Being invulnerable or super fast or hyper-intelligent or shooting laser beams out of your eyes makes being a super hero a lot easier. But we all have more commonplace heroes in our lives who have come through us in all kinds of ways. So this week's Sharing Day topic is:
What is the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
If you like, in return for answering my question to you, you may ask a question of me on any topic and I'll do my best to answer honestly and completely. Just leave your reply (and question, if any) as a comment. The goal is to learn a little more about our community and to put some positive vibes out there on this Spring Break-like Friday!
As for me and my answer to this question ... On a professional level, I would have to say the distinction goes to the Chief Editor at UGO, Chris, who allowed me to take control of HeroMachine back from them so the community of creators -- all of you out there -- could continue using it and sharing your imaginations. I still can't quite believe the generosity of spirit and dedication to the highest ideals of the geek community that took. Thanks, Chris, you are the man.
I look forward to hearing from you about the acts of kindess you've experiences in your life, personally or professionally!
My wonderful husband to be rescued me from a very abusive home. Personally I owe him so much that I can’t repay and I think that I am very lucky to get away from the emotional and mental torture.
Jeff, my question to you: Will there still be an option to have a paid version of HM3? I would love to be able to use it if my internet decides to go out on me as I use the program fairly often with story building.
The local bar owner, after I mentioned using the bar in my comic, offered to pay the publishing costs of the comic when it’s ready and to sell the comics at the bar for as long as it is published.
Jeff: If you had a single story to pitch, what would it be and would it be in serial or graphic novel format?
Your husband sounds great, Amy Elf!
Yes, a paid download of HM3 is very much still in the offing. I need to get on that ASAP.
Sounds good. Let me know when that becomes available.
Hm, I don’t have a story ready to mind that I would want to do. But the format that interests me most is a mini-series format of a planned duration, like 12 issues or whatnot.
I don’t know why that seems different to me than a Trade Paperback or true graphic novel, but it does. I’d love to do comics along the lines of British TV shows, where you do two “seasons” max and then move on. I think part of the problem with American comics (and TV shows) is that they hang on so long they rapidly venture into soap opera territory. I mean, when your character’s been bombed, nuked, mutated, time portaled, gender-switched, betrayed, redeemed, killed and come back to life, and yet you still have to try and write stories, it gets ridiculous.
So whatever it is would be of a planned, relatively short duration. And I would want it to be new, not a Superman or Batman series. I wouldn’t want to deal with the baggage of an existing universe.
Ooooh…tough one. Ummmm…probably gonna say my parents, just generally, are the kindest to me. There’s so much they do for me!
Specific act? Possibly Dad letting me read all (well, most) of his books – between him, me and my sister we probably have over 1000 books! Most of them fantasy or scifi!! 😀
Oops, nearly forgot my question. Hmm…I’ve got to think of one now!
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OK, Jeff: What’s the best piece of writing, in your opinion, that you ever did, and why? And by writing I mean story, creative writing, poetry…even film reviews and stuff if you can’t think of anything else!
That’s sort of how I’m doing mine at first. The beginning run is probably going to be a trade or graphic in itself. The next will be like a 5 or 10 years later kind of deal. They’re new characters based on amalgamations of existing characters in any of the comic universes. For example, McKnight is a combination of Batman and Deadpool mixed with Wolverine’s lifespan plus another hundred and fifty years. Under the mask, however, he has Tony Stark’s look with Hal Jordan’s style.
I was in this consert of one of my favourite bands, but as I’m rather short and otherwise small, I got pushed around in the crowd and lost track of my friend. I got pushed around some more until I fell to the floor right on the feet of this kind couple, who took this small, panic-striken girl (adult but about the size of an Hobbit) under their protection for the rest of the event. I don’t even know their names, but they did a huge favour to me, and I’m forever thankful for them. And as much as I still like the music of that band, I don’t think I’ll ever go to their conserts again.
Someone has propably asked this from you before Jeff, but what is your favourite music band or artist?
Hm, good question. I’d say probably either this old personal blog post about my misadventures trying to brine a turkey one Thanksgiving, or this one about the passing of my father.
I’m so pedestrian in my musical tastes, it’s kind of sad. I like 1970s era singer-songwriters a lot like James Taylor and Carol King. Mostly now I listen to country music, so artists like the Zac Brown Band, George Strait, the Dixie Chicks, and the like fill up most of my iPod.
Strangely, though, the most-listened to song on there from the past year is “Moves Like Jagger”. Weird.
My father-in-law gave my wife and I the money to make the down payment on our first home. I may only be related to him by marriage, but he means far more to me than the father nature stuck me with.
Hah hah hah! That turkey story is hilarious, Jeff!
