033: what games journalists were like while hungover
Hullo.
I've managed to write my pages for today in the morning, and it's only 3pm, and if I get this done quickly, I think I can finish this and get some more pages written before my brain collapses in on itself and I just start writing gibbbsanfnsfmnsamamsf,ksaf.,asj.ag/;asasg
Contents!
Aphra, so Good
Fast Uber
Longer Uber
Thhrrrrroouuhggghhh The Looking Glass.
WorkBlog
Byeeeeeeeeeee!
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Where the second (i.e. third) arc of Doctor Aphra kicks off, with Doctor Aphra deciding what to do with the Rur archetype. Spoilers: nothing sensible.
Kevin's back, and so is a certain someone else. This is lots of fun.
I also handed in Aphra 14 on monday, and did some real work on the second half of year 2, which should take us up to issue 25. Busssssy.
***
Uber Invasion 7 was also out last week, which I'd somehow missed when scanning the release date. It was also, somewhat oddly, only out in the shops rather than digitally. It's on digital now, so you can go and grab it here.
(As an aside, it was interesting to see this as an angle on comics piracy in 2017. Back in the 00s, there was industrial level scanning stuff going on. In 2017, Uber Invasion 7 simply didn't turn up on the piracy sites. In other words, the core engine which drives piracy now seems to be 100% screen captures, and thus stuff which debuts in print first can slip the system. Of course, if more books were doing that, clearly pirates would respond to that, so I'm not suggesting it as a an anti-piracy tactic. I wouldn't be suggesting anything as an anti-piracy tactic. Piracy is something that doesn't really impact on my thinking or planning. That said, I smiled a little when I received no angry asks about Uber Invasion 7 in the last week, which sort of gives away the sort of reader who sends the angry asks and confirms my not really priotising answering them. Also, scans daily needs to be renamed to caps daily. I digress.)
Anyway! Uber Invasion 7 is set-piece battle issue, which starts the second trade. It's arguably the climax of the last trade, but could just be the opening track of the second side of a double-LP. The first year of Uber Invasion is a little Imperial Phase in that manner, in terms of it being really one twelve issue story rather than two six issue ones.
As I write on the back, it's odd having this one out – an idea I planned back in 2008, and only get around to writing just shy of a decade later. This must be how George RR Martin feels, except a little speedier.
Daniel did astoundingly well on this, btw. It's a tricky issue, to say the least.
Oh – and CINEMA PURGATORIO 11 is out, which I believe is the one inspired by Ex-Official Xbox Jon Hicks reminding me what games journalists were like while hungover. Write what you know, and all that.
***
Oh, talking Uber - here's a 20 minute video about Uber, done by Lobster Magnet, which basically talks about why it's worth reading. I think it's a good overview of what the book does, and hits it from a bunch of angles.
***
I mentioned Looking Glass Heights last week? It's online here now. Go reads.
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Interesting comic of the week would be...
Condo Heartbreak Disco, which was recommended to me a few months about (Thanks P.C.), and has finally reached the UK. Gleeful playful-yet-angry queer artcomix demonologist anti-gentrication comic basically. It's all just about losing myself in the page here – this impressionistic attack of a world, how it makes its choices, and the oblique angles of it all. I likes!
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It's been a week for starting new things, really. After finishing Aphra 14, I started work on the first draft of the first issue of Spangly New Thing. After that, I start work on another new project, which I'll call Ooh! Nice One! Thing, which should be announced soon. These periods are always exciting, and I've got months of this to come.
Oh – and David is redesigning Otto in Ludocrats, which is looking delightful. I'll have to show you some soon.
***
That's enough, I think.
Byeeee, etc.
Kieron Gillen
London
12.7.2017