I guess I'm going to keep writing until I fall asleep.
I must say thank you to all those whose work influenced me.
It wasn't just writers like Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore (plus Grant Morrison (The Invisibles), Garth Ennis (Preacher), Brian Michael Bendis (Torso, Powers), Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, The Authority)) who opened my eyes to new possibilities.
These days, I begin to look at artists for inspiration.
People like Tsutomu Nihei, who did the depressing and claustrophobic manga - even though it is set in a Dyson Sphere SPOILER! - Blame!, Alex Ross (Marvels, Kingdom Come) with his eye and appreciation for the classic and the old, Inoue Takehiko for the intensity, the passion and the hardcore work ethic.
Eiichiro Oda (One Piece) who showed that a set style can also be reinterpreted, and old art movements like the baroque and the rennaissance can be reinjected into manga, which was becoming more rigid and repetitive.
Of course, the greats like Go Nagai and Osamu Tezuka. Go simply for demonstrating how to tap into raw emotion of lust, wrath and the old ultra-violence. Osamu for the detail and care as well as the heart in his work.
Inoue Takehiko (SlamDunk, Vagabond), for demonstrating what evolution of styles is all about, quietly, with a thunderous work of art that is Vagabond.
Kentaro Miura (Berserk) for showing that horror is not just an ugly face in the dark, but resides in all our hearts. And how dreams and nightmares are only separated by a very thin membrane.
Also filmmakers Takashi Miike (Visitor Q, Ichi the Killer, The Happiness of the Katakuris), for showing how diverse one theme (family) can be intepreted and reintrepeted, Michael Jai White(fuck Spawn! This guy did Black Dynamite!) and Chris Rock (Pootie Tang) for demonstrating the best use of stupidity mankind has ever seen.
Stephen Chow Sing Chi, for defining my childhood.
BJ Ward and a host of '80s voice actors who gave life to various cartoon characters. Billy West, Katey Sagal, Maurice LaMarche, Megumi Hayashibara. All these voice actors taught me to listen.
Haruhiko Mikimoto (Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, Genesis Climber Mospaeda) for creating some of the best enduring characters the world has ever seen.
Gainax. Hideaki Anno. Gonzo. Jill Thompson. Eminem. The Rock.
Man, this is starting to sound like an acceptance speech, which it is not.
I just enjoyed these people's work. I hope to someday do stuff that people will enjoy.
