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John Smith's Vampirella????

Started by Colin YNWA, 03 July, 2010, 06:04:31 PM

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Ignatzmonster

Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 05 July, 2010, 09:01:25 AM
Quote from: TordelBack on 05 July, 2010, 08:41:14 AM

And enough of this Cradlegrave defeatism.   Bundle it with virtually any other Smith self-contained series and stick it in a binding.  It's too good to just leave it mouldering in the floppies.


Yeah I completely agree with this sentiment. Though I have always been a fan of the idea of having a 2000ad Horror Graphic Novel. Collecting a few of the self contained horror stories that are too short to get their own trade. Either way it needs to get out there.

Don't think Firekind's been collected yet either. Hint fockin' hint.

JayzusB.Christ

#31
QuoteHeh. You know what I said about Peter? Swap the word "writer" for "artist" and your name for his.

Cheers!

Jim

That's a fact - often wondered why they poached Garth Ennis and Mark Millar.  Both fine writers when working for the big U.S. companies, but how did they get chosen on the strength of their 2000ad efforts?
Meanwhile John Smith gives us Cradlegrave, Devlin Waugh, Firekind, Killing Time, some well-above-average Dredds and the best Rogue Trooper story there's ever been, Cinnabar.

Still, the yanks' loss is Tharg's gain.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

Jim_Campbell

I'd stick Cradlegrave and Killing Time in one book -- if that doesn't show John's range, I don't know what would!

Cheers

Jim
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

JayzusB.Christ

I'd buy the shite out of that.
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest"

O Lucky Stevie!

Quote from: john_s on 04 July, 2010, 10:46:30 PM
Quote from: JayzusB.Christ on 04 July, 2010, 10:03:04 PM
Quote
I really should have a shot at that comic again.  I've got some great ideas for it!

Fucking do it, man!  That truly was a great one-off. For once, most of the supernatural shit happens without John C even knowing it.  Bleeding scary too, which something that comics try but don't often manage (though Grant Morrison's Hellblazer was quite a pant-shitter too, it must be said).


Yeah, right.  If ony it were that easy...

How about turning that tissue compressor of yours on Tony Lee & giving us some Doctor Who instead John?
"We'll send all these nasty words to Aunt Jane. Don't you think that would be fun?"

Colin YNWA

Quote from: O Lucky Stevie! on 07 July, 2010, 06:04:31 AM

How about turning that tissue compressor of yours on Tony Lee & giving us some Doctor Who instead John?

Oh now that would give me a nerdgasm.

Richmond Clements

Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 07 July, 2010, 07:43:43 AM
Quote from: O Lucky Stevie! on 07 July, 2010, 06:04:31 AM

How about turning that tissue compressor of yours on Tony Lee & giving us some Doctor Who instead John?

Oh now that would give me a nerdgasm.

Seconded- I order you to do this, Mr Smith.

john_s

Well I love "Doctor Who" with a passion - it's what got me writing in the first place and I very nearly had a script accepted by Andrew Cartmel in the very month they'd heard the (old McCoy) series was cancelled - so that'd be cool as fuck...

Watch out, Tony!  I'm gunning for ya!  ;-)

Emperor

#38
Quote from: Emperor on 05 July, 2010, 12:23:59 AM
Quote from: Ignatzmonster on 05 July, 2010, 12:17:23 AMCall me optimistic (or stupid) but if there was a collected Cradlegrave

It seems this is unlikely to happen. Keith has said there isn't enough to collect and John says that is it.

More specifically he asked how you could continue the story and I pondered the problem for a moment, summoned my mastery of the English language and replied "dunno" (oh my mother would be proud, all her years of teaching English at a top school clearly rubbed off there). So I thought I'd pick up the challenge and do a bit of brainstorming (as I've done for story ideas in Zarjaz, as folks will see over the next fear years) and came up with a few ideas, the one I like the best breaks down into two parts:


  • Its a year after Shane has left the estate, he is living on his on in a council flat in a tower block where he is the outsider shunned by the residents. It is another hot, oppressive summer and Shane has been smoking weed solidly to try and block out the memories. He starts to see signs that suggest to him similar events are unfolding here (kids with marks on their face, unexplained outbreaks of violence) - something is growing up through the skin of the world, like mushrooms pushing their way through tarmac, and it is forcing its way through here at the margins (playing on the general urban fantasy idea that reality gets a little thin at the edges where people aren't paying as much attention). Now I do quite like the idea of him beating someone's head in with a brick and it turning out he was wrong but "chav gets stoned and murders some innocent victim" isn't quite a story  for 2000AD ;) Instead he discovers that it is a very similar creature just further along in its life cycle making him realise he has left loose threads hanging and his mother is in danger.
  • As we saw in the last instalment the offspring of the creature are still around on the estate and Shane's family and friends (and everyone) are in trouble (which seems to be the thread left hanging from Cradlegrave that could have a new story tied onto it). So he has to return and fix the problem. Then when that is done he realises there are going to be more things like this out there so he either leaves the estate but this time with a purpose, or he stays and starts collecting newspaper clippings of bizarre outbreaks of ultraviolence with an eye to seeing if there are any hotspots of activity (like a latter-day, low-rent, Fort, just with a focused mission).

