Alex Claw

The Long Night

By: Me

This was one of those stories that seemed to almost write itself, the first time it came out of my brainpan. A 12000 word story that I managed to write in 3 days, leaving me both exhausted and satisfied. That was a while ago and now we get to see it out of the small pool of people that once read it the first time.

I enjoyed this story, mainly because I could empathize with the character and hoped that if I had to ever suffer through what the character suffers in this story, I’d do the same things.

With that, read it, enjoy it, and leave a comment.

The Long Night

Dudes, another week’s gone and done with, I mean it happens every week, but this one is special in the regards that I haven’s really been doing my thing on this lovely little blog. So many things to do and not enough time to do it, I suppose. But I’m the kind of guy who likes to load his table with lovely greasy, bad for your thighs kind of work.

Therefore, I’ve been in the realm of fantasy and thought dancing. The best dancing is done in the head. Although I know the addition of projects to my already time consuming and soul crushing array is a bad thing, I cannot help but flesh out details on potential projects.

Most of them involve the writing of the novel, which was set aside because I wanted to focus on the webcomic and Bitterwater Tales, but as soon as that was announced and work begun on those projects, did the thoughts return to the novel. Crused thing that it is, lures me back when I declare my desire not to indulge in it.

I’ve had this comic idea in my head for the last several months, one I’m currently calling Project Whiskey, because it involves a lot of whiskey to write. It would be my attempts to delve into constrained comedy writing, which is a non changing series of panels.  Such things are good in the fact that they tend to promote the writing far above the art and as of currently the writing is something I need to concentrate more upon.

There’s also the whole mess of learning the self-publishing route. Not only for webcomics, but for books in general. There’s a lot to learn out there, a lot of resources, a lot of blogs, and a lot of people who delve into those kinds of things. My job now is to find them out, read what they’ve written, and from that launch my rickety rocket of love toward the moon and do it.

As things stand, BWT (Bitterwater Tales), will be featuring the zombie apocalypse novella that I’ve begun plotting out. This is to wander that economy of free route that’s taking shape in the land. Zombies and the post apocalypse are what I enjoy and why not write something in the form of a zombie apocalypse in the haps?  Yeah, yeah, another post apocalyptic story, but this one’s got heart and misery and hope and all sorts of sad and horrible shit. Just like you know you really do like it.

But that’s for the future, right now we’re in the present. And right now I’m done with this blog update.

For now, I think sleep is in order. Mr. Sandman, you’ve got me to yourself for the next half dozen hours.

Until I remember to write in this thing again…

-A

“The Duel on the Lava Planet” Written By: MerryPrankster, Written By: Psychomeltdown.

I’m saying parody, but others call it simply good stuff. Either way, an excellent read.

3×04 – “28 Years Later”

Episode written by: Leej, a good guy, really.  Artwork By: Me.

The Good Wear Pink, Written By: Alex Claw, Artwork By: Alex Claw

We fiually get to see the crew reunited and strike back against Honorblower and her nefarious ways.

In the dusty, wind scoured high plains of Arizona there is a radio tower that blasts 50 thousand watts of pure country into the atmosphere and into the AM radios that filled homes and cars. The voices of Charlie Daniels, Conway Twitty, George Jones, Loretta lynn,and Pasty Cline would issue forth and hit my little child ears and lodge themselves in my still forming brainpan, thereby causing this early enjoyment of country music.

It was the only radio station that hit our neck of the dusty semi desert of Arizona, it was the only music to listen to, and it wasn’t all that bad. In fact, I don’t believe I listened to anything else until I was in my teen years.

From that formative crucible of music and life, I came to completely adore the whole acoustic genre of music. Nothing fancy, no big orchestras, no fifty million layers of music and instruments, no squeal of the electric guitar, but the simple harmony of one voice and one guitar, played well and played together.

Which brings me to Bitter Ruin. I think I stumbled on the band while perusing Amanda Palmer’s (another good artist) forum, The Shadow Box, clicked the link, listened to their music, and grinned the grin of good music found.

With Georgia Train on vocals and Ben Richards on guitar, Bitter Ruin is what i like to call my kind of music. It’s not country, but it’s got that old school duality of voice and acoustic that bring back memories of classic artists like Johnny Cash and old school Loretta Lynn.

With Georgia’s cutting emotional soprano, balanced with Ben’s rich baritone and skillful playing, Bitter Ruin wanders the path of heartbreak, madness, death, and all those dodgy places in between. They sweep you off into these dark little places, flash these little insights of this world into your brain, and then carry you off into another realm of heights and wonder.

So, sit back and enjoy a listen to.

Good times.

Great episode written by: Doctor What, artwork by: Alex Claw.

Good times, bro.

I’ve decided to stop writing Absolute Power for the time being. It doesn’t mean I’ve given up on the story; it is simply a matter of a lack of time to give the book the full attention it needs.

If you didn’t know, Absolute Power is my book that combines a lot of elements I’ve always loved, superheroes, alternate history, steampunk elements, and the post apocalypse.

I’ve been pounding away at the keyboard to try to get it done by July, but as I look back over the last two and a half months, all that effort is causing some harm and disarray in the other projects I’ve been doing for years.

All Manner of Bad, the webcomic, has been suffering late updates, missed days, etc.

Bitterwater Tales, the short story site, has been suffering lack of updates, and an erratic schedule.

AH.com: the website has went for weeks without updates or titlecards.

The current season of the series I haven’t written an episode for in months.

The blog has pretty much withered on the vine as I’ve had no time to write for it.

Although I want to finish Absolute Power, I’m thinking it might be best if I used the time I’ve been giving it to better the things I’m currently involved in and begin a more intense form of promoting the work I’ve done.

There really is a lot of work that needs to be done for the sites I’m currently maintaining. Character portraits need to be updated, bios need to be written, desktops and the like need to be made, and the big one of promoting the work needs to be done. I’m not currently happy with the numbers for any of the sties and I think its time to get the word out about it.

All Manner of Bad will reach 500 strips this year and it’s my hope to have it printed in book form, which will require more time and money on my part. Which means less for Absolute Power…

Hopefully by the middle of next year everything will be running more smoothly… sheesh, planning for a year from now? Scary.

3×01 – Written By: Alex Claw, Artwork By: Alex Claw.

A long time ago this was written, after the dramatic events of the Season Finale of Season 2, we were pulling together all the scattered remainders of the crew once again.

I’m not dead, i just smell that way.

This blog seems headed toward self promotionville, not a bad place to visit, I’m told, but pretty boring if it’s all that’s there.  I’ll fix that soon.

My brain is working, a bit too much.

The Shiny beckons from every corner, shapely legs flashing.

I’ve got three ideas that are punching one another for my approval and attention (they’re just like KIDS!), but I have no time for them.  All I can do is write down as much of it as I can and hopefully use them or mine them later.

The Book is being a vicious mean teasing gal, she’s not giving it up easy.

This week has been Hell, the next looks to be the same.