Feb 19, 2020

On The Slog

I'm posting constantly on Instagram at Instagram.com/drytwist .  I have nearly 700 pieces of art on there.  That's not a joke.  And almost all of it is from the last five years.  So for regular Adrian in your life, that's a place to go

Been a few years, huh.  Somewhere in there I just didn't want to share anymore.  Been a few years of that.  Life sucked, and really, in boring ways.  Sure with my crazy shit, I got interesting stories but they aren't entertaining to me yet.

I didn't want to leave that last bit as my last post on this site.  That was like the most temporary crazy situation(of which there's been a bunch more temporary craziness).  I did write that screenplay(the first draft) a while back that I mentioned.  It's a crazy hang out movie about rock and roll dirt bags living that life(very loosely based on myself and that friend of mine).  It's funny, savage, and not what anyone would expect.  But I try to write like that every time.  Mainly because writing the same things from the same perspective is the last thing I'm interested in.

I also did half of a short Thought Balloon Man comic over that time.  I've been chipping away at my Western/Fantasy epic(it's projected to be 300 painted pages).  It's a legit novel style graphic novel.  As in I'm not skimping on characterization and story because it's visual(a claim I put against most comics).  There's a lot going on there because it's a ten book series with little to no compromise on what I can and will do.  It's almost a legit western with some fantastical enemies and some normal human scum.  Then the fantasy part is of course crazier.

Plus, because I need constant stimulation, I also am half way finished with a graphic novel script for my science fiction universe(I have an issue done later in this same series).  Sort of like Neuromancer meets Midnight Run.  Or Blade Runner meets Mad Max.  Lots of deep future ideas mixed with crazy action and violence.  It's my idea of how to pack science fiction with fun, ideas, and dense immersiveness.  I got some crazy ideas of future possibilities that people
seem to find energizing and interesting(and I hope original).

I've been reading the grimdark as all living hell series The Prince Of Nothing and it's sequel series The Aspect Emperor.  Pretty much the darkest fantasy I've ever read.  It parallels our own history of holy wars and the massive scale of atrocities it's heroes committed.  I love how it's most savage human violence is just a commentary on our actual darkest history.  And somehow, the villains are even worse than that.  I don't think I can recommend it unless you are into dark history(fantasy epics, at least the ones for adults, usually serve as commentaries on real history).

Because of those books I've become obsessed with the Slog. I've had such a shitty long slog these last few years.  The Slog of Slogs.  Boring and sucky and hard and soul crushing.  I can look at that a few ways.  I can get depressed.  But that would kill me.  I just can't afford to be weak or feel sorry for myself(or for anyone else) when I'm trying to survive.  Happiness is possible.  In the future.  But the Slog to get there, well that's gonna be a real chopper. And the first rule of the Slog, no weepers on the Slog.  I think of that and laugh.  Sometimes embracing the cruel humor in life is all you got.  So I embrace the Slog.  I'll get through it.  Long live the Slog.

In the Aspect Emperor series, a bunch of ruthless practically evil scalp hunters called the Skineaters are hired to go on this impossible journey through armies of these things they call skinnies, and thousands of miles of dangerous terrain to get a mythical treasure.  The chance of any of them making it there are nearly nothing.  Making it back, even less. And unfortunately most of the people on this journey are as nasty as human beings get.  One character cackles and rants about the Slog like it's some thing filled with glory instead of despair and death. Every degradation leads to a new rule of the Slog(which is whatever is convenient to further dehumanize and shave off normal human weakness so you can survive.  So making a joke out of that darkness is what the Slog means to me.  I'm a little hero in my own head going through just lame  normal shit to get to a better place.  All the pain getting there is just something to laugh at.  Like I said, sometimes survival won't allow the alternatives.)

Hopefully I'll finish some of these comics soon so I can start shopping stuff around.  I don't really want to show a bunch of stuff I'm selling in the future, but when I get to a certain point I can start showing previews to those books.

So here's a random Thought Balloon Man story from that last crazy time I went on about(it's a little too rough and would need some stuff redrawn because I was lazy that first go).  Hints at the end of that whole thing from last time.  Plus random stuff I did for fun.

Till the future I guess.

Adrian



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