In September I was suffering from sever physical and emotional pain. The pain was so bad I tried to kill myself. I honestly took so many pills the doctors at the hospital have no clue how I lived. So the nicest thing that has ever been done for me was when God kept me alive in a “I should be dead” situation and let me walk away with no internal damage.
Jeff my question to you if you could make a team of 7 heroes who would that team include? You can mismatch from different comic universes/movies/tv shows
I guess I would say the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me would be back on a Veterans day when I was out drinking with some soldier buddies and when we were about to pay an older man came up and paid the bill for us. It was over 70 dollars so I thought it was cool. @Jeff, do you know of any good tattoo artist? I was researching my family crest and liked it as a piece of art but I figured, back then they had to make a crest up so why can’t I? I designed my own crest on HM LOL and I wanted to take it to someone who could make it look a little cooler but stick to my overall design.
This one took me a while, and I’m not sure it’s the kindest thing that’s ever happened to me, but it’s got to rank up there, and it makes for a good story.
I had just gotten out of class at the university, and was taking the train downtown to meet a few of my friends, and happened to be in the same car as a guy who went to high school with, and this guy had been a bit of a bully to me back then. He said hi, and made some small talk with me, and I tried to be polite, but I was a bit guarded, because old habits die hard. As the train came to a stop, he then said he had to go, but he wanted to apologize for his behavior back in school, and that he felt sorry for treating me badly.
Turn this one around, Jeff. What’s the kindest thing you’ve ever done for someone? Mine was probably spending the day with my now-fiancee on 9/11 while she was freaking out because her brother was working the Pentagon at the time, and she couldn’t get in contact with him until later that night. Thankfully in this case, everything turned out okay.
i was about 2 play heromachine 3, but, its not there. do u kno wat happened 2 it?
The kindest ever? I’m not sure, but it’s what springs to mind …
In junior high, I was a weird, chubby, spotty kid, the only girl in my grade on the math team, that sort of thing. So of course, following in the footsteps of Cyrano de Bergerac, I had a tremendous crush on one of the most popular, attractive, athletic guys in school. And I was not very good at hiding it. I’d be really surprised if he wasn’t teased about it by someone at some point. But that boy never treated me with anything but courtesy, never let on how annoying I must have been. It wasn’t until many years later that it occurred to me how differently a popular adolescent might have responded. He could have just ignored me, or made me feel really bad about myself. Instead he was always friendly, which made the letdown of him not really being interested in me a lot easier to take. So thank you, Curtis, wherever you are.
On a funnier note, this topic made me think of this “Nice Yo Mama Battle” video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_ILtLWVHW4&feature
I’m so sorry to hear about your troubles, alphaalpharomeo, but I am happy you seem to have come out the other side.
As for the team, I’ll go with Superman and six other people who don’t matter because Superman.
Alas, I am tatt-free and do not know of any good tattoo artists to recommend.
I’d say that would probably be by way of my lovely wife, with whom I’ve helped rescue over 400 abandoned dogs.
You realize that Batman and any randomly selected former Robin would beat your team, don’t you? Because Batman, that’s why.
i would say my best friend, who dragged me out of my solidtude after high school and showed me that even somebody with disastrous social skills as me can make friends.
BURN!!! LOL!
I spent a lot of time in the hospital last year and after the first week, my husband bought me a new kindle. I’d wanted an e-reader for a while but didn’t have the money for it. He said he knew how important books are to me and this way I could have as many as I wanted without having to worry about keeping track of them. The Bear is a very understanding and wonderful guy and I’m constantly surprised by his thoughtfulness.
My parents have always been the kindest to me, in every way. But for random or unexpected kindness, the standout is actually my high school drama teacher–a woman who had such a ferocious reputation she was more commonly called “Mrs Darkside” than by her actual name. She let me do my monologue without an audience after I freaked out and ditched class to avoid it, without penalty.
(I guess I should have first set the scene by admitting my phobia about public speaking is why I work at Walmart–the Children’s Lit class I needed to take to get into the Library Science masters program required constant presentations, and I simply…couldn’t. So you understand I wouldn’t have been in the high school drama class at all, except for cruel fate. Which is to say, the bully dedicated to making my life hell happened to be in my PE class, and I begged to be allowed to switch classes to get away from him. I even prayed to be let out: “God, please, even if drama is all I can get into.” This may be why God and I are no longer on speaking terms.)
What’s your favorite character (yours or somebody else’s) to draw?
Hmmm, tough call. My family and friends do so much for me that it’s hard to decide. I’d have to go with when my friend lent me $175 because I was short on rent because my sister bailed on me. I was really upset and freaking out and she said, “Here. I was going to give it to the church anyway but I think they’d want you to have it more.” That was the sweetest thing anyone ever said to me.
For my question: Jeff, what is your favorite comics-to-live-action movie that you’ve ever seen?