Flambé Today
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For a day before I wrangled that story into shape, I had a go at writing a new Steeple story that would hopefully cap off Steeple's rejected volume 4. Given my lack of sleep and stress-strained state, it seemed like too much to take on, but looking at the notes I wrote now, there was "plenty there". Though given that I said I'd finished Steeple, and drawn a big omega symbol (the universally understood way of saying "I have finished"), I thought I'd look like a bit of a duffer starting it again. Also, I would have to have done a lot more than 22 pages because Steeple is complicated. It's very plot-driven because it had to be tidy for Dark Horse and its initial monthly appearance in the direct market.
As an aside, I'm not mad at Dark Horse for not wanting more of it. It was doubtless a question of sales figures. We are still working together on other projects. But I feel like I never quite pinned the series down. Ironically, it was conceived initially as my ongoing webcomic replacement for Bad Machinery. I think it might have worked better that way, with some exploratory sprawl and lower stakes to its perceived success as a project.
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I don't really like having this split approach to online projects, it doesn't serve any of them very well. The multiple websites are a pain to maintain and, doubtless, to follow. The problem started when I need to make something in between Bad Machinery books, just so I had minis to sell at conventions. That's when all the little splinter sects started forming. If I was a 1980s UK newsstand comic I would just have merged everything, SCARY GO ROUND featuring STEEPLE and SOLVER and eventually the little names under the big name would vanish and no one would notice except eight year olds with busy minds. Also, I'd stick a free Des Fishman badge to the cover with glue that tore it when you removed the free gift.
But I have a bit of headspace to reconsider my approach now. I can research cheap glue and newsprint. Thanks again for your patience!
Comments (27)
I'd love to see at least a cover for SCARY GO ROUND featuring STEEPLE and SOLVER.
I absolutely misread that as "Free Des Fishman" and wondered what he'd managed to be encarcerated for (this time).
To borrow a phrase: “do as thou wilt”, John. Your incredible characters and strong storytelling chops have more than earned you the patience and understanding of your readers. While I grieve that we won’t get to see the third act of the Blood Egg, all my (considerable) ire is reserved solely for the Conan corporation. That said, if the result of all this is more Solver and Steeple, I can only look forward to your coming creations with the greatest anticipation and excitement!
Go ahead, look like a bit of a duffer. You know you want to.* *And we want you to, too, if that's how we get more Steeple.
It's really interesting to hear what you said about the formatting of Steeple for Dark Horse, John, because I didn't notice that at all for Steeple (it felt like it was made for a monthly comic) - but I did for GBBO. I so wanted to love GBBO, but it didn't quite click for me - and the main reason was the pacing. It felt a bit rushed. So much happened 'off-screen' or was implied, and I'm sure in the freedom* of a webcomic, or even a slightly longer series, we would have had more time with the characters and the story could have breathed a little more. I don't know how much of that was down to publishing requirements but I really hope if there is a follow-up that it gets a bit longer to prove, as it were.
Kevin, alas, the changing nature of indie comics series now means I am hamstrung by these short series. Sales just crash after the first issue, so it was six, then five, now four issues. Wicked Things was killed in six, Steeple was dead in five. I took a pay cut on GBBO to pay everyone else for an extra two pages per issue . It's not the publishers' fault, really. Indie pamphlets have just had their chips. Giant Days was propped up by Comixology (as was) - people subscribed and stuck around. That avenue (and revenue) is gone.
Speaking of Dark Horse, is there any chance of further Shauna adventures following 'Great British Bump-off'? Or did the Horse say neigh?
The horse said "yeigh"
I think you are dufferproof, mate. I've been following and loving whatever you've dropped for sufficiently long that even a scratchy image of seaweed in Des's teeth would have me happy. I think you needn't worry.
There was a time when grill pan scrapings and rice was an umami-rich major part of my diet too.
Oh I'm getting flashbacks to 2000AD and Star Lord, 2000AD and Tornado, too soon man, too soon. Those ones I remember off the top of my head as I'd got into reading the other titles to supplement my regular diet of Zarjaz Thrills from 2000AD before they merged. Both in '78. that was a busy year. This page here reminds me of a few I was also a reluctant participant in. It was more frequent than I think I realised. https://comicscene.org/2020/10/27/great-comic-mergers/
Omega or not, please bring back any of your characters, settings, or stories any time and in any way. Your characters are a wonderful repertory theatre troupe, and I for one will be here for any show they want to put on.
Sounds like you are going through one of those challenging times, but I believe in you!! Thanks for all the great comics! hearts!
I feel like things are the least challenging they have been for years. I feel good!
From what I understand, when Douglas Adams & Co. did the original radio series for "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", they ended the series, figuring it was going to be just a one-shot. When the BBC wanted another season, they had to scramble to get out of the corner they'd painted themselves in and left the series' end open... And the Beeb didn't commission a 3rd series...
Not until a couple of years after Adams' death anyway, with inevitably mixed results. They kept flogging it for another three series, possibly as some kind of sado-masochistic demonstration of the Law of Diminishing Returns.
Des Fishman badge?? sign me up!!
Everyone wants that free badge
A one-off John Allison 'Whizzer & Chips' format newsprint comic would certainly be a winner for me ( digital copies as well for when the chemicals in the cheap paper eat the original copies ).
In other words, and to put it plainly, i think I can safely say I speak for most of your readers when I say we’d all be ecstatic to see more Steeple - whenever!!
For whatever it's worth, Steeple is still my personal favorite, and I would have loved to see you bring some actual closure to the story, regardless of what you've said previously (and if the story ended up stretching out longer, so much the better, as far as I'm concerned). And it's not like you've never indicated you'd never continue a given story and/or use a given cahracter again, and then, years later, you did. I think most of us simply recognize that your inspiration will take you where it will, and it's best to just follow along, regardless of what you've said previously. Still, I know I'll enjoy the Solver story, as well- Solver's been some of your best work, which is saying a lot. And we all need to see some resolution for those characters, as well- hopefully, not a final resolution, but a resolution to their current situation.
Ditto
Nothing more classic than "The End....or is it?"
I'm sure we wouldn't think it foolish if you did want to do more Steeple (or at least that those who did think it foolish could keep it to themselves)! Omega symbol or not, the way Extreme Freaks was told surely left the door open for more, so it's all creatively kosher I hope. The splintered branding point is interesting too. IMO it's never too late to unify everything retroactively, but obviously that would be a huge pain. And it is fun to be able to type "bobbins . horse" into a browser and have that be the genuine name of the site. Looking forward to Solver, whatever else happens!
Ah ha, I just saw that the Destroy History site is in maintenance and its strips are (temporarily?) moved to the Bad Machinery site. Intriguing.
I'd buy that comic and I'd wear that badge
Mega-same!