Disclaimer The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent my employer's view in anyway.
In life, there are a few things you can be sure of, but the kind of job you end up doing isn’t one of them.
It happened to me. Due to a long series of coincidences, I found myself doing something I never thought of – writing.
I started with a 12-episode comic series for a big Italian publisher. Then I wrote comic scripts for an American children’s magazine; this is when I started my collaboration with Nick.
When I think back to those days, it all sounds very unlikely. At the time I still lived in Italy, and Nick was in England. The only way we could communicate was by phone and by ordinary post. Then Nick bought a fax machine, and everything became easier, although I still had to rely on access to a friend’s fax. Then we both got computers, although compared to the ones we have today they looked like shoeboxes with keyboards attached. Suddenly, the world shrunk – Italy and England were seconds apart.
It was at this point that Tom Pomplun, and American publisher, contacted Nick. Strange things happen in life – he was looking for someone else, and came across Nick’s website. Tom thought that Nick’s style was suitable for a project he had in mind: an adaptation of Orson Welles’ 1938 radio broadcast of H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds.
It was the first thing Nick and I did for Graphic Classics©, the beginning of a long adventure that I hope will continue for a long time.
I have very little experience of publishers, but Tom is definitely not the kind of publisher you see in the movies: the kind who only publishes work by writers they think will make them a lot of money. As far as I know, Tom doesn’t drive around in a Ferrari, and I don’t think he’s on Bill Gates’ Christmas list.
Sometimes I find myself crying on his shoulder (metaphorically speaking; he is in the US and I live in England) because some critic has given me a poor review. Yes, I still have a soft skin!
He always has words of encouragement, and a very soft touch when he disagrees with something and wants it changed. He has an iron fist in a velvet glove, if you know what I mean.
I’m always amazed by his talent for finding the right artist for a script, someone who can give the perfect twist to the story. Sometimes I have been puzzled by his choice, but then realised what he was looking for.
I have no advice to offer him, although I know he is as affected by a bad review as I am. Perhaps we should both follow the advice Vigil gives to Dante: Non ti curar di lor, ma guarda e passa, which translates as: Don’t pay attention to them, but give them only a glance and walk away.
Good luck!
Tom Pomplun
Batman or Mr Incredible?
Who’s Mr. Incredible? Oh, I just looked him up on the web. Actually, that was one of the few Pixar movies I’ve enjoyed. I hate the rubbery look of most computer animation.
What’s in your drawer?
I’m not sure. Whatever it is, it is buried under a lot of junk.
What was the first book you ever read?
Probably Dr. Seuss. The first “real” book I remember reading was John Wyndham’s “Day of the Triffids”.
On the road with…
My 1993 Honda. It’s got over 200,000 miles on it and still runs great, as long as the rust holds together. I read just yesterday that the resale value of 15-year-old subcompacts has risen 40% in the past year, due to the skyrocketing gas prices here in the U.S. More recent models get less gas mileage.
What would you read while travelling from Earth to the Moon?
Jules Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon”, of course. Or maybe Wells’s “First Men in the Moon”. I always loved it that Wells claimed Verne “can’t write himself out of a paper sack”.
What would you be happier without?
Twenty pounds.
It’s a waste of time…
Trying to get rid of that twenty pounds.
What do you wish you had bought but never got around to it?
Microsoft stock. X-Men #1. Oh wait, I did buy that, then foolishly gave it away along with most of my other comics.
Why do you do it?
Because I don’t know what else to do with my life.
Never give up
All the information they ask for.
Remember Me