5.21.2008

Roughs

Pages 2 through 5 in thumbnail form. I remember having a real small window of time to get these done in, and I think they turned out better for it. Unencumbered by the thought process, as it were. Neil ended up making me change things because he hates me.

5.14.2008

Plotting the Fate of a little Town in Ohio

As I've said before, I've been writing ACTION, OHIO ever since it was old enough to cry. The story's gone through multiple iterations since it's inception, but at it's heart it's always been about hiding the truth and sacrificing freedom in order to save the world.

To me, that's also at the heart of what drives many good superheroes - whether it's abstaining from relationships or wearing masks to protect the ones they love or even setting limits on their fantastic abilities, doing what they can to even blot out their gifts (and curses) for the sake of mankind. But how can you and I, the average Joes and Janes, relate to something like that? We don't have powers to hide. We don't have secret identities. What do we know about sacrificing for the greater good?

That's what I want to explore with our heroine, Andrea Bruce. Andi, a tough-talking Detroit homicide detective who appears on the very next page of our comic (she actually shows up on page eight, but her dialogue and story start on page nine!), has not always been a tough-talking homicide detective. She's been a reporter, forced to rein in her devotion to the freedom of the press. She was a hero's daughter, keeping herself in exile from town and friends so that she didn't accidentally spill the beans. But all of those seemed forced to me... and when Paul and I sat down to really hammer out our outline, we decided that Andi, our window into a world of amazing people with amazing abilities, not only had to sacrifice beliefs and ideas throughout the story, but also discovers what it means to be a hero in every sense of the word. From the tough decisions to the triumphant victories, Andi - a woman who enters our story without much use for 'heroes' - learns that any one of us can be one - you, me, her, them.

Why Ohio? I'm from Michigan (Detroit, do or die) and have spent most of my life in and around the Upper Midwest states - Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, parts of Pennsylvania. Though I've been a New Yorker since before Y2K, the Midwest sticks with me, flat accent, love for Faygo Pop, Tigers ball cap and all. Though tempted to set our tale in Detroit, I felt using any major city would take away the wonder and the small town aura Action was going to present. I needed - no, craved - screen doors, cut lawns and hidden woods. General stores and schoolhouses that, long ago, only taught a single class. Sure - this is a town that's kept up with the times. They're wireless and up on current events, but they also dig a nice ice cream soda down at the soda shop and pick up their papers from the newsagent (newsagents of s.h.i.e...?). I chose Ohio for this reason alone; it's flat. Ohio, to yours truly... a driver of Interstate 75, I-80 and the like... has always been the longest stretch of highway with nothing but cornfields, wheat, trees and truck stops. When driving from Detroit to New York, I tend to bear down when hitting the Buckeye State and ready myself for a long four hour haul until I hit Pennsylvania's mountains and some ground that isn't PERFECTLY. LEVEL. Miles and miles of country radio stations mixed with identical rest stops featuring Starbucks, gift shops, Boston market and eight vending machines. It's forever. Forever and several miles. And it's the perfect place to hide if you're a superhero because, dear lord, most people just want to drive on through.

Not to say there aren't great parts of Ohio - like Liz Lemon, I love the Cleve. I dig drinking in Berwick when in Columbus and I've been to the Air museum in Dayton (quick Ohio joke - where's Engagement, Ohio? Between Dayton and Marion!) Cedar Point in Sandusky is one of my favorite theme parks but you have to admit - if you're from Bowling Green, Youngstown or even good ol' Cincy - there's a LOT of land and most of it is flat, green and dull.

Quiet town, driven heroine, secret superheroes. Nice mix, right? Well, what about you? What about the folks who aren't central to the story... the folks who discover there are superheroes living nearby? One of the things that really interested me with Action's premise was how the world would react. Obviously, the military would jump at the chance to recruit these superhumans while the government would want to examine them — all the sci-fi cliches and Stephen King horror stories would descend on our little Ohio hamlet. Let's step back further: public relations firms? Hollywood? The comic book companies — especially the companies that have been putting out books BASED on these people's lives?! Wouldn't they claim ownership, to some extent? And most importantly to you and I... how would the comic book FANS react?

Here we are, in a day and age where (who would've ever thought?!) a comic book fan is bombarded by posters, billboards, ads and endorsements featuring their favorite hero or heroine — Batman, Iron Man, Hulk, Spidey, Superman, The Spirit and more. I drive down the West Side Highway and there, big as life and four stories high, is the gleaming mug of the Golden Avenger. blocks away, grinning from the side of the building, is the screaming mad smile of the Joker. Doesn't it feel like superheroes are here? Isn't it slightly surreal?

