The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

Watch on YouTube.

Today, we'll be talking to Wren about their upcoming graphic novel, "The House on Caple Hill."   

Art in the thumbnail is by Wren (Instagram: @wrenby_m).  

Watch the playlist of all of the podcasts we've recorded so far about this graphic novel. 

In this episode, we learn that Josofín is quite cut off from her surroundings, including her family, and struggles to connect with people.  Claude is one of the few people who agree with her that many societal conventions are repressive. 

However, he also encourages her to refine her societal mask, since his family depends on him for many things (he's the eldest son).  

In short, Claude and Josofín complement each other in many ways. However, Claude is somewhat of a gentle authoritarian who doesn't really encourage Josofín to find herself, unlike Laurel, another character we'll be comparing Josofín to in our next episode with @wrenby_m...stay tuned to find out more!  

We cover the following questions in this episode:  

1) What are Josofín's key personality traits? 

2) What are Claude's key personality traits? 

3) How do these two interact? When do they get along the best and when do they argue the most? 

4) What traits does Josofín like the most about Claude? What does she dislike the most about him? 

5) What traits does Claude like the most about Josofín? What traits does he dislike the most about her?  

6) What activities do they enjoy doing together? 

7) What were their first impressions of each other and do those impressions change?

Watch on YouTube.

Read the full transcript on my site.

This week's card from the Fortunus Games tarot deck is Knight of Cups, featuring Sam Abramov from my graphic novel, Sam in New York!

Sam is the prototypical Knight of Cups. He has always seen himself as a prince in shining armour and is extremely idealistic (at least on the surface), to the point of appearing like Don Quixote at times.

In most portrayals, the Knight wears a cloak with fishes on it, which symbolizes consciousness and creativity. In contrast, Sam's cloak shows smiley faces, showing his love for popular culture, comedy, and pranks. The cloak's also yellow and pink, his two favorite colors.

The background is dry and barren, symbolizing the Knight of Cups’ ability to turn that barrenness into something. Sam's doing just that with his movies, jokes, and advertising skills! He's got plenty of imagination to share with the world!

Watch on YouTube.

This is episode 4 of our "Golden Age Superman" series, which you can check out here.

Recently, after watching The Batman 2022 and making a reaction/review video of it last week (see below for links), Tete and I thought more about Superman and why a lot of his movies aren't that well done.

From her perspective, anyways. She thinks - and I would agree with her - that Superman's character has been changed since the Golden Age of his series, which was in the 1930s and 40s.

After WWII, his character got increasingly sanitized and was turned into another version of Captain America, so to speak, sort of a role model for young boys to teach them about responsibility.

In these next few podcast episodes, we'll be exploring how and why Tete doesn't like Silver Age Superman stories and why she prefers Golden Age in general.

Questions:

1. You've been working on a new story that's based on your own interpretation of Superman. Can you tell us about it? What is it called?  

2. Where did you get the idea to work on this?  

3. What format will this story be in? Will it be pitched to DC? Do you think it'll be a comic, if accepted?

--

Links:

Our podcast, "The Nuts and Bolts of Writing" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvd4C7fSOawTalthFUirt-iRNtxKPANfW

Our podcast on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

My live reaction and review of The Batman (2022): https://youtu.be/rji-ME1OCOE

Tete's Review of The Batman (2022) - filmed before I watched it so I was just interviewing her: https://youtu.be/zFjGbYthVhw

Watch on YouTube.

Read the transcript on my website.

This week's card from the Fortunus Games tarot deck is the Page of Cups featuring Malka Spitzer from my graphic novel, “The Book of Joel”! We're nearing the end of the Suit of Cups!

The Page of Cups wears a blue tunic with flowers on it and a beret with a scarf. She's holding a cup with a fish sticking out of it.

The fish and the waves behind her symbolize water and intuition, creativity, feelings, and emotions. The fact that the fish is unexpected symbolizes surprising and unexpected things in life and how Malka is willing to be surprised and enjoy being surprised (unlike Joel).

All in all, Malka as the Page of Cups is a sweet-natured individual who loves the arts and is very spiritual. She is compassionate, loving, and wants to enjoy the fruits of life and love.

Watch on YouTube.

This is episode 3 of our "Golden Age Superman" series, which you can check out here.

Recently, after watching The Batman 2022 and making a reaction/review video of it last week (see below for links), Tete and I thought more about Superman and why a lot of his movies aren't that well done.

