Gnothi Seauton, Slaying Demons and Issues of Self-Faith

(Because of certain nondisclosure agreements, I cannot discuss specifics but I am going to tiptoe around certain aspects but hopefully everything will still be understandable.)
As I continue to forge ahead with my burgeoning comic book career, at times I find myself looking around and wondering how in the world I got to where I am. One of my favorite comic book writers is J. Michael Straczynski. I loved his run on Amazing Spider-Man and his current run on Thor has been Mighty. (Bad pun, I know.) Thor deals with the rich tapestry of Norse mythology—particularly the God of Thunder—and blends it seamlessly with the incredible complexity of the Marvel Universe.
Reading his run on Thor has given me fuel and inspiration as I was working on my own book that dealt with certain mythological aspects. (Again, NDA!) But I recently watched a fabulous movie that reminded me of another JMS quote. (And I am paraphrasing here.)
JMS said that once you decide to become a writer, you are screwed. You never look at the world the same way again because you will see great movies and say, “Will I ever write anything this good?” And then you will see terrible movies and say, “This is getting made and my stuff is sitting on a shelf unpublished?”
I have experienced exactly what Mr. Straczynski is talking about. And after watching the Robert Redford film Lions for Lambs, I often wonder if I will ever write anything as good.
The movie revolves around three very different stories that are all interconnected. The first is about two Special Forces soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, the second is a politician and a reporter, and the third is a California college professor having a conversation about potential with a stumbling student. The story is set very much in the present world. It explains to me in the clearest terms I have found yet about the United States and our involvement in the Middle East. And it is a movie that challenges you to do something important with your life.
When I was in Middle School, I was headed for the Air Force Academy and I was going to be a hotshot fighter pilot. Then I had moments of self-discovery where I learned that a) I throw up in single engine Cessna aircraft doing touch and go landings and b) I have a real problem with being shot at.
How was I going to fly F-16 Falcons throwing up in my oxygen mask? So my passions started leading me down other pursuits. What are the words inscribed at the Temple of Apollo at Delphi? “Gnothi seauton.” Translation: Know Thyself.
Through many twists and turns, I found myself writing. Now, any creative endeavor is going to be met with skepticism from other people, be it writing, singing, drawing, dancing—pretty much anything creative. But their opinions do not matter. They CANNOT matter. The only person you have to convince is yourself.
And now that I am writing in comics, I still have to wrestle with a terrible demon named Doubt. He is a dangerous and destructive foe. Every time I write something, I wonder. Is this any good? Am I any good? I’m just a guy from Adair, Oklahoma with a minimal amount of college education. What am I doing writing a mythology story?
But then I get notes back from editors. Positive notes. And I begin to remind myself that I am pretty darn good. Writing is my calling. This is what I was intended to do. I know that. Beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Can I still improve? Of course! And seeing fantastic movies like Lions for Lambs or reading the latest issue of Thor makes me want to improve. And I think that is the key. I still want to improve.
So as I search my soul and my skills for my version of Lions for Lambs, I am on a great quest. I want to find a story that challenges my readers and makes them consider their futures. It’s a tall task. It is a big challenge. And it may take years to complete. But you have to have goals in life. And I think I am well on my way to achieving my goals.

Maxims for a Life Well Spent

This quote was featured (albeit a bit edited) in the fantastic movie Coach Carter staring Samuel L. Jackson. If ever there was an inspirational passage to live your life by, this is it. I currently have this posted at my job as the Quote of the Week.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
--Marianne Williamson

I feel that I am living proof of this quote—although I’m not entirely certain “gorgeous” or “fabulous” have ever been used to describe me. However, I feel that by stepping out on the frontiers of my passion and following my dream, it has made me a better husband, father, friend, and even a better overall person. Follow Ms. Williamson’s advice. Be liberated of your fear. Liberate others. Let your light shine as God intended.
And if you are afraid of failing, just remember what Theodore Roosevelt said back in 1910:

It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.

The Best Job In The World

I’ve had some crappy jobs in the past and now that I am growing closer to writing full time, I consider my 9-to-5 as my job and writing is now my legitimate career.
When people talk about finding their dream jobs, most are often heard to comment that their job is the best job in the world. To each his own I imagine but I believe that I have empirical evidence that I have the best job in the world. Attached is a slightly edited version of an email that I sent out to my fellow writers for the company that I am working for (the stable of writers if you will):

Hello My Fellow Writers!
My name is Ryan Foley and I am working as a writer just like yourselves. I am in a bit of a pickle.
I am writing a scene in which my hero if fighting a massive and ill-tempered boar. For a visual reference for my future artist, I recommended watching the movie Hannibal with Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore. But I have come to an impassible roadblock when it comes to writing for the letterer regarding the boar's SOUND EFFECTS.
I live on a farm. I have been around pigs in the past. I'm walking around my house making pig noises but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to translate that into written word. I cannot write out the sound of what a rampaging boar would sound like.
All these pages of story and dialogue and characters and pacing and violence/action levels and the appropriateness of blood... and I'm snarled on the sound a pig makes. (Is there a better job in the world?)

