Monday, January 18, 2010
Wit
Annnnd Lift-Off. We have lift-off.
For your pleasure CCU has docked Its space ship with:
Alien Irwin Studios
or Google "Spacescape Alien Irwin"
Some years back, when Spacescape was a script and optioned to
a production office in Hollywood, the development director
informed me that I was to have it co-scripted by someone
that the studios would feel comfortable with,
since I alone was an unknown entity. Dan O'Bannon immediately
came to mind, and we arranged a creative meeting
with him to bring him on board to co-script.
I had enjoyed his work on Dark Star and Alien,
and I was really looking forward to his input.
He wasn't much help as it turned out, and the project
of course went into turn-around. To be fair, his health had
been impairing him at the time, and apparently since.
It's too bad we weren't able to work together,
but I was lucky to be able to spend the few hours
we did have kicking around ideas.
Working with no budget I thought I'd try making some
animated shorts on my own,
which you can see on my YouTube channel.
In this way I thought I would bring alive the Spacescape universe,
which was essentially an urban environment of the
"contemporary future",
set in orbit. As I was shopping Hollywood again this new version
of the original script, a copyright lawyer representing
comic artist Doug Tennapel and many other properties
suggested making the story into a graphic novel.
At first I was reluctant to do so, because I wasn't sure
if my skills as a comic artist were up to snuff.
On the other hand, I had done some of my own production designs
so I thought I'd knock out a few pages.
Because of Spacescape's franchise nature this seemed
like a logical sequence or progression. Fortunately,
an upstart cultural publication saw the pages I had done
and we agreed to publish Spacescape on a serial basis.
Maybe the property hadn't become languid after all.
28-plus pages later, Book One is finally out and available
through IndyPlanet. Book two is already well under way.
Once Book two is finished I intend to make the rounds
at the cons, shop the production offices again, etc.
I think the story should register with readers as the reality of
space tourism and travel begins to capture the public's imagination;
outer space developers, real estate speculators, space bangers,
massive orbital junkyards, rocket-powered shopping carts--
it's all there!
Thanks for having us aboard Irwin.
We all loved the "Rotel". What a view.
CCU would like to invite you down to our humble
"station" whenever you're in the neighborhood.
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