My second sold story came right on the heels of my first, which should have been great for getting me some momentum as a published writer. But a schedule change pushed the release to almost a year after Creepy #6.
I love working from prompts, and Dan Braun had mentioned looking for a story with a classic twist, one that then went one twist further.
I sent in several pitches with that in mind. “Beta-Eden” was the only sci fi story in the batch, and I was hoping that they wouldn’t pick it. I’ve always been intimidated by science fiction and didn’t feel it was an area I could be strong in.
Of course, they picked “Beta-Eden.”
It was scheduled to run in Creepy #7, which would give me back to back appearances. Even the solicitations for #7 listed me in the credits. But there were plans to revive Creepy’s sister publication, Eerie, and they wanted some sci fi horror for that series, so it was decided to move my story to Eerie #1.
Cover to Eerie #1. Cover art by Jim Pavlec.
It was an honor to be included in the inaugural relaunch of Eerie, even though I was bummed about waiting so long for the release. But the best thing about doing Eerie was getting paired with artist Rafa Garres! I had seen some of his Jonah Hex pages and was thrilled when the editor suggested him as an artist. He really saved my ass on that story because the script was kind of dense with dialogue. Rafa made that story look way better than it read.
Rafa and I have remained in contact ever since and have been hoping to work together again soon. He designed the logo for my creator-owned supernatural Spaghetti Western, Pale Riders, with artist Dug Nation. (More on that project in another entry.) Rafa is also committed to illustrating our adaptation of Jeffrey Thomas’ Punktown story, “The Reflections of Ghosts,” as part of a larger project adapting several of Jeffrey’s Punktown works.
You can see more of Rafa’s work here: https://www.facebook.com/rafa.garres
He also has a considerable amount of original art for sale, so send him a message of you’re interested.
You can also purchase a digital copy of Eerie #1 here: https://digital.darkhorse.com/profile/2214.eerie-comics-1/
Here is the script and some art to “Beta Eden,” followed by the pitch. For the script, I’m showing you the one the editor and I worked on to reduce the wordiness at the end so it wasn’t a nightmare for the letterer, and also to avoid covering too much of Rafa’s artwork. You’ll see the tracked changes of what was deleted. It’s good example of how you really can get more economical with your wording when you absolutely have to.
Christopher A. Taylor 