Yes, it's my new favorite word.

During an interview, a famous writer was asked, "who gave you permission to write such that?" The interviewer was referring to the author's controversial but critically acclaimed new book.

The response: "I gave myself the permission."

An editor can give you "permission" to publish a story. A publisher can give you "permission" to get paid for a story. Only an author can authorize the creation of a story. That permission is yours and yours alone.

GOING TO TERM

She's growing a baby. He's growing a beard.

Many apologies to anyone who was looking forward to seeing me at Comic-Con this year. I've had a particularly hard week, and as Comic-Con grew closer, I felt it was better to work than go down there looking for more work.

There are a number of Jim Pascoe projects that have just been released ... more about that soon!

My UCLA class has begun! A hearty welcome to all of my students. Posting comments is welcome, but don't expect extra credit, you filthy suck-ups.

Today's tip takes the form of an open-ended question. A student asked last night: is there a particular genre that comics doesn't do well?

This question really throws me, because I immediately open it up to a broader scope: is there any genre that any medium doesn't handle well? My first response has to be no.

But that's too easy of an answer. There has to be an exception, right? I can think of plenty of genres that comics do well -- arguably better than other mediums. But genres that don't work? I'll suggest two.

1. Science Fiction. On the surface, sci-fi seems a natural for comics -- you can do huge "special effect sequences" that would blow the top off a film/tv budget. But maybe that's the problem. Neuromancer works because it paints a world that the reader must assemble in his/her mind. When you paint that world literally in comics -- as people have tried -- you fail. It's easy to fall flat. But this doesn't explain the fact that there are classic, excellent science fiction films (certainly many more that classic sci fi comics). Any Warren Ellis fans want to call me on this?

2. Horror. What? Am I crazy!? Horror comics are a staple of the American comics industry. From the glorious EC comics of the 1950s to Alan Moore's terrifying Swamp Thing run to the current work of folks like Steve Niles -- not to forget Japanese classics like Ringu -- you can't say that there aren't any horror comics. But the hard thing about horror in comics is that horror often depends on quick movement and sound (things that film does better than comics).

I've always wanted to do a horror comics that is throw-across-the-room terrifying. Is this even possible?