Nine covers of Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (AKA Blade Runner, of course).

Cornell University's Images from the Rare Book and Manuscript Collections on JSTOR features lots more related content, including prequels, video games, movie stills, the covers of Alan E. Nourse's original Blade Runner—which had nothing to do with Dick's novel!—and William S. Burroughs' Blade Runner: A Movie which is an adaptation of sorts of the Nourse novel.

Oh, and there are more than 11,000 additional images that have nothing at all to do with these movies or books! Dig in, the collection is free and open for everyone!

For those not in the know, this is one of the Amanita mushrooms referred to as a Destroying Angel. Never, ever, ever, ever forage with an app. Especially for mushrooms.

One day when AI is finally regulated, those regulations will be written in blood

We're currently in the "unregulated wild west cuz no one has died yet" era

The Amanita mushrooms, destroying angel included, are a horrible way to die. Particularly because, like rabies, when you first show symptoms you're already dead.

But that's not what makes Amanita Ocreata and it's relatives awful.

With rabies there is no reprieve: you are sick and get sicker until you die. With these mushrooms, though, you will be sick for a while, and then suddenly you will feel like it has passed, and you are on the mend.

This is a lie. You are about to return to groaning intestinal pain, slip into a coma, and die. Because during that "reprieve" period, as Kingfisher & Wombat note, the active toxin in the mushroom is destroying your liver.

Only forage with a reliable guide, never an app, and if you're not sure don't pick and eat it!

Mycologists don't give names like that as a joke, and various European countries have trained Mushroom Inspectors who check foraged mushrooms for hazards.

"All fungi can be eaten; some only once."

Also, about 20 years ago so well before AI errors, @dduane brought home a cookbook which had a glossary of various herbs, and the one for "bay leaves" said "...also known as cherry laurel..."

Nope. Most definitely nope. Bay leaves come from the bay laurel, Laurus nobilis, and are flavourings Leaves from the cherry laurel, Prunus laurocerasus, are toxic.

We don't have that cookbook any more - it was sent back to the publisher with a Post-It and highlighter in the proper places - but we do have the eight other cookbooks which they sent us for warning them about the error.

(No problems in any of those, BTW, and some very good recipes.)

Somewhere I have the beautiful set of 70s Recipe Cards I found somewhere in the late 1990s with a Rhubarb card telling you that the rhubarb stalk was commonly eaten sweetened as a fruit, while “Rhubarb Leaves can be cooked like any green leafy vegetable”.

Which is true but doesn’t mention that Rhubarb Leaves are toxic. Really toxic.

80th Anniversary of the D-Day Operation

On June 6, 1944, American, British, and Canadian forces stormed the 50-mile stretch of coastline in northwest France in the largest seaborne invasion in history.

We honor their sacrifices.

Explore our #DDay holdings here: https://archives.gov/research/military/ww2/d-day

Good Omens graphic novel update: May 2024

Happy 34th birthday to Good Omens - published in May 1990. We don't need any extra reasons to celebrate Aziraphale and Crowley, but we're always happy to find some.

Admin

Thank you to everyone who has completed the PledgeManager so far; as mentioned, this will be open through 2024 into early 2025 to complete. A few key queries that have arisen in the past month:

If you have any further issues or queries, visit the central FAQ page as your first port of call.

Good Omens items...

The desk at Good Omens HQ is slowly filling up with prototypes, the latest of which appears to be as popular as Aziraphale and Crowley, and for good reason. We are, of course, talking about the ducks. Here's an early version of the duck mug:

We've got some early prototype designs of the trading cards too. Illustrator Steve Gregson has begun work on the base card deck illustrations, to be unveiled in future, and designs for some of the variants are fully underway. Here are some early samples of graphic novel variant cards from Colleen Doran, and Rachael Stott's Crowley:

The base packs (Hellhound+) currently include 80 cards, and have caused quite heated games with those who have test-played it so far on their attempts to thwart (or indeed cause) the apocalypse. Hellhound+ backers will also get a booster pack alongside the main game. Rarities for sharing at random in these orders are shaping up nicely too. Hoping to share some of the base pack design imminently.

If you've been wondering what your other alternative cover choice is, alongside Rachael Stott's (Serpent+), then wonder no more: here is Frank Quitely's take on Aziraphale and Crowley, ready to shine on your shelves.

Update from Colleen

We often end with an update from Colleen, whether that's her art, or her shots from her studio. However, we thought it was about time we invite Colleen to update you herself, so we are handing the rest of this month's over to your ineffable artist for a glimpse inside the process of making Good Omens. Enjoy.

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As you may imagine, I’m having a wonderful time working on the Good Omens graphic novel. The Dunmanifestin team asked me to pop in and give you a look at my process.

The task of adapting a beloved novel into graphic novel format is a complex, wonderful sort of pressure cooker. Even without the well-publicized complications I got smacked with over the last year, it promised to be an intense, time-consuming project.

The graphic novel is about the book and not the show. Getting Michael Sheen and David Tennant out of my head was quite a task. I’ve seen it dozens of times and I adore it, but I to had devote a lot of time to re-reading the novel and listening to the audiobook to clear my head of them. 

The few times I allowed myself to watch the show again screwed me up a bit. So, I won’t watch it again until I am completely finished with every drawing. Maybe a view-a-thon will be my reward for finishing the book. 

But I’m getting ahead of myself. There’s still a lot to do, so let me show you it.