Imagine if they did, kids. Imagine if CNN revealed the existence of these men and women, these heroes and heroines, and then moments later one of them streaked across the sky? How would you react? Would you run to the internet or would you read about them in tabloids?

And, worse, knowing years of history - of secret crises and world devourers and final nights and insane genocidal clowns - wouldn't you want to run beneath your bed and hide?

THESE are the questions this story will explore, should we get the chance. These are questions we'll ask together starting on page nine.

Hey - would you like to read three pages of abandoned script? Sure you would! Here's a few pages I wrote when I was playing around with Andi's introduction. It's still fairly heavy on the captions and mood, and I have long since decided to revise, but I thought you, our intrepid reader, might appreciate it. Enjoy!

Page 1 (SPLASH)

SPLASH
EXT. DETROIT ALLEY - NIGHT

Shot of Detective ANDREA BRUCE, kneeling in a dark alley in her leather coat and bloodstained jeans, cradling a small boy – her brother, in fact – in her arms as his blood seeps out from between her fingers and onto the ground. We’re looking down at her, as if standing to one side like a passive viewer, and we see that we’re actually in a circle of anonymous costumed heroes, ringing Detective Bruce and her brother. We can’t see much of the heroes – boots, capes, leggings, etc. But it boils down to this – a boy died, and none of these heroes were able to help.

CAP: THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS HEROES.


Page 2 (5 PANELS)

PANEL ONE

Shot of several gang bangers holding out their guns, pointing them at us, angry and menacing. We see the heroes behind them – there, but darker than them, grayer… like shades that cannot stop what’s to come.

CAP: NO SAVIORS. NO ROLE MODELS.

CAP: ONLY VILLAINS.

PANEL TWO
Reverse angle – we see Andrea’s brother is alive now, standing in front of her, protecting her as he moves to confront the gang. He’s got be all of seventeen, attitude and bluster. She’s on her knees, trying to get him to stop, to come back, to stop from dying again… but he slips from her fingers. And silently watching, the heroes stand behind them, a wall of silent sinners.

CAP: ONLY HEARTBREAK.

PANEL THREE
Andrea’s brother is pushed around by the gangbangers as she gets to her feet. She’s unprepared, out of her element. The heroes walk towards Andrea’s brother as the gang bangers start to whale on him with bats and crowbars … but their faces are blank and silent.

CAP: THE DREAMS RECUR, DESPERATE AND TERRIBLE, TRAGIC VISIONS I CAN’T LET GO.

CAP: EVERY NIGHT, MY BROTHER FIGHTS THE ODDS—

PANEL FOUR
Different angle as Andrea tries to get her gun out, but she fumbles with the clasp, still down on the ground.

CAP: — AND EVERY NIGHT, I HELP HIM LOSE.

PANEL FIVE
Andrea pushes her way through the heroes, the slate grey, indistinguishable heroes, to get to her brother in the center of the melee.

CAP: SOMEWHERE, SOMEONE CALLS FOR HELP. BEGS SOMEBODY TO SAVE HER.

CAP: AFTER, HEART HAMMERING INSIDE MY CHEST, I’LL REALIZE IT WAS ME.


Page 3 (5 PANELS)

PANEL ONE

Andrea reaches her brother through the golem-like heroes, and grabs his shoulder to spin him away from the clutching, pummeling hands of the thugs.

CAP: I’VE NEVER BELIEVED IN HEROES. I BELIEVE IN ME

CAP: MY STRENGTHS, MY WEAKNESSES. MY LAUGHABLE IDEALS AND MY SECRET, SELFISH DESIRES.

CAP; I BLAME MYSELF FOR NEVER BEING THERE WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT.

PANEL TWO
The heroes crowd in and separate her from her brother, pull her back, away from his reaching fingers.

CAP: AND FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE WHEN THE TIME IS WRONG.

SFX: BZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZ

PANEL THREE
Andrea is dragged from her brother, back into a sea of silent heroes. Her fingers reach towards us, stretching and screaming for her brother.

CAP: MICAH, MY YOUNGER BROTHER, DIED TEN YEARS AGO, SHOT IN THE HEART ON HIS WAY TO A MOVIE.

