Artists I know and why I am uncomfortable.

Yeah...so I know a few artist types. I guess it's hard not to in Philadelphia, which is a bit of an artsy place, so long as you know the right people.

Thankfully, they all want to do some kind of comic/graphic novel with me.

The only thing is...I don't know if they can.

"It's not me, it's you."

I've known my best friend Seth since we were 8 years old. We hang out pretty regularly these days and talk online every day. So yeah, we're still tight. He does computer stuff at a college in center city. He also draws his own tattoos, which are probably the most out-there (in a good way) tattoos I've ever seen. We've been trying to find something to work on for at least 10 years. He always tells me "I'll draw whatever, so long as you write it." That's all well and good, but I've never actually seen sequential art from him. Plus, I figure his regular day job is his priority so I'd better come up with something damn good if I want it to actually happen. I know these people in real life so having a conversation about what THEY want to draw should be easy, right? Yeah, I can write whatever but I'd rather it be something we're both equally invested in to keep him happy and producing. Aside from that, with Seth I would want to work on something that's a real testament to our 20 year friendship instead of just some random bullshit. Something like the "Wake Up" arc in Daredevil that Bendis and Mack did.

There's also Seth's brother Jude. Yes, their parents are goddamn hippies. :) Jude has been taking art classes in school and I always study his stuff when I walk through his room. Some real mind-blowing stuff. He's only recently mentioned to me an interest in working together on something. We'll have to talk it out further some time in the future. As close as I am with Seth, I think that Jude and I may have a better shot at actually completing something. However, as with Seth, I haven't seen any sequential art from Jude. Can he tell a story with his art?

Then there's Steve. Seth met Steve while they were both waiting for the same person to sell them some paraphernalia. At the time, Steve was a cook at the bar that I go to now. He has since moved on. He's a tattoo artist in his spare time. He does Seth's tattoos and he'll be the guy I go to eventually to get The Trust symbol put on my body somewhere. I consider him a good friend, even though we've never actually had a one-on-one conversation. He's one of those life-of-the-party types. But unlike other people with that "type" where you can tell they're forcing it, it's as natural to him as breathing. He's into comics but not as big as me or even Seth. One time he told me that he wanted to tattoo Venom and one thigh and Carnage on the other. I really hope he decided on something else. Though I guess they would kind of fit in with the Optimus Prime tattoo he has on his back. So, yeah...he seems like an easy-to-please type as far as finding something to work on. Anything with ninjas killing zombies with some Punk Rock girls thrown in is right up his alley. However, yes, as good as a tattoo artist as he is, I've never seen any sequential art from him either!

I don't know whether to just talk with these guys and write something or give them maybe a few shorts just to see what they can do.

I also know this guy Dave, who bartends at the place I go to, but I don't know what kind of working relationship a writer and a sculptor can have. He showed me a bust he was working on when I went to the bar on New Year's Eve and it was actually pretty impressive. The next time I saw him I asked how he "digs in" and all he really said was he makes a small version first. It can't be that easy, can it? Sounds like another talk with him is in the wings.

Anyway, down to the bottom line. Like I said, I'm up for writing whatever regardless of the genre. I would also try to do like what Bendis said he did on Ultimate Marvel Team-Up and write to his artists' strengths, even though I don't know what those are as of yet with my people. I have a good idea of where each person's interests may lie, but I still feel I need to talk to everyone to get some kind of indication on how to proceed. I want to keep everyone happy so that work can continue, which would make me happy.