Theme change is a go.
I ended up with my first gig doing a site for someone else. It’s not truly finished — changes are needed to improve SEO, for example. Also, I’m working on responsive design. It’s kind of tempting to turn that whole site into a WordPress blog with most of the pages just being static information. At least that’ll improve the time it takes to implement responsive design. It just becomes a matter of replacing all of the colors.
So, I’m averaging… What? 2 posts a year? Or less?
By the way, if you’re not already doing so, you should be reading the following comic books (in no particular order):
- Hawkeye (Marvel) — hands down, this is Marvel’s best comic right now
- Saga (Image)
- Fatale (Image)
- The Massive (Darkhorse)
- Hellboy — all of it (Darkhorse)
- Nowhere Men (Image)
- East of West (Image)
- Manhattan Projects (Image)
- Storm Dogs (Image)
Image is pretty much at the top of the heap. Marvel and DC have their franchise teams and characters and will probably always do well, but the best material is coming out of publishing houses like Image and Darkhorse. I’m sure there’s great stuff coming from the other indies like Drawn & Quarterly and Top Shelf. I’m just not aware of it!
Seriously, though: Fraction and Aja (and any and all fill-in artists!) are putting out an absolutely stunning comic in the form of Hawkeye. Or, excuse me, Hawkguy. Who’d of thought, right? ”THat guy that wears purple and shoots a bow? How could he be cool?” Bro. He’s cool, bro. Plus: Pizza Dog. You should follow him on Twitter.
Also, Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic are killin’ it on Thor, God of Thunder. I’ve always enjoyed Ribic’s art, but what he’s doing in Thor seems to go above and beyond his past work. I’ve been enjoying Bendis’ two X-Men books, too. I’m really looking forward to Brian Wood’s X-Men. Mohawk Storm — need I say more?
I was a bit dismayed about Age of Ultron, at first. It felt like AvX had JUST finished, and here we were being presented with yet another cross-over event. So far, though, it’s been interesting (in a good way). I always enjoy the dialogue in Bendis’ writing. Tony Stark laughing out loud and realizing they’d all been set up, years ago, was great. I have not been that into Hitch’s art, though. The panoramic pages and scenery and such have looked great, but so much of his anatomy is… So… Awkward. (Not that I could do any better!) I thought the Fantastic Four tie-in issue was really good, too. Nice art and a touching story. I’m hoping the pay-off for AU will be good — I’m very curious to see how this will neatly tie in to all the other Marvel books. And, how will things go during and after the next event, Infinity? The name implies the return of the Infinity Gems/Gauntlet (even though the gems were destroyed…?) which makes me fear a big universe reset. Because, you know, the Now initiative wasn’t enough of a soft reset (not that Marvel would ever admit that it was).
I just re-read Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E by Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen. That is a fantastic, 12-issue comic that I highly recommend. The gratuitous explosions, the hilarious dialogue, the amazing flashback sequences. Plus, the issue where a certain pot-helmeted gent in red makes the team imagine themselves in other worlds. The way Immonen mimics art styles for that sequence is gorgeous.
Looking forward to The Best of Milligan & McCarthy from Darkhorse. Should be an entertaining read.
What else… Satellite Sam and Jupiter’s Legacy are almost here. I saw some preview art for Jupiter’s Legacy at the end of The Secret Service #6. Frank Quitely. You, sir, are an illustration juggernaut. I see art like that and I want to throw all my sketchbooks in the garbage and give up entirely. Whoever’s handling the colors is doing a great job, as well.
Speaking of colors: You should probably buy every comic colored by Jordie Bellaire. Mara, Nowhere Men, Manhattan Projects — to name a few. Go get the Winter Soldier issues she did, too. OH!!! And Dr. Strange: Season One not only for her wonderful coloring but also the kick-ass art from Emma Rios. Did I mention that one was written by Greg Pak? No? Oh, well you should read Planet Hulk. X-Treme X-Men was fun, too.)