So, in what will arguably come down to one of the strangest email requests you have ever received, could you make a pig noise and send me advice on how you would write that out?
Someone, anyone, please, help a fellow writer out!

Your best friend forever if you can help me,

Ryan Foley

Yes sir. The hardest part of my job yesterday was trying to write out phonetically what a rampaging boar might sound like. What did you do today at your job? I bet it wasn’t as crazy or as entertaining as that. And for the record, the answer to the question was written in the script as thus:
SFX (wild boar): GGGROWARRKK

God, I love my job…

Cracking the Whip on Childhood Memories

It’s funny how memories long since lost can be triggered with a single conversation. I experience such a thing this week…
So as of this writing, we are less than two weeks away from the theatrical release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Most of the geeks are work are all jazzed about the upcoming film and, honestly, I cannot think of a movie series that is more universally loved than Indiana Jones.
Star Wars (particularly the new films) clearly has two camps. Lord of the Rings is sometimes divided. James Bond has its haters. But it seems like everyone loves Dr. Jones. And as the last film is practically permanently cemented in my Top Ten Action Films list, this fourth installment has a lot to live up to.
It has been nineteen years—that’s right, YEARS—since an Indy film has been in theaters. Which means that a significant number of the employees at my job were not even alive when The Last Crusade came to theaters.
I remember going to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark with my friend Mike Pepper when I lived in North Carolina. I would have been six or seven at the time. (Wow! Was I really that young?) And I remember being so excited when the lights when down in the theater at Eastland Mall in Charlotte thinking, “Wow, I’m watching the Temple of Doom with my dad…” (I would have been nine or ten for that one.)
And let’s face it, has their been a more parodied movie? The opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark has been spoofed by The Simpson, Malcolm in the Middle, and Scrubs just to name a few.
And when it comes to Raiders, there are three iconic moments that everyone remembers: The guys all melting when they opened the ark, the snakes in the Well of the Souls, and the boulder when Indy steals the idol in the opening sequence…
So we have been discussing the movies at work and I have been humming the theme music all week. A friend was asking if they could top that opening sequence in Raiders. And this entire story brings us full circle to my original sparked memory.
At my house in Charlotte, NC, my parents built a patio off the back of the house out of bricks. And with most construction projects, there were a moderate handful of bricks left over after the project, which were left at the back of the driveway.
That pile of bricks served as a backdrop for many epic battles from which the fate of the universe hung in the balance. On that burnt red battlefield, countless Stormtroopers and rebel soldiers lost their lives.
He-Man battled the nemesis that was Skeletor.
Joes battled Cobras.
And I remember building a massive elaborate maze of bricks with all sorts of lost rooms and treasure troves. Centered in this mass of bricks was a large central “hallway” if you will. And time after time, my 5” Indiana Jones action figure frantically raced to avoid the rolling Wilson Volleyball that chased after him following his rampant thievery from a forgotten temple…
Now, that is a good childhood memory. Now that I think about it, maybe this is why I build such elaborate action figure backdrops for my Marvel Legends collection. Hmmm. Something to ponder at least. I think that much like the Star Wars movies, when I sit down to watch KofCS, I will be transported back to many good memories of my childhood. That’s some pretty big expectations but I’ve got a really good feeling about this one. See you guys at the movies!

Iron Man Proves Invincible

On Sunday, I took some time out of my 53+ hour work week and my second job writing comics to hit the movie theater. Hey, you have to treat yourself every once in a while right? So I took some time to catch an afternoon viewing of IRON MAN.
The movie made just over $100 million in the U.S. and almost $97 million internationally. With numbers like that a sequel is probably already in the works.
No spoilers, I promise.
Not since Hugh Jackman strapped on the adamantium claws of Wolverine or Chris Evans shouted “Flame On!” as the Human Torch has there been a better casting than Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. The entire cast is phenomenal.
The direction is first rate. The special effects are out of this world. And the movie is very, very funny. It is not a comedy but there are several funny moments (even more so than the Fantastic Four).
So if I were ranking comic book movies, the bottom of the scale is Spider-Man 3, Hulk, and Batman Forever. Mid-range levels are movies like Superman Returns, Fantastic Four, and Punisher. Getting into the upper echelon are the Blade movies and the original Spider-Man. The top of the heap, of course, is Batman Begins.
Iron Man is running as close competition for the best comic book movie of all time. The tone is very different from Batman Begins because there is much more humor in Iron Man. It is a much more “fun” movie.
Trust me when I say that it is totally worth the price of admission. I will stalk Wal-Mart employees when it is released on DVD and, if available, I will buy the two-disc special edition of the movie with all the bonus features. I cannot see why this film won’t make it into my top ten of the year…