redfield arrives in China, itself under threat of a bioterrorist attack. With no country safe from these attacks and the ensuing outbreaks, the entire world’s population is united by a common fear that there is no hope left.
Leon versus a monster President!? Chris in China? Double sweet!
And did somebody say trailer?
Seriously, how many games let you fight the zombie president? All around great trailer!
Also, infamous side character Ada Wong is going to get a playable portion of the game, according to IGN. So that’s pretty cool. She’s always been fun. And there might be a brand new character who also has their own playable storyline. I think we saw a bit of him at the end of the trailer.
Basically this is turning into a huge game.
No word yet on whether they’ll be fighting T-Virus zombies or Las Plagas whatevers. I’m sure the Umbrella Corporation will be involved.
Kill it! Kill it with fire! And guns!
The Resident Evil franchise was one of the first games I ever really focused on back when I got my first home console: the original Playstation. I had Resident Evil 2 (which starred Leon) and I played it through multiple times. Of course, that was the point. I’ve been a faithful Resident Evil gamer since, though I missed Code Veronica and all the various spin-off titles. Resident Evil was all about zombies before it was cool. So I definitely know I’ll be picking up RE 6 in November!
I hope it has Hunk!
New DC Comics Adds Color, Character
No sooner do I mock the new DC Comics logo than they decide to show me up. DC has finally gone public with the log in an article in at Fast Company. Take a look, see what you think. Not only are they in color, but they can also be redesigned to fit specific characters.
Look at all the pretty colors on the ugly logo
Starting at the top, we’ve got what I think are Batman, Catwoman, Flash, Watchmen, Green Lantern and possibly, this is just a guess, but the Gray Ghost? The font is called ‘Gotham Bold’. Clever.
Here’s what some high DC muckety-muck said about the logo in that article:
“We didn’t want a static logo, but a living identity that could capture the power of our characters and storytelling,” says Amit Desai, senior vice president of franchise management. “What is special about DC content is the notion of a dual identity. When you think about our DC Comics superheroes, there’s a secret identity. When you think about Vertigo, it’s this notion of good vs. evil in many of the stories. And so, in addition to flexibility, the new logo communicates this idea of dual identity: There’s more than meets the eye. You have to take a closer look to understand the richness of our characters and stories.”
Apparently Desai and his guys have been working on the new logo design for the past year. Why they decided to reveal it now instead of back during the New 52 reboot in September is anyone’s guess. The Logo will be slapped on not only comics, but also MAD Magazine and probably upcoming movies and TV shows.
I still don’t like it.
This is how it’s going to look on the comics, at least according to Bleeding Cool. Why these example logos don’t look like the logos up above is also anyone’s guess:
These are old comics, so perhaps these are just photo-shopped?
The new logos will debut in March, because why the hell not? It’s not like DC have announced a big Second Wave of comics to come out in May alongside the epic Batman ‘Night of Owls’ storyline. It would just be silly to line up the new logo with a big comic event. Best to just give a new logo room to breath.
