Shall We Begin?

So...progress on just about every personal project that I had going came to a screeching halt. That includes the work on the Kindle Edition of Project Zero, editing the second book in the series, typing out the third book (as you might recall, I write just about everything by hand and then type it out later), writing anything in general (I had a new story going...), finishing those short stories I've been writing, as well as other...stuff...that I can't remember right now.
And, truth be told, I'm ok with that.
Why is that, you might ask? Because, I got a new job! For the last school year and a half, I had been working at a Behavioral Reassignment school. What does that mean? It means that the students that I worked with on a daily basis were removed from the major urban school district in which this school resided for a myriad of reasons. Usually violent. Or drug-related. And most have been or are in some sort of trouble with the police.
Last year alone, I had two former students killed within weeks of each other and even more busted in a nation-wide police operation. So, to put in that kind of effort to get those kinds of results takes its toll and, along with an administration shake up that left the site without a principal with a week until the school year was to have begun, I felt weary going into the school year. So I did something that I probably wouldn't have otherwise done in the time frame I did it in.
Long story short, I took a position with a traditional school and am now teaching English 9, American Literature, and Analytical Reading and Composition. Yay! (Note: that was a serious yay.)
But, yeah, prepping for three classes (with a total of six sections) has persuaded me to put those projects on hold. Also, GTA V. Kelly preordered it for my birthday from Amazon and it should be arriving on Tuesday. So...there goes my productivity...
And, as I said about a month ago, I'd look into where my brother's comic book was available digitally. Here is the link  I believe the first issue is free and the second two are available for less than one dollar each.

Episodic Content

Yesterday, I mentioned that I was prepping an Amazon version of my first book, Project Zero: Bulletproof. The plan is to release it in chunks, with each chunk getting a work over and unique covers for each section before I post it. There's a couple of concerns/complications/whatever there:

First, even with new edits, would anyone even want to buy a book that's been available on Smashwords for three years? I mean, the whole purpose of doing the Amazon Edition is because Smashwords hasn't uploaded the latest edition to Amazon's Kindle Store. Why? They haven't said. The only explanation given is on the distribution channel, which states that Smashwords is working on "technical integration" with the Kindle Store (I actually just checked the Smashwords' site again, and that message is no longer there, though the book still hasn't been "shipped" to Amazon). Again, not sure what that means, but Smashwords is nice enough to write it into the publication agreement that I am allowed to publish my work through other avenues (like Amazon).

Second, I'd have to find someone(s) and then pay them to do the covers for each "episode/issue/chunk/section." Because of the nature of the story, as it's about super heroes and such, I'd like the covers to look like comic covers (fun fact: I tried to make the cover to the current edition of PZ:B to look like the Marvel's Civil War comic covers). For the same reason I had to skip Chicago Comic-Con, I don't have a whole lot of disposable income. Or the time to sit down and collaborate with someone for what is planned to be ten separate covers (the '13-'14 school year starts in three weeks where I live...) My brother owes me a commissioned piece for donating to his Kickstarter project (to fund a special edition cover to his comic, Bombshell (I'll get links to where you can check it out as soon as he gets home from Comic-Con)) so...that's one cover, I supposed. If there are any book cover artists reading this, I can tell you this: I don't have money, what I do have is the ability to negotiate a lucrative royalty rate for your work...

I swear I had more to say, but you'll see why I lost my train of thought below. Next up, I go into what I've been doing with my free time this summer (including reviewing things) and how I plan to spend the remaining few weeks until school starts up again (which, I still need three college credits to renew my license...and need to figure out how to start my professional development portfolio...)

As an addendum to my last entry: This is also the first summer since 2004 that I haven't spent it working at the Office Depot (I quit there back in March after a new store manager started late last year and I finally just couldn't stand working for the guy any more) so...yay for that, at least.

New distraction of the night: one of my neighbors is like shooting or throwing something or something (sounds like it could be a staple or nail gun). Either way, constant and consistent loud noise interspersed with loud shouts and cheers. But, at least it's still nice enough out that I can sit out on the balcony and enjoy the weather.

