2010 _ Blacklight Bites

MICHAEL here:

I posted a deeper (longer) reflection on the year on my art blog Paws as Hands but I wanted to add a few quick hits here for some standout Blacklight moments:

- Seeing our first collaboration, Chris' short FROZEN DARK, published and collected as part of the DON'T LOOK! Anthology. Editor Rick Ritter is a co-worker who was one of those guys who initially poked me to start doing comics again. The final product is a quality, diverse collection that includes a number of other friends, old and new. Plus, I thought that Chris came up with a great title in DON'T LOOK! and Dave Palumbo wrapped it all in one striking cover. Looking forward to more from the LAST MINUTE COMICS crew.



- Traveling to San Diego with Swift for the Convention. From the moment we landed it was an adventure. The streets were thick with fans and our local driver/ friend/ escort yelled at them all the way. From Backstreet Boy bracelets to Wolf Costumes to Gorging on Tapas to Our Chat with Steve Lieber to He-Man Dioramas to Our First Signing and Panel to the After Party with Archaia peeps it was an unforgettable whirlwind not even two days full.


- That a random Facebook post about my cat reconnected me with Nathalia Ruiz Murray, who now could not be a more perfect fit as translator on FEEDING GROUND. She's taken on the role of a diligent writer and linguist who brings so much to the book and ensures more than some rote dictionary translation.


- Being a regular listener of the INK PANTHERS Podcast and then being invited on as a guest. Ostensibly a comic podcast, it's hardly ever about comics and it's more about the banter of the hosts. The funniest thing I listen to every week.


- Our most recent meeting at my home to discuss the beats for FEEDING GROUND #5. It not always easy to collaborate with friends but we've worked hard to be respectful of each other's working style and schedule and tastes. With this meeting I think we hit a groove that was apparent, asking the right questions and field testing solutions to make sure they held water. A perfect end to the teamwork of this year and standard to continue in 2011.