From her perspective, anyways. She thinks - and I would agree with her - that Superman's character has been changed since the Golden Age of his series, which was in the 1930s and 40s.

After WWII, his character got increasingly sanitized and was turned into another version of Captain America, so to speak, sort of a role model for young boys to teach them about responsibility.

In these next few podcast episodes, we'll be exploring how and why Tete doesn't like Silver Age Superman stories and why she prefers Golden Age in general.

Questions:

1. How do the villains in Golden Age Superman compare to those of the Batman canon? Which are your favorites (mention Lex Luthor) and how do they compare to Batman villains?

2. How do you think Golden Age Superman should be portrayed? How would you describe his personality? Is he as much of a contrast to Batman as he seems to be in recent media, like the Snyderverse movies?

--

Links:

Our podcast, "The Nuts and Bolts of Writing" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvd4C7fSOawTalthFUirt-iRNtxKPANfW

Our podcast on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

My live reaction and review of The Batman (2022): https://youtu.be/rji-ME1OCOE

Tete's Review of The Batman (2022) - filmed before I watched it so I was just interviewing her: https://youtu.be/zFjGbYthVhw

Watch on YouTube.

Read transcript here.

This week's card from the Fortunus Games tarot deck is the Ten of Cups featuring Joel Farber, Malka Spitzer, and their kids, Abigail and Rubin, from my graphic novel, “The Book of Joel”!

The Ten of Cups symbolizes divine love, contentment, alignment, and familial happiness. Joel and Malka have finally decided to come together. Now they have everything they've ever wished for - a loving home, fulfilling love, and beautiful children to share their love with.

This is a groundbreaking milestone for both of them since they came from dysfunctional homes. Now they have the chance to break free of the cycle and create the home life they've always wished for. They also have endless opportunities to talk about life, their interests, and more.

Above them is a rainbow, which is a sign from the Divine that everything will be alright.

Watch on YouTube.

This is episode 2 of our "Golden Age Superman" series, which you can check out here. 

Recently, after watching The Batman 2022 and making a reaction/review video of it last week (see below for links), Tete and I thought more about Superman and why a lot of his movies aren't that well done. From her perspective, anyways. She thinks - and I would agree with her - that Superman's character has been changed since the Golden Age of his series, which was in the 1930s and 40s.   

After WWII, his character got increasingly sanitized and was turned into another version of Captain America, so to speak, sort of a role model for young boys to teach them about responsibility. 

In these next few podcast episodes, we'll be exploring how and why Tete doesn't like Silver Age Superman stories and why she prefers Golden Age in general.  

Questions:  

1. How did Batman's character change throughout the 20th century? Did he change as much as Superman? Why or why not, do you think?  

2. Why was Superman allowed to be "sanitized" while Batman got edgier and edgier? Do you think that's why Batman appears to be more popular than Superman, because he is edgier and less of a "boy scout" who seems too idealized?  

3. Do you think there are a lot of similarities between Batman, especially the most recent incarnation of him in The Batman (2022), and Golden Age Superman?

--

Links:

Our podcast, "The Nuts and Bolts of Writing" on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvd4C7fSOawTalthFUirt-iRNtxKPANfW

Our podcast on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/fortunus-games

My live reaction and review of The Batman (2022): https://youtu.be/rji-ME1OCOE

Tete's Review of The Batman (2022) - filmed before I watched it so I was just interviewing her: https://youtu.be/zFjGbYthVhw

Watch on YouTube.

Tete Depunk and I decided to make a podcast episode about why she got rid of Zindel, her newest character who was based on Golden Age Superman.  

Zindel was first introduced in this episode (episode 163 on Anchor, which technically hasn't been released yet, but it's been on YouTube for months).

Watch on YouTube.

Read "The Shadow Self" here.

My other "The Shadow Self" Webtoon development videos: 

Intro (first episode)

Second episode

Watch on YouTube.

Read the full transcript here. 

Check out all of my Fortunus Games tarot cards here. 

This week's card from the Fortunus Games tarot deck is the Nine of Cups featuring Joel Farber from my graphic novel, “The Book of Joel”!  The Nine of Cups is associated with happiness and satisfaction. 

In a love reading, the Nine of Cups indicates that the relationship is going well. It also indicates the enjoyment of sensual pleasures such as eating delicious meals and making love.  

In my Nine of Cups, Joel sits on a bench in front of a curved structure draped in blue cloth. He looks happy and satisfied as he thinks about his life and the way it's developing. Without a doubt, he's thinking about Malka and the life he wants to build with her.