Last week, I talked about my relationship with comics and how much it meant to me to be a part, no matter how small, of that industry. And, while I may not be in the same realm as Marvel and DC, I do have some fans. If you visit Nerdanatix, Hadithi Sambamba’s west coast distributor, you’ll note Legends Parallel is still in the “Sweet 16” when views and sales are combined. Eight years after its initial release and people still clamor for it.
That may not mean much to you, but to the various and sundry industry professionals I’ve been bludgeoning with the pilot script for The Brittle Riders it’s been worth noting. The level of notice has varied from “That’s cool” to “Can I read it” to this latest interaction.
This is the resulting conversation between an exec (speaker #1) and me (speaker #2).
My guess would be every three issues could be a one hour show.
I could see that, I guess.
That means the twelve planned issues would make four shows.
Yeah, that makes sense.
So, tell me, how far along are you with the script?
(not the brightest bulb in God’s chandelier) What script?
(slightly flustered) Legends Parallel. For Christ’s sake, I thought you were smart.
People make that mistake all the time. That said, I haven’t written a line.
Insert healthy pause.
Look, you’re shopping a massive project. To be fair it’s one that people love but has a budget and commitment level that makes marriage look like a one night stand. Legends is affordable, will attract A-list celebs, and will get your name in the door and on checks that clear.
That sounds good.
No, that sounds like you should write the fucking thing.
…
So I wrote the fucking thing.
I sent a first draft to Hadithi Sambamba Comix last night. It’s rough. There are things you can do in comic book scripts that don’t work at all in a movie script. For example, in comics, you have to give the artist specific directions on how you want the character to be framed, what direction they should face, and so on. If you include those kind of directions in a film script you’ll get a terse email from your director which will read, “Why don’t you direct it yourself? Asshole.”
I could go down the rabbit hole but I’ll save you the angst. Suffice it to say, there’s a lot of work to be done but, if all goes according to plan, we should be sending out PDF copies to those wonderful beta readers who save my ass every time.
Stick around. As you already know, when the going gets weird, I get weirder. Until next week, stay safe and sane.
