THE CHUK CHRONICLES #05
New comics, a new TV show, paper perils, my link to One Piece and a journey to the belly of the beast.
Perhaps you're a friend, a fan or even a foe. Wherever our paths have crossed, welcome to the Chuk Chronicles – my newsletter keeping the world-at-large up-to-speed with my comics, books, TV episodes and other writing. It’s been a little while since our last letter… but for good reason! Some big, new projects have come up and kept me real, real busy. Some old projects have popped up in surprising places, too.
THE NEXT COMICS
Contract’s signed. One script’s been delivered, and I’m in the thick of writing the rest. The comics I’ve been hinting at over these past letters are a go. I’m extra amped today because a certain creative collaborator’s joining me on the ride now, too…
And it is going to be a wild ride. I’m getting to cut loose creatively and raise such Hell on each page, I’m surprised at what we’re getting away with. These are the kind of comics that’d make my middle school English teacher blanch – which is always a standard to aim for – and that’ll actually make several more layers of sense once the project’s announced.
The date’s still pending. It’ll be sooner than you’d expect, though. We’re going at an exhilarating pace, creative juices firing like octane in a turbo engine… but for the time being, I must remain cryptic.
THE NEXT SHOW
While I’m being cryptic, let me also share that I was staffed on a new TV show last month. It’s for a studio I’ve worked with before, but with a roster of talent I’m meeting for the first time and having a blast getting to know as colleagues.
As is the “new normal” in TV, right now, the writer’s room is virtual, with everybody Zooming in from different states and even countries. Since it’s a sci-fi show, it’s extra poignant to step back from the whole experience and realize our day-to-day workflow would’ve seemed like far-out futurism not too long ago. I think a lot about the Spaceship Earth ride at EPCOT, with its mannequins doing video calls from all corners of the globe, and how unbelievable it once seemed. Yet, now… here we are.
Anyway, unlike the comics project, it’ll be a long time before this show gets announced (and longer still before it airs). I’d guess late 2022, at the earliest, but that’s only a guess. While I’ll be involved in the comics’ production all the way through to release, once I hand in my last teleplays, the baton will pass to crew, cast and other parties. So it goes with TV. Still, so fun working with everybody on it, now.
This next topic, though? A little less fun...
ANDY & THE PERILS OF PAPER SHORTAGE
The quick update about Andy Xenon is that the supply chain disruption going all over has again gotten in our way. Our printer has told us it's dealing with a paper shortage, now, which means the comic will have to be printed in January. As a comics reader, I'd much rather hear about exciting characters and stories than the technical minutiae of printing orders, file transfers, delivery estimates, etc. As a creator, that stuff isn't sexy to talk about either, believe me. But since this has been drawn out longer than we hoped, I think everybody who pre-ordered the book deserves a longer version of this quick update, so I’ve gone into more detail at Zoop’s site.
Since people can’t have and hold Andy Xenon just yet, let me steer the subject to something I wrote which everybody can enjoy in all its glory, right this moment...
“SOMETHING I ATE”
My first episode on Ben 10 has been released in various formats and on various platforms since it aired. Not until just recently did I learn that one such platform is the official Ben 10 YouTube channel – and extended clips from “Something I Ate” are some of the most-viewed there. Here’s a bite-sized one…
If you want to see what happens after Ben’s “secret Kung Fu” techniques settle into Slurpstack’s noggin, the whole episode’s available on Amazon Prime.
When I was first cooking this up, I reasoned that pitches involving Four-Arms or XLR8 were probably the most typical coming in, while Grey Matter was the less obvious option. He’s underrated like that. So, it’s a bit validating to see the pint-sized mastermind’s gross-out journey has ranked so high with fans.
I got the rare and rad opportunity to actually sit on the recording session for this episode and watch Tara Strong, Todd Haberkorn, Greg Cipes and the rest of the cast read my lines live while animatics played on screen. I hadn’t seen any art based on my script up until then, so it was so surreal seeing those animatics fly – as if there were some direct video tap into my mind’s eye. Jenn Strickland and Ryan Kramer drew such spot-on boards for this one, too.
The craziest part, though, was watching Dee Bradley Baker play Slurpstack and do all these monster sounds live. He had such command of his voice, knowing exactly where to pinch his nose to get the right resonance to make a roar sound just like it was coming out of a giant mutant. And if the voice director said, “Hey Dee, that was great, but could you make it a little wetter next take?” he’d lick his lips very precisely, then do the roar again – and yes, it’d sound the same, but wetter.
I suppose it’s ironic, to an extent, that “Something I Ate” has had this second life on YouTube. As popular as Ben 10 is in America, it’s actually even more popular in Europe, so this season premiered everywhere else in the world first. And for nearly a year, I had the uniquely contemporary predicament of seeing that my episode was bootlegged on YT (taped right off somebody’s grainy TV in Spain, say), then having to fight the temptation to spoil the experience of its proper premiere. Yet, now… here we are. You can watch it properly on that same platform, with clear sound and picture.
