Thank OMFG it’s the weekend

And you've still a week to back my newest comic series!

Hello - it’s Saturday as I’m writing this, and I hope you’re having a good weekend so far. I’ve had a hell of a week, with lots of running around, visiting my mother, and that whole day job thing. But it’s the weekend now!

Quick sales note: Her Hardboiled Heart is on Kickstarter for another week.

Make sure you don’t miss out on what I think is the best comic I’ve made. It ends Saturday around 12pm GMT. 

I’ve added a new digital tier if you want to pre-order the whole thing: £15/$20 gets you issues 1-3, with around 110 pages of content. And £30/$40 gets you the whole thing in print. 

And look at the stunning prints you can get!

 That’s the sales pitch, on with the update. 

The grim wonder of Sicario (and The Last Of Us 2)

Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario is quite something, isn’t it? It’s bleak, oppressive and joyless, but utterly compelling every minute. 

I can’t get it out of my head. It powers forward, as Emily Blunt’s character, Kate’s attempts to take control of the situation are consumed by the agenda of Josh Brolin’s black-hearted Matt Graver, and Benicio Del Toro’s Alejandro Gillick. 

The writing is spare, with very little explained and almost every consequence shown, leaving you as in the dark as Kate is. 

It’s not a fun film. It’s a thrilling one, but it leaves me feeling unsettled. 

Sort of like Naughty Dog’s majestic video game, The Last Of Us 2. The first game is a classic, with incredible writing and acting. 

Despite being more divisive, TLOU2 is a work of such staggering ambition and depth, it’s incredible to see the growth. 

You play these characters, their actions dragging them further and further into the swamp of fears, desires and guilt. I felt uncomfortable throughout the game, but I couldn’t stop playing. 

Funny thing, I struggled with both of them when I first experienced them. But I couldn’t stop thinking about them. 

The rounded characters, the ideas the writers were exploring, and the fearlessness to upset the viewer/player if it got them closer to the point of these stories. I went back and explored them again, moving past my gut reactions to the truths they were telling. And now both are among my favourite things ever. 

I’m trying to bring that complexity and challenge into what I write next. Something that stays with readers, even if it makes them uncomfortable. 

What film/comic/game/series has done that for you? Any recommendations?

The long, creative break

I realised around December last year I was completely burned out. I’d left no time to rest, recover, or even enjoy what I was doing. The last comic conventions of the year were a slog and I was just happy to get it over with.

But me being me, I was already working on another book, Her Hardboiled Heart, which was absorbing my time too. But this time I had a plan. 

I finished all the art for HHH in early April, and I’ve been taking my time tweaking things and getting it looking pristine for each issue’s Kickstarter. But other than drawing some commissions, I’ve not drawn any story pages or written anything even resembling a script for four months. 

And it’s exactly what I’ve been needing. It’s been important to think about creating as a joyful thing rather than something I need to get done to meet print deadlines or expectations. 

That’s unlocked so many potential story ideas and collaborations, as well as giving me time to focus on improving my physical and mental health. I’ve lost a stone in 12 weeks (around 6kg, I think) and I got the pleasure of buying 32” waist trousers for the first time in years. 

Anyway, that’s all for now. Hope you have a great weekend!

David