I will be at this year's Chicago Comic-Con (formerly Wizard World Chicago, itself formerly Chicago Comic-Con) at the Ronin Studios table in Artists' Alley. I haven't gotten a space assignment yet, but when I do, I will post that information here. I will have four or five books for sale: Once Upon A Time issues #1, 2, and 3; The Redeemers #0 (a Chicago-Comic-Con exclusive); and possibly the Miss Mighty ashcan (it may not make the print date at this point). The Ronin Studios anthology Hope: The Hero Initiative (featuring THE LAST PERFECTOR STORY written by yours truly) may also be at the show. In addition to all that goodness I will be writing one-page stories for a dollar again all show long, so come by and get your very own exclusive Eric Rampson story written to your specifications. Hopefully there will be some artists stopping by the table on and off all weekend so you can get an accompanying sketch, too.

This is going to be a good year, I can feel it.

The Redeemers
Written by Eric Rampson
Art and Letters by Wil Brendel

Ashcan #1 available at Chicago Comi-Con this year.

Just wanted to stop in after the whirlwind four days that was Wizard World Chicago to welcome any new people that stop by after meeting me at the Ronin Studios booth over the weekend. Thanks to everyone that made my $1 short story sketches such a blast to do and to all the people that helped me sell out of my first published comic ONCE UPON A TIME. I am hard at work lettering issue #2, so keep your eyes peeled for info here.

OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD LIST OF STORIES I WROTE THIS PAST WEEKEND:
Post-Apocalyptic Unicorn
Fiery Muppets
Igor the Soviet Emo Robot
A Nazi and Zombie Musical Romantic Comedy
Everyday Steve
Dressy Daschunds
The Doctor and Rose (my first ever Dr. Who story)
Saul and his 'Tato Skins
Fairy Picnic and Soccer Day
Spidey and Spawn in the Bathroom

There were many, many more. If you have one that isn't on the list, please remind me by dropping a comment. I'm off back to work!

Every armchair general has a theory about how the plague started. Most civilians have come to the consensus that the government had the military working on something – either a weapon to use against our enemies or a treatment to use on our own troops – and that something is what caused this whole mess. The military are on the same page, although they posit it was definitely a weapon and definitely sent by our “enemies”. They figure that the fact that the plague spread all over the world was just a matter of its creator’s overconfidence or ignorance, probably both. I’d expected the religious to see it as the wrath of the divine, judgment day…what have you. And some of them do subscribe to that line of thought. I was surprised by how many, from every and any faith, couldn’t care less about the cause, choosing to focus on the world’s recovery, both physical and spiritual. After all, wasn’t the fact that we were safe, that we were surviving, proof that this wasn’t the end?

Those civilians, those soldiers, those holy men and women – they are all gone now. The camp is gone. I haven’t seen another one in my long, hard trip across the country. I haven’t seen a single living soul in three months. I think only one thing has pushed me on, kept me moving, kept me alive. The truth. I think the world is beyond saving so now, for this old reporter, all I have left is trying to find the story. So here I am, in the suburban Chicago laboratory of a Mr. Allan Jesshoff. I have followed scraps of notes, half-remembered tales from the lips of dying men, and not a healthy bit of gut instinct to this still mostly intact structure. The lab itself is of little interest to me – I have no idea what half the devices do and making suppositions isn’t my job here, anyway. No, the lab, even with the still writhing zombie strapped to the examining table, its tattered lab coat still baring the logo of the lab, is of no interest to me now. But the small office-slash-apartment behind it is. A few hard kicks get the door open (it takes me a second to understand that I just kicked a door in and I stop for a second to soak in just how different I’ve become) and the first thing I notice are the posters on the wall. DAY OF THE DEAD. 28 DAYS LATER. I, ZOMBIE. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. The second thing I notice is the body, with one, precise hole through the head. The lab coat on this one not only identifies the lab but the also the wearer. I pull the door closed behind myself and push Mr. Jesshoff off the couch, onto the floor, as I sit down. There are several neatly stacked notebooks on the small coffee table. On top of the stack is a single sheet of loose leaf paper. It’s dated 01/16/2007. Below the date, in simple block capitals, it reads, “I DID IT!”

"I'm a man with murder on my mind," he spit as he pushed her hands from his chest. "Until the deed is done, I'm not overly concerned with love."

She pirouetted around him, wrapped her arms 'round his waist. "Then you're lucky. Tain't love that I'm looking for – it's destiny."

There was a scant second of hesitation before he spun on her, twisted one of her arms roughly behind her back, and kissed her in a most murderous manner.

----

Yeah, I saw SWEENY TOOD on Christmas Day. I dearly, dearly loved it. It's got my mind churning on love and fate and differences between the two.

And why is it I only find Helena Bonham Carter attractive when she is depraved. And ridiculously attractive, at that...

Finishing up ( THIS )

NaNoWriMo is write around the corner (see what I did there, with the pun - HA!), so it is time again for 5 Minute Sprints.

I will explain where I have been for most of a year soon. For now:

REDOUBTABLE (143 Words written to Sunshine State by SUPERCHUNK)
He smoothed his robes, which, while he found them ostentatious, he couldn’t stop running his hands over. He felt powerful, if a bit silly. He held his arms out to his sides, letting the flowing sleeves hang from the powerful cords of his muscles. He flexed his hands, looked down at the boots peeking from beneath the hem of the deep purple fabric, the bright metallic gold taking on a plum-ish hue.

“Damn,” he thought and smiled with a nod of his head.

“Republican?” It was Terry’s voice from behind him. He ducked his head to hide any distinguishing features from her as he reached out to grab the golden helmet. “Sorry, sir, sorry,” she coughed, “I didn’t realize…”

“It’s alright, Terry,” Republican said, affecting the deep, rich baritone he had decided upon last night as he thrummed in the darkness, awaiting today.

A few things:

1) WITH GREAT POWER continues tonight...

2) Line Art for my first comic book, currently called ONCE UPON A TIME..., has come in. Colors will be underway soon, then lettering, then printing, then I have a COMIC BOOK! Almost finished with the second issue's script, then Line Art will commence...

3) New Things Brewing:

a. Film Script with my dear, dear friend Annie for what could possibly be the best Horror/Romantic Comedy of all time.

b. Something (probably a comic script) marrying up the following two pieces and going from there:

1. ( Originally posted to Benchilada's LJ when he asked for a story... )

2. ( From July 2006 )

Feeling good today. Powerful. Wish I didn't have to sit in my cube for eight hours, but I'll make do...

Fear not, WITH GREAT POWER fans (well, fan, since I think draggonlaady is the ony one reading), the adventures of Chase, Lydia, Adam, Robert, Dylan, and yes, even White-Suit, will continue...

Next week...

You see, Thanksgiving was hard on me this year. My mom passed away in September and Thanksgiving was always her holiday. I couldn't find it in me to sit alone and try to type with the way I was feeling, so, I have given myself permission to not finish my NaNoWriMo this year, for actual psychological reasons.

Add on top of that a hellish work-week full of various deadlines and, well, sometimes you beat the man, sometimes the man beats you...

I will finish the book, however, and will resume my one-chapter-a-day pace next Monday. Thanks for coming this far and please, please stick around. Heck, tell your friends, because they now have a few days to catch up!

A little note:

The science/physics at the end of this chapter are probably a bit dubious. Please remember, I am writing for speed, not accuracy. I will check all these things this spring when I edit this bad boy.

( WITH GREAT POWER, Chapter Thirteen )

Sorry about the delay on this one...the rest should come pretty regularly, now...

( WITH GREAT POWER, Chapter Six )