You might remember that right before I started my second bout with illness, I’d sent off a couple of HARLOW’S END proposal packets to Antarctic Press and (I think) DC Comics. In late November of ’97, I received a reply from Herb Mallette, then Editor-In-Chief of Antarctic Press.
It was indeed a rejection letter, but perhaps the nicest rejection letter I could ever hope to get. Herb had some ego-boosting things to say:
You manage to pull off quite a juggling act in the conceptual complexity of your setting and the size and distinctiveness of your cast. I also found Elijah’s character very appealing and well-designed as narrator – your trick of not revealing his “occupation” until halfway through the issue gives it more impact once it’s made known.
Herb goes on to explain the strikes HARLOW’S END had against it – it’s a science fiction-based story (which is true, I suppose, but only marginally), it’s by an unknown writer (that would be me), and it would need a super artist to deliver its full potential. The bottom line was, without a huge promotional push and/or a big name artist, he didn’t think the book would sell more than 2000 books a month – and Antarctic couldn’t chance that given the state of the 1997 market.
He was also kind enough to give me some constructive criticism, most importantly this:
Work up a really strong pitch paragraph for future cover letters or as a cover sheet to the character profile section. I was left flat by the profiles and synopses, and if I hadn’t read the full script (which editors don’t always do), I would have dismissed the project out of hand. You need a concise introduction to the series that will grab an editor with some of the personality and atmosphere that you’ve invested in the script, in order to guarantee that they WILL read the script.
I still have that problem to this day – I can’t seem to write a gripping paragraph about what HARLOW’S END is about. Sci-fi meets voodoo? Well, sorta. BLADE RUNNER in an alternate-reality New Orleans? Eh, kinda. A kid who comes to terms with his super-powers? Yeah, I suppose.
Herb went on to wish me luck, suggesting I might consider pitching for another Antarctic Press book, like ROBOTECH. Unfortunately, I had some other stuff going on that prevented me from giving that much thought.
Still, I felt chuffed – sure, it was a rejection, but it gave me a lot of hope. If he could see the potential in HARLOW’S END, someone else would!
(I never did get anything back from DC – not a rejection letter, not my proposal returned in the SASE I enclosed, nada. I wonder if I really DID send a HARLOW’S END packet to them, after all. I’m sure Antarctic couldn’t have been the only company I submitted to, but they were the only response I got back. Ah, well… that’s what I get for sending out proposals while on painkillers.)
Also during that hazy fall of ’97, I received a stellar sketch from Jim Cheung (now artist of CrossGen’s SCION). I had written him after I saw his IRON MAN work (during the best-forgotten “Tony the Teenager” storyline). He e-mailed me back and agreed to do a sketch for me. Of course, “sketch” is an understatement. The package arrived while I was in intensive care, and Michail and my parents brought it to me at the hospital.
I tell ya – Jimmy’s illustration of Elijah, Lilith, and Absalom did wonders for my mood (even viewed through my hazy veil of drugs). Jim’s been one of my favorite artists ever since – I’ve followed him from MAVERICK to X-FORCE to SCION. (If you want a challenge, dig out your back issues of MAVERICK and X-FORCE and look for my name written as graffiti!)
It also helped that Jim is just an all-around groovy guy – certainly one of the nicest people I’ve met in the industry. Plus, he’s British (extra credit points if you remember my UK obsession!).
Next: Gettin’ into DIGITAL WEBBING PRESENTS.