Other ideas include Shane stumbling across some other monstrosity (but this seemed too coincidental) or him being tracked down and recruited by some group (private individuals or possibly some shadowy wing of the government) who are seeking out people who have seen the things he has in order to stop future threats (this looses the feel of the original story, it is almost like what you'd get with a US TV adaptation, although it could be handled more... sensibly ;) ) or you could see something similar bubbling up on another estate just further down the line so you get a bit more of an idea of what is going on, while not being too explicit (I didn't like this approach as it seems to throw away a lot of the characters and story from the original, starting almost from scratch).

So lots of ways a sequel could go just from a quick ponder on the problem - some intriguing, some pretty poor (although that is the point of throwing out ideas, as long as they aren't all crap) but plenty of potential for a slow-burning story and lots of unpleasantness - the winning formula from the first one. Plus it moves the story along without having to reveal everything (as I think the mysterious edge adds a lot - we have no ideas what it is or what it wants, if anything, and that just makes it worse).
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

Colin YNWA

Quote from: john_s on 07 July, 2010, 04:45:22 PM
Well I love "Doctor Who" with a passion - it's what got me writing in the first place and I very nearly had a script accepted by Andrew Cartmel in the very month they'd heard the (old McCoy) series was cancelled - so that'd be cool as fuck...

Watch out, Tony!  I'm gunning for ya!  ;-)

So like given that I'm unlikely to make it too the chat room tonight (World Cup semi's and 1 year old kinda do for me there) I'm wondering if someone could badger John to find out what the idea was today and then report back... well if the idea still isn't viable?

I'd do it here but I've spent far too much time on this place looking silly!

Emperor

Quote from: Colin_YNWA on 07 July, 2010, 06:22:52 PM
Quote from: john_s on 07 July, 2010, 04:45:22 PM
Well I love "Doctor Who" with a passion - it's what got me writing in the first place and I very nearly had a script accepted by Andrew Cartmel in the very month they'd heard the (old McCoy) series was cancelled - so that'd be cool as fuck...

Watch out, Tony!  I'm gunning for ya!  ;-)

So like given that I'm unlikely to make it too the chat room tonight (World Cup semi's and 1 year old kinda do for me there) I'm wondering if someone could badger John to find out what the idea was today and then report back... well if the idea still isn't viable?

I'd do it here but I've spent far too much time on this place looking silly!

Will do, although I imagine he'd want to play that close to his chest.

Also while I'd love to see John Smith write for Torchwood (the TV show or comic) - it is darker in tone and pretty much broken (apart from Children of Earth), despite having a cracking underlying concept - so it is wide open to some bonkers, out-there stories.
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

Colin YNWA

Your a star. Cheers.

As I say of course if its still an idea he could use he has ever right to tell us to go away but hey can't win the lottery if ya don't buy a ticket and all that.

Emperor

You were on at the same time as John Smith but didn't ask, so after you went I thought I'd throw the question in for you and saved the answer off:

Quotemighty_emperor: I think he had a question to ask you John about your ideas for Dr Who and if you could give any hints
john_s_2010: Got loads of "Who" ideas?  Where to start!
john_s_2010: The TARDIS is obviously a spacetime macro-antibody, for starters...

Soooooo just on the loads of ideas front I'd live to see IDW take a peek at those, perhaps sneak a mini-series in alongside Tony Lee's main run on Doctor Who??

It was all a bit Who as Pat Mills was there (and his ideas for TV episodes went into his DMW stories), plus there was a lot of discussion on Matt Smith (actor) and The Moff.
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+

Colin YNWA

Yeah he arrived back while I was still playing but I did that thing I do where when famous people I admire loads appear in a social situation I try to treat 'um normally 'cos otherwise I'll come across as a stirring star struck twat...  clearly I am a star struck twat but try not to make it too obvious and wait for a moment when such a question seems appropriate... which of course it never does (also see Colin's relationships with women: Starting of).

So since it was near the end of my time I just let it go and went to bed.

Of course as you ably demonstrate just asking a question of someone is perfectly normal and reasonable and so now I just seem like a stirring star struck dumb struck twat... DAMNIT!!!!!

One day I'll share a few stories about me and meeting various music people I admire... I don't come out of it well but at least in those days I had alcohol as an excuse!

You are a better man than me Empire thank you!

Emperor

Well I've had my fair share of clammy, stuttering fanboy moments - Romero, Harryhausen, etc. (possibly Thesiger too but that was more awe) and I'm sure I'd get another round of tit when meeting the droids in person. However, you've just got to push on through as there is must be a limit on how many times anyone can hear "you are my favourtest writer evah!!" Plus it helps if you are cheeky and nosey, but not too cheeky and nosey. Oh and all but the most taciturn are always happy to talk about the work they are doing now and things that have annoyed them in the past (this side of non-disclosure agreements and legal threats, respectively) so you can never go far wrong with those, start with the former and then work round to the latter when the opportunity arises. ;)
if I went 'round saying I was an Emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they'd put me away!

Fractal Friction | Tumblr | Google+