While we’re on the subject of streaming, cartoons and patience, now…
THE ONE PIECE THAT ALMOST WAS
Netflix recently announced the cast for the live-action version of One Piece which Tomorrow Studios is making for them. I’ve no connection to this show, but I was a consultant on a different iteration when different companies had the option. They were hoping to adapt One Piece into at least one Hollywood blockbuster.
My job was to sit in a conference room with the writers, producers, etc, and offer thoughts – as an “anime expert” – while they went through a treatment, line-by-line. These were marathon sessions, going on for seven or eight hours straight without breaks. Pizzas would be brought in to munch on while we talked. You could step out to the bathroom when you needed to go, but the meetings would never pause.
I like One Piece, but we ran into a lot of conceptual knots which made it look harder to adapt than other comics. First, the matter of tone. When I try to explain the series to friends, I say it’s like if the Oz books went on for 1000+ episodes, with Dorothy and crew all steadily leveling up into asskickers. The whimsy of its world has this continual tension with its violence – and that goes for the lead, Luffy, more than any other part.
Luffy’s this happy-go-lucky Pollyanna who only wants for food and fun until, say… a villain makes children overdose on drug-laced candy. Then, he’ll abruptly take on this steely-eyed fury and proceed to beat the shit out of said villain. The appeal of One Piece, as I explained to these producers, is the continual catharsis of seeing Mickey Mouse get pushed too far, basically.
While this works in anime – because you have to accept a baseline surrealism at the gate, I think – it’s far trickier to pull off in live-action without feeling jarring. Also, Eiichiro Oda’s Gorey-esque designs for characters like Brook and Franky are so idiosyncratic, it’s tough to retain their charm in photo-realism. I’ve yet to see “rubberneck” powers like Luffy’s look right in live-action, either.
Anyway, I think the version I consulted on fell apart for these reasons over others. I notice this new show’s cast list doesn’t include any of the inhuman Straw Hats like Brook or Franky, so I’m sure its showrunners have noticed the same knots. I don’t envy their positions, but if they’ve managed to crack this nut (or slice this Devil Fruit, as it were), I’ll be first in line to stream it.
(Incidentally, I learned a lesson at these development meetings after invoking Save the Cat’s “rules.” After chastising me for such a rookie mistake, one exec asked me what my storytelling rules were – as those were what I was presumably offering as a consultant over what they could get simply buying the book.)
Speaking of books you can get…
Before we worked together, Nikos made this fantastic comic, Errand Boys, with my longtime pal, DJ Kirkbride. It just found a new home at Dark Horse in a handsome new collected edition. As the title suggests, it’s about a runner who takes on the shady odd jobs of the future, and his day-to-day getting flipped upside-down when a hitherto-unknown half-alien half-brother steps into his life suddenly.
Nikos’ art races like bullet out of a gun from panel one and never ceases this dynamic, fluid energy. Every page layout feels like a roller coaster ride in of itself. DJ’s said this is a more personal story than you’d expect and that emotional honesty pierces through at many points. The title characters’ awkward family relationship feels so real. And without giving away too much, there’s a heartbreaking, treacherous twist toward the end which makes you feel how precious time can be in such a visceral way. Again, a fantastic comic by two fantastic talents.
TIPS & TRICKS
Normally, I’d like to field a fan question about writing craft and give an in-depth answer, but I’ve got a script with a deadline this week. A quick thought on juggling projects does feel relevant and timely now, though…
I’ve been asked how I can manage switching from story to story, especially if they’re in different media, genres, age-levels, etc. I don’t practice meditation, but I can see why some writers do. Getting into the right headspace for a given story is a mental exercise, for sure. Sometimes, I’ll pick a music playlist to set the mood. Most times, it’s simply a matter of pointedly pausing for a moment before I start a session. From a more pragmatic view, though… this is just one more area of writing which rewriting applies to. Doesn’t matter how you turned over a draft, you’ll always have to tweak it, and it’s surprising how a few simple word choices can drastically re-shape tone, genre, etc.
Getting that draft done is the eternal challenge, of course. I think of a saying my big sister had about writing being a matter of taking things “bird by bird.” I forget where the phrasing comes from, but it just means breaking a story up into smaller, easier-to-manage goals. If it’s a comic, do page breakdowns, then panel breakdowns. If it’s a teleplay, do a pass for dialogue, then a pass for scene descriptions. Each uses a different part of the brain, and putting one part to use while another takes a rest is what balance is about. And juggling’s all about balance, no?
I’ll be sharing more Tips & Tricks in future Chuk Chronicles. If you have any writing questions, thoughts on my work, or bon mots, shoot me a message. You might get answered here! I’ll catch everybody in 2022!