CAP: IF I’D BEEN THERE, MAYBE HE WOULDN’T FILL MY NIGHTMARES.

SFX: BZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZ

PANEL FOUR
Andrea is pulled deeper and deeper into the sea of costumed heroes.

CAP: IF I’D BEEN THERE, MAYBE I WOULD DREAM OF HEROES.

SFX: BZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZ

PANEL FIVE
INT. ANDREA’S APARTMENT – NIGHT

It’s dark and lonely. Andrea is sitting up in bed, the covers thrown back. Her apartment is messy and tossed about, hockey gear mixed with clothes and a backpack. Her jacket is thrown over the other side of her bed. The window is open behind her and we can see out past her fire escape into the grimy, filthy moonlight. Her cell phone, sitting on a nightstand, is ringing and that’s what’s been buzzing all this time.

CAP: INSTEAD OF WAKING TO FAILURE.

SFX: BZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZ BZZZZZZZ

CONTEST: Neil gives YOU presents on HIS birthday!

Hey, folks!

If you've been paying attention, ACTION OHIO is in the middle of it's second week of the Zuda competition, and to help get votes, favorite and page views, we're starting a contest to coincide with something happening during our third week: the writer's birthday!

On May 21st, Neil turns 33 and to celebrate, we're going to offer you, our supporters, a chance to get a present too.

All you have to do is get as many people as you can to favorite our comic and post on the comments thread that "(Your Name) told me to visit Action, Ohio" by May 21st.

The person who sends the most visitors to the thread will win an Action, Ohio prize pack including:

- Signed copies of NINETY CANDLES, Neil's Xeric-winning graphic novella; Puffin Graphics' adapted version of Jack London's CALL OF THE WILD by Neil and Alex Nino; and X-MEN UNLIMITED #14, featuring an 11 page Colossus story by Neil and Mike Oeming.



- More importantly, a signed, original page of ACTION, OHIO art by illustrator Paul Salvi!

Just have your friends, family and pals visit http://www. zudacomics. com/node/438 by the end of May 21st, favorite our comic and post that they visited because of you - we'd love for them to vote for us too, but that's not necessary for you to win the contest.



And, heck - because we're generous souls, anyone who gets 33 people by the 21st will get a signed and sketched copy of NINETY CANDLES, too!

Remember - Neil's turning another year older, but YOU'RE the one who'll get the goods! What're you waiting for?

5.12.2008

Interview with Neil at io9.com

Check out this great interview I did with Graeme McMillan at sci-fi website io9.com:

http://io9.com/389345/neil-kleid-finds-action-and-superheroes-in-ohio

And if you're around the NYC area, please swing by the People's Improv Theatre at 8pm to see me talk comics with fellow webcomickers, Kevin (FISHTOWN, TODT HILL) Colden, Molly (BACKSTAGE) Crabapple and John (BACKSTAGE) Leavitt:

http://www.popcultureshock.com/cbclub

ACTION, OHIO slips to #2 - Get the Vote out!

So, ACTION, OHIO begins the week slipping into the number two spot behind CELADORE - but just because we're down, doesn't mean we're out!

Now is the time to get the word out - please vote for us if you haven't yet:

http://www.zudacomics.com/node/438

If you've already voted, please send the link on to friends, family and co-workers and make sure they (and you) add us as your favorite comic, rate us with 5 stars and leave us some nice words on the comment thread - all these things are taken into account in the final analysis.

Come visit Action, Ohio - and let's retake our rightful spot at the top!

5.09.2008

Colors!

5.08.2008

ACTION, OHIO is in first place! Celebrate at Comic Book Club on 5/13

Thanks to your vote and support, after the first ranking, ACTION, OHIO is in first place!

But this contest isn't over and we're going to have to fight to stay there... so please continue to ask friends to register, favorite and vote for us all throughout May at www.zudacomics.com/node/438

To promote the comic, I'm taking ACTION, OHIO on the road - I'll be appearing as a guest of the Comic Book Club, New York's only improvised comic book talk show, this Tuesday night at 8pm! Please come and celebrate with me, Alex Zalben, Justin Tyler and Pete LePage as we talk comics, Zuda and the wonder that is beer. Oh, we'll go get beer after. Yes, we will:

Also, 'dig' us at Digg, friend us at MySpace and watch this space for upcoming interviews, contests and ACTION EXCITEMENT!

And, of course, make sure you get everyone else to keep us on top!

-Neil