Changing Landscape of the Comic Book World

Tonight, I'm going to talk about Wonder Woman's new costume. It's been scrutinized to death, I know, but any jerk who claims himself a comic book fan has to weigh in on the change.
First off, if you have no clue what I'm talking about, go Google Wonder Woman and the recent news articles (yes, the change has garnered national attention) showcase the travesty in question.
Saw it? Good. Now, there were two possible reactions to this. One, you're a comic nerd like me and was spewing foam from the mouth while gnawing off your own hand to use as a projectile weapon against someone or two, you're not a comic fan and you think this would've been awesome...when it was the 90s and you were twelve.
Seriously, who approved this design? And who was asking for a change? Here's how I imagine the conversation at DC went down:
*Geoff Johns, Dan DiDio, and a bunch of DC Entertainment suits are sitting in a room*
GJ: "This year is WW's 69th anniversary..."
*sound of giggling from one man in the room*
GJ: "Mr. DiDio, if I can just continue..."
DD: "Heh, you said 69."
GJ: "Anywho...as I was saying, that means next year is WW's 70th anniversary."
DD:"Heh, 69."
GJ: "I think we really need to capitolize on this. Who do we have that's a big name for us and wasn't recently promoted to an executive level?"
*the suits in the room look at each other blankly, then back at Geoff Johns*
GJ: "Me? I can't write everything. I mean, Blackest Night wasn't even that good."
DD: "But people died! Which means it's AWESOME!"
GJ: "Sigh. Whatever, Dan. Who else do we have?"
SUIT: "We just got JMS to do Superman..."
GJ: "That could work. Does he want to do Wonder Woman?"
SUIT: "Not really."
DD: "Fantastic, now that that's settled..."
"We should change her costume!"
GJ: "What, Dan? Why?"
DD: "Because...because...we can!"
GJ: "Sigh. Ok, whatever, fine. It's not like it won't just get changed back in a year, anyway."
DD: "And redo her origins!"
GJ: "Again? Didn't we just do that with One Year Later?"
DD: "Maybe! But back to the costume: it should have a too-tight leather jacket (like Superboy from the 90s), and a top that kinda looks like the old one (like Superboy from the 90s), and tight black pants (like Superboy from the 90s) and fingerless gloves (like Superboy from the 90s)..."
GJ: "Ok, Dan, give me that picture of Superboy from the 90s"
*wrestles picture away, Dan DiDio is sad. Geoff Johns hands it back with another sigh*
GJ: "Fine. We'll just get Jim Lee to spruce it up or something..."

That went on much longer than I intended. Still, gotta figure that's how it went down.
Anyway, since I know most people didn't read through the whole thing, I'll sum it up. The design elements are very reminiscent of any character created or redone in the early to mid 1990s (especially, as I said repeatedly above, Superboy) and it seems like it's a gimmick to sell books and is a lead-in to the character's 70th anniversary, which is next year. I get the feeling that's all this is because when Superman had a big anniversary (I think it was for the 60th), DC gave him a redesign in year 59, but it was changed back the next year.
Also, I like J Michael however you spell his last name which is why he just abbreviates his name to 'JMS', but I don't think he was the best writer for his book. When a guy says that he wants to be "completely faithful to the character" and then he announces how he's going to change everything (because he can), then that might not be the best guy to write that book. Just sayin'. But yeah, The Odyssey, the first arc of WW with the new costume, kicked off with part 0 (that's a zero, yeah, they're back to doing those...) in Wonder Woman 600. Honestly, couldn't even make it through the ten or so pages that serve as the lead-in, so I'm thinking I'm done with Wonder Woman for awhile.

I will say this, with all the changes they are making to the character, I am interested to see how the rest of the DCU reacts. Of course, that's kind of what I said about Spider-Man and 'Brand New Day,' and the answer to that one was: they didn't react very much. The best thing to come of that was the possibility of Spidey hooking up with Ms. Marvel, which everyone but the writer who thought of it (Dan Reed, I believe) all but ignored it completely. But that's a rant for a different day.

I was going to go on about other costume redesigns, but I think I vented most of my gripes with costume changes in general into that rant. So, that's all for me tonight. Have a good one, and be careful not to cross paths with anyone wielding their own hand. They're dangerous.