While the 11th of November of obviously an important day of it year, it also holds another special significance to me.
Two years ago today I woke up feeling slightly invigorated; the day before as I was heading into downtown Calgary, I got an eagerly anticipated phone call.
The job interview I went in for a week previously had been successful and I had the job.
It's been almost a year since Marcelo, Carl and I released "The Partner", a fan-comic based off of Batman: The Animated Series. Marcelo and I had done one five months previous as a small tribute to the late Kevin Conroy, but this was the first time we were telling a real story.
Last month a good friend picked me up from work with the idea that we'd have a quick bite to eat at a buffet and then catch a movie.
He knew of a theatre in Canyon Meadows that had cheap ticket prices and was even showing classic movies. You can imagine the gasp I made when I saw they were going to be showing Star Wars from 1977.
"Marlon, please," I begged. "We have to see it!"
"But...haven't you seen it before?" Marlon asked me.
"Yes!" I told him. "Many times. I could probably recite the whole movie."
"So...why do you want to see-?"
"Because you haven't seen it," I explained. "And...if you're going to watch Star Wars for the first time, you have to see it on the big screen."
I'm not normally one for doing posts towards the end of the year unless I want to give my thoughts on the best/worst movies or comics of this year but this year...things are different.
Star Trek.
OK, chances are you're sighing and thinking, "This topic again?"
Well, yes, but I want you to hear me out and see where I'm going.
Back in 2020 I was talking about the film franchise with my Tante Kim and explaining that the problem with the current crop of films from JJ Abrams was that unlike the first six Star Trek films, with the exception of the 2009 film, none of them really take any risks, especially Star Trek Into Darkness.
It almost sounds a bit strange for me to actually say it out loud but for the past year, I've been making comics.
Certainly not on a professional level but at the same time, I take it seriously and get a lot of joy out of finishing a script.
Recently I've found that as I get close to the end of a story, my writing becomes a lot more intense; it's almost like the final 100 meters of a marathon.
I've been pretty quiet since I published my last webcomic (The Partner). Right now I'm in a spot where...I honestly never saw myself being.
I'm putting a lot of effort into writing more stories and comics (Right now Marcelo & Carl are working on our latest webcomic which will be coming out in late December) and for any future webcomics, I don't want to have all my stories in Gotham City. I do have another script I gave Marcelo earlier this year and I have another one that I finished just last week.
A few weeks prior to that, I finished what's my biggest comic script to date. And the exciting thing is, it's all original characters. No Batman, Robin, or any characters that you've seen before. It helps that it's based off a true story from my own life experience. To change things up...I'm actually thinking of self-publishing this one; making physical copies that one day I could sell at a show.
Am I happy with my warehouse job? No. In fact I'd go so far to say that it's right now the least favorite thing in my life right now. And maybe I'm being unfair to it by saying that but it's my opinion.
I want to stay there at least a year. And with my one year anniversary coming up in late November...
Don't worry, I'm not quitting yet. I'd want to have something to go to before I jump ship, however it'll probably happen next year. Besides, it looks more impressive on my resume if I say I started in 2022 and left in 2024 compared to leaving in 2023. A future employer will look and say, "Ah so you did two years at ________?"
Oh and to really shake things up, for the past few months I've been seeing someone. Yeah, believe it or not I found someone who can willingly stand my company over extended periods of time.
I joke, but it's really nice to have someone who gives me self-confidence, self belief and encourages me in my writing. Honestly, since we've started dating I've felt more alive in my writing, more excited about it. More importantly, I've felt happier.
And apparently I look happier as well. I'm not too certain about that but then again I'm not exactly looking at my face that often. But even I think I must be happier if I'm writing love poetry (No, you may not read it).
So not the biggest update I could make at the moment but if right now the worst thing in my life is that I hate my job...things must be looking up.
Those are two words that mean a lot to me. I buy my tickets almost six months prior to the start of the show; in fact, back in November, shortly after getting a call-back from a job interview, the first thing I did was buy my tickets for the 2023 show.
With each passing week I'd check to see if there were any changes or announcements about guest announcements, more eager about Comic Creators than anything else.
