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About Me
- Tom Beland
- guaynabo, Puerto Rico
- I'm living my dream. I'm the creator of the Eisner-nominated series, TRUE STORY, SWEAR TO GOD. I also write for Marvel and Bongo comics. I love music, sports and movies. Most of all... I love my Lily. Email me at tom@tombeland.com
7 comments:
!!!! Now I'll have to go look again!
Pardon me for lavishing praise on your blog, but I just wanted to tell you how much I utterly LOVED Isla de la Muerta. I was all like, "Chupacabras? Nawwwwww!" But you did it! You made it work! And you do family stories like nobody, man. Kudos to you from your Oklahoma fangirl :)
Tom, I'm lovin' your FF. Great stuff, man. ... I think I found myself in that crowd scene, too. And that's damn difficult for me to understand, considering that we've never met.
Hnh.
Anyway. Today's totally-unrelated-to-comic-books question, which has absolutely zilcho relation to anything going on at Marvel. Really. Here ya go:
Would you be willing to erase your relationship with Lily (via a deal with a diety-like being) if it meant a dearly beloved ancient auntie of yours might live a little longer?
Just wondering, because I respect your general perspective on life. ... And, yes, you may answer as vaguely as necessary to protect the possibility of being offered more comic book work.
Hep.... thanks a ton! You can lavish me publicly any time you want. Trust me, anyone who puts money down for my work is free to praise!
I have to admit, when this book came out, I was more than a bit nervous. You always hope the readers will enjoy the book as much as you had making it. But in this case, they were going to have to want to marry this book to match how much fun we had making this.
We got the reaction we were hoping for... if not dreaming of. Marvel was very pleased with this issue. I mean VERY. And you know what that could mean.. ;)
Sciurus Rex.... how do you think I GOT these Marvel gigs..? :)
Ummm honestly..? No. Wouldn't do it. I've lost both my mother and my father early in my life. But if it meant that I had to erase what I've experienced with Lily, to get both of them back in my life, I wouldn't even consider it.
Because you cannot go backwards in life. It's the one thing you hopefully learn from your parents or whoever raises you. My parents would've been horribly disappointed in me as a person if they discovered what it took to bring them back.
So, in that sense, the story line made no sense to me.
Is it great art? Oh hell, yes. Possibly the greatest work I've seen from Joe Q. It matches the script perfectly in every way.
I'll also say this. If this is the direction they wanted to go.. using Mephisto and the whole magic scenario... it's an extremely emotional script and JMS did what was asked. If this were a Batman story, I would've loved it.
But it's Spidey and I have a thirty-some year relationship with the character and I was just left feeling sad about the loss of this relationship.
But, for every direction comics go... they tend to go back. I do think they'll bring them back together sometime in the future. Hell, I'd love to write that issue.
But, y'know..? It's comics. You try something new here and there and sometimes it works and sometimes it don't. I don't think there should be a public hanging of JMS, Quesada and the staff at Marvel because they wanted to try something.
And it's not like they raped and then killed MJ ala Sue Digby. So there's always a chance of change from this direction.
I'll also say, that the list of creators is so fucking impressive for the Spidey books in 2008. Will it be weird to write this character without MJ..? God, yes.
Because I've used Lily's voice whenever I've written Mary Jane. So, there's that feeling of loss when it comes to not being able to write them as a couple.
But it's a storyline. Nothing more. Put down the pitchforks and the torches and let's at least see what these guys have to offer. Judging from Dan Slott's preview of next week's issue, it should be incredible... if not different.
I also like the art. I'm sympathetic to any creator who has to win over fans immediately after this particular firestorm. Doesn't seem quite fair.
And I hear my wife's voice every time MJ talks with Peter. So this change also makes me sad ... and a little angry. But I'll get over it sooner or later.
(Afterthought: I apologize if the hypothetical family member scenario was too close to your personal life.)
Tom -- thanks for stopping by my blog! I'd definitely love to have you in for a signing some time once the shop is open!
And I just read Isla De La Muerte last night, and loved it. :)
Hi, Tom!
You may remember me (or not :P ) as one of the folks who commented on your FF Thread on CBR. I was also the guy who once sent you an Email (which you answered!! 0_0 telling you how I kept browsing the first TSSTG issues but refused to buy them, because, come on, I'm a superhero comics fan, not of moochi stuff! ... but ended up buying them in the end. ;)
I'm sad to report, I wasn't able to to find a copy of Isla de La Muerte- it was sold out! But I WILL get it, sooner or later, trust me. On the other hand, I DID get to read the trade of the TSSTG Image issues today. It really made my day. I just wanted to thank you again for sharing your life with us, in such a funny, touching way. :)
I was also wondering what your reaction to One More Day was... I'm glad to see that while disappointed you're dealing with it objectively. Of course MJ and Peter will be back together! It's all just a stunt; they might as well try to separate Clark and Lois... or you and Lily. ;)
Keep up the good work, and I'll keep reading it.
-Sijo, That Guy From Puerto Rico
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