Behind-the-scenes on my new Judge Dredd Megazine story
Plus, reading goal updates, how to cope with rejection and new interviews!
Hello there!
Thanks to everyone who sent me messages to say how pleased you were that the newsletter is back on its usual schedule. Your kind words warmed the cockles of my heart and, yes, I'm happy to be back too.
But enough gushing, let's get to this week's post!
- BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE BLACK MUSEUM
- 2024 READING GOALS...SO FAR
- HOW TO COPE WITH REJECTION
- NEW INTERVIEWS
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE BLACK MUSEUM
Issue 471 of Judge Dredd Megazine is still on the newsstand featuring a brand new Tale from the Black Museum by me and artist Luke Horsman, with letters by Simon Bowman.
The Haunting of Borley Block came about when Enemy Earth, my previous 2000AD project with Luke came to an end. We were throwing around new ideas we could pitch to editor Matt Smith (the power behind 2000AD's fictional ed, Tharg), talking about the kind of things we like to read and create. Ghost stories were high on both our lists, so we pitched Dead Streets, a series best summed up by its logline:
A grizzled cyborg exorcist must team up with the ghost of a murdered Judge to save a cursed block from criminal paranormal activity. Can the unlikely duo put their own demons to rest before hell literally breaks lose in Mega City One?
That cyborg exorcist was Gideon Grimm, his ectoplasmic partner, the mysterious Judge Zero.
The pitch laid out the first story for the paranormal pair as well as springboards for future adventures. It also featured some pretty darned wonderful concept art from Luke which leaned heavily into the noir atmosphere we were going for, with monochrome for most of the action, the only colour being the otherworldly green of the ghosts themselves.
As a special treat for you, my ever-faithful subscribers, here is the key art Luke prepared to sell the concept:
Isn't it wonderful? Oh, and that Klegghound... That's Snagtooth, part guard 'dog', part paranormal early warning system, often sensing the presence of a spirit before Grimm.
Unfortunately, Dead Streets wasn't to be, not in the form we envisioned. Matt wrote back saying that he didn't have space for the story as an ongoing series, but would we be willing to rework the idea as a 10-page Tales of the Black Museum for the Meg instead?
The strip in the current issue is the result, although Snagtooth, unfortunately, didn't make the reduced page count.
Maybe if the response is strong enough we'll see more of Grimm and Zero, this time with Snagtooth in tow! Stranger things have happened, so if you've read The Haunting of Borley Block (named after the most haunted house in Britain), write into the Megazine and let Tharg know that you want more supernatural shenanigans in the darkest corners of Mega-City One!
2024 READING GOALS... SO FAR
How are you getting on with your 2024 reading goals? As I wrote way back at the beginning of the year, I'm a recent convert to them, having never set them before last year when, faced with my 50th birthday, I decided to read at least 50 books, a challenge I set myself this year as well.
So how am I doing? Well, my tally currently sits at 32, the last book I finished being Solo: How To Work Alone (And Not Lose Your Mind) by Rebecca Seal. That puts me slightly behind where I was last year, when I had read 37 books by now.
Does it matter? Nah, of course not. It's only a number and the important thing is to read anyway, but let me know in the comments if you've set yourself a reading goal, how you're getting on and what you're reading.
My current reads are:
📖 Fiction - Assassin Eighteen by John Brownlow.
📖 Non-fiction - The Vory: Russia's Super Mafia by Mark Galeotti.
🎧 Audio - Underland by Robert McFarlane and Conan the Cimmerian Barbarian: The Complete Weird Tales Omnibus by Robert E. Howard.
SURVIVING REJECTION
During my summer newsletter break, I popped up on Cole Haddon's substack answering a difficult question: How do you cope with rejection in the arts?
Here's just part of my answer:
As you say, rejection is part of the job and it always hits me hard. My imposter syndrome is exceptionally well developed and rejections only confirm that I was right. At least at first, because — you know what? — sometimes you need a wallow. Not for long, but you owe it to yourself to feel bruised from time to time. The trick is to limit how long you remain in the doldrums.
The weird flip side of my imposter syndrome is a deep-rooted desire to prove my own self-doubt wrong. If I get knocked down, I usually throw myself into working harder. I get a rejection and fire off a dozen emails chasing new jobs. Desperation? Possibly. A longing for vindication? Most definitely. Just because that little voice in my head telling me I'm about to be found out is so bloody loud, it doesn't mean I always have to listen to it.
In the article, I go on to recount an experience when I was an acting-editor of a magazine for Future Publishing and discovered I wasn't allowed to apply for the job I was currently doing. You can read more on Cole's post. His newsletter is behind a paywall, but it well worth the price as it's packed full of all kinds of wonderful advice and interviews.
NEW INTERVIEWS
Talking about interviews, here are a couple of chats that were published over the summer.
The first is with Jason DeHart of Words, Images and Worlds where we talk about creating in shared universes as well as what I've been able to explore in my own creator-owned worlds.
I was also able to do a rare in-person interview with local podcast 501st Com Chatter when we talked all things Star Wars.
Watch out for more interviews soon!
That's all folks!
As always, don't forget you can ask me questions to answer here in the newsletter, either by a) posting a question in the comments, b) replying to this mail or c) using the Ask Me Anything form on my website!
Until next time, look after yourself and each other,
PS: Did you see my recent advance book recommendations on Instagram? Check out my thoughts on Batman Resurrection by John Jackson Miller and The World is Not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa.
