Casey Blue: Beyond Tomorrow trade advance solicited

Somehow I missed this. In the March Previews, advance solicited for April (from WildStorm):

CASEY BLUE: BEYOND TOMORROW TP 

Written by B. Clay Moore, art and cover by Carlo Barberi.

Casey Blue is your average high school senior ­ until the moment she snaps into action and savagely murders a stranger with her bare hands! In this volume collecting the entire 6-issue mini-series, Casey discovers her hidden role in preventing a full-scale invasion of earth. The only problem is she had no idea she’s humanity’s salvation.

144 pages, $19.99, in stores on April 15

Black Vault #2: April

Top Cow:

 

Black Vault #2 (of 5)
B. Clay Moore (A) Nelson Blake II (Cov) Jeremy Haun

The astronauts aboard the International Space Station are beginning to realize that newcomers to the station might not be who they claim to be, and just might be up to something unimaginable. So when chilling screams start ringing through the ISS, the crew is horrified. Their horror turns to anger when they’re ordered to ignore the screams, and the stage is set for a violent confrontation in space where no one can come to their aid.

Full Color 32 pages $2.99 limited series

Desert Island Discs?

Working to music tonight. With that in mind, here are a handful of discs I could listen to on an endless loop and never get bored:

Nick Drake: Pink Moon and Bryter Layter

Belle & Sebastian: Tigermilk, If You’re Feeling Sinister and The Boy With the Arab Strap

 Van Morrison: Astral Weeks

The Wild Colonials: Fruit of Life

Elliott Smith: XO

The Kinks: Something Else and Village Green Preservation Society

David Bowie: Hunky Dory

 

And you?

A New Day

Courtesy my friend Francesco Francavilla:

A New Day

The Bluejacket Introduction

So, Chris Samnee, Seth Peck and I have been kicking Bluejacket around again. It’s one of those projects we’re all devoted to, and we’ve been trying to figure out the best way to make it work. We’re all busy boys, but want to get some momentum behind the character and the larger story we have in mind for it.

At this point we think what we’ll probably do is turn BJ into a webstrip, to be collected at a later date. Most likely, we’ll post complete chapters/stories at a time, and then collect them.

So, anyway…for those of you unfamiliar with what I’m talking about, here’s a link to the first Bluejacket short story. This was a four page story that ran in Boom! Studios’ Josh Medors benefit book, PULP TALES. The idea, obviously, was to introduce the characters and give readers some idea of the tone of the book within the space of those four pages.

Please click this link to check it out!:

http://www.imagecomics.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?p=685376#685376

New Word Balloon Interview

John Siuntres interviewed me over the holidays. We discuss Billy Smoke, working with Hollywood, the Bendis/Kirkman “debate,” and my upcoming projects. Give a listen:

http://media.libsyn.com/media/wordballoon/WBbclaymoore0109.mp3

Seaweed Soundtrack

This is what I’ll be listening to while working on SEAWEED:

1. The Stars of Track and Field by Belle & Sebastian
2. Afternoon Speaker by Sea & Cake
3. A Message to Pretty by Love
4. Don’t Make Promises by Tim Hardin
5. Why Not Bomb the Movies? by Richard Davies
6. House On a Hill by Joni Mitchell
7. No Return by the Kinks
8. Orange Skies by Love
9. Shangri-La by the Kinks
10. Michigan by Josh Rouse
11. Alone Again Or by Love
12. Andalucia by Pink Martini
13. Come Tomorrow by Townes Van Zandt
14. Flight Attendant by Josh Rouse
15. Sleep the Clock Around by Belle & Sebastian
16. River by Joni Mitchell
17. Winter in the Hamptons by Josh Rouse
18. Lazy Old Sun by the Kinks
19. Transcontinental by Richard Davies
20. The Red Telephone by Love
21. You Upset the Grace of Living When You Lie by Tim Hardin
22. Showrooms by Sam Prekop
23. August by Love
24. Days by the Kinks
25. It’s the Nighttime by Josh Rouse
26. Hard Headed Woman by Cat Stevens
27. Into the Mystic by Van Morrison
28. This Is Where I Belong by the Kinks
29. Quicksand by David Bowie
30. Papillon by Richard Davies
31. Life On Mars? by David Bowie

With Seu Jorge mixed in throughout.

Writers Write, Right?

Rob Long’s Martini Shot podcast had a great bit a couple of weeks ago about what writers really get up to when they “write.” It felt good to hear another writer admit what we all know to be true: That plopping down at a cafe or bookstore with the laptop and a notebook doesn’t always result in a head down, ass-kicking, rip-roaring session of scribery. Most writers spend a lot less time writing than figuring out creative ways to waste time and still just barely blow a deadline.

Anyway, today I was trying to make some serious headway on two projects I need to get wrapped ASAP, when I was struck by that derailing bitch of the brain: INSPIRATION. For years now, I’ve had this creative itch I’ve wanted to scratch. I haven’t had a story idea or characters or a plot, but I’ve known that I wanted to strike a certain tone with a project someday. I’ve also known exactly who I’d want to publish this non-existant, unplotted book. And I know the editor I’d like to deliver it to.

So today, while watching a favorite movie by a favorite director, it hit me. How to relate the tone I’ve been searching for, and how to do it in service of a story. And then the cast for the story popped into my head, and then the whole goddamn plot occured to me.

I don’t want to relate anything about the tone of the plot or the characters, but I can tell you the book will be called SEAWEED. My plan right now is to write the whole thing and deliver it to said editor completed. You know, after, during and while I’m working on these other books, and after, during and while I work up that genre-defining crime book with Ramon Perez that I mentioned earlier. And the superhero thing with Peck, and this contracted book we just picked up, and…you know.

So, yeah…instead of getting desperately needed work done, I created something else to eat up my days and nights.

Frankly, that’s too often how I write. But it’ll all get done in the end.

Ten Questions at Comicscareers.com

Just click on the overstuffed leering head:

The New New Hawaiian Dick Plan

So, due to some complications with HAWAIIAN DICK #6, I think we’ll be juggling plans for the book, and moving a plan for the future up a bit.

Steven Griffin's original cover to HD #6

Jason Armstrong (FERRO CITY, LOBSTER JOHNSON) drew the lead story in issue six, and is finishing up what was to have been the (unsolicited) issue seven. Since issue six is basically a stand alone story, and issue seven kicks off some new directions for some old characters, I think what we’ll be doing now is combining the two issues into the first HAWAIIAN DICK SPECIAL. Assuming it’s cool with Image and Eric Stephenson, summer 2009 will see the 48-page HAWAIIAN DICK SUMMER SPECIAL (HD #13 for those keeping close tabs), with two Jason Armstrong stories, some backup features, and assorted ephemera.

Jason Armstrong's Dick

We’ll have to resolicit the third trade and add a few pages, but at this point that’s probably the best option.

The third trade cover