Before we knew the Kickstarter fundraiser would do well, the graphic novel was to clock in at 164 pages. After the good news of the Kickstarter success, I got permission to take the story to 200 pages. That meant a major rewrite and redraw on some dozens of thumbnails and layouts.

And you guys are getting a much longer book.

Not complaining one bit. I was so happy to get more space to give breathing room to the ending.

Anyway, here's a look at my workspace.

To the left is my laptop computer with the script. The laptop is connected to my graphics computer via ethernet, and all my reference is on the main system, from which I share files.

On my older projects, I dutifully printed out every bit of reference. I think this is the first project where I’ve done all reference and organizing on my MAC.

As you can see, I draw comics the old-fashioned way – by hand – and there is my script on the computer.

But I do all the coloring on this project on the MAC. I know some people hate Photoshop, but even if I wanted to switch, I don’t have the time to dive into a new system.

That entire box with all the narrow drawers in it you see there contain Good Omens pages in varying degrees of completion. Finished pages are at the bottom with layouts, pencils, and partial inks toward the top. The middle drawer contains templates, French curves, and a ruler.

The box isn’t fancy art studio equipment. It’s just a Childcraft brand puzzle storage rack. I realized a long time ago the heavy wooden bookcases, puzzle racks, and construction paper storage made for children’s classrooms made great modular storage for professional art spaces. It’s solid as a rock, heavy so little children can’t tip it, and I can move it and rearrange my space however I like.

The final art is drawn on 11”X14” Strathmore 500 acid free Bristol.

I do all my prelims as tiny “thumbnail” sketches, some in ink, some in very loose pencil. I keep them organized in this Levenger notebook. The thumbnail paper is both Canson brand, and Blue Line Pro, and both are acid free. Blue Line Pro is good for ink, but Canson is better for pencil because it has more tooth. I usually use Canson.

Using the Levenger hole puncher, I perforate my pages and keep them organized in a Levenger Circa system. It’s pricey, but I love it. There are other brands far less expensive, however.

The ruler shows how tiny the thumbnails are.

If the storytelling is clear at this small size, then it will be clear in the final.

I redo quite a bit as I go along, as you can see from the sequence below.

From thumbnail:

To pencils:

Since I did multiple rewrites, adding a large section at the end and popping in earlier scenes I originally had to skip, this meant redoing almost all the page numbers about 4 times.

Nearly went barmy.

I use the construction method of drawing, as you see. This is an old-school technique. Some people seem to assume that artists always use computers and tracing for their drawings, but most cartoonists of my generation work extemporaneously. There’s quite a bit of noodling around and searching in the sketches. Using too much reference often results in stiff, dead work.

In comics, it’s very important to make sure you’ve considered word balloon placement when designing a page. The script for Good Omens is more copy-heavy than most modern comic book scripts because I want to preserve as much of the clever original language as I can.

Here I scramble about working out the word balloon space allowance.

Here’s a deeper look at the process for page 2 from thumbnails to final color.

Now here is where things get a little weird. What you’re about to see is a process called flatting.

If you color a comic without first flatting the art, you are consigning yourself to many extra hours of labor and frustration.

Flatting is a way to tell the computer to select areas inside the black lines so that whenever you click on that particular color, you can paint inside that area perfectly. Since the computer only understands 1 and 2 - or on and off - when you tell that computer to stick to that area, that is what it will do.

There are computer programs that you can use to create your flats. I use Multi-Fill. The results are uniquely ugly, but they get the job done. Here is what that looks like.

Absolutely hideous.

But pretty much all I have to do from this point on is click each block of color and change it to whatever I like. The result is this:

I also experimented with selecting areas of the line work as color holds, but I’m getting into more complicated color technique than we may have time for at this point. But from here, I can start painting.

And the painting stage looks like this.

Since I wasn’t entirely sure exactly how I wanted to approach this color style, I took screen shots of some of the changes I made as I went along. In the shot at the left, I’ve given Aziraphale’s heavenly self a golden glow by using a color hold on the line. But I found it needed more contrast to make his figure pop, so I darkened it in the next shot.

I use the computer to create the initial flats, but I either do the final flats myself, or I have help from Julmae Kristoff and/or Dee Cunniffe.

The flats are (usually) not intended to be part of the final work. They are a technical tool.

For example, here are the original, computer-generated flats for one scene in Good Omens.

And here are the secondary flats by Julmae Kristoff.

And here is my final color work.

Since I’m running behind on the book, I’ve brought in Dee Cunniffe to do some extra color work. He is a wonderful colorist, as well as an excellent flatter. I’m not sure to what extent I’ll be handing pages to Dee at this point, because I’m very controlling, and I want to make absolutely certain there are no stylistic anomalies in the art, and I want all the Crowley and Aziraphale pages for myself, is that too much to ask?

I use Faber Castell Pitt Artist pens for my inking. I sometimes use an old-fashioned crowquill as well, but Faber Castells are easier to control, and the ink uses real pigment instead of dye like many markers. All of my originals are created with longevity in mind: acid-free and lightfast. I want the drawings to be fade-proof.

And that is a quick tour of the work so far.

A thousand thanks to Neil Gaiman and the Dunmanifestin team for their incredible kindness and patience, and that goes double for all Good Omens supporters out there. Your indulgence is appreciated more than I can adequately express. I am truly sorry to have been the cause of the delay in the book, but I can only make it up to you by doing my very best.

And that is what I am doing.

BTW, many years ago, I found a little yellow duckling who was getting beaten up by the other ducks, so I saved him and took him to my home to live until my parents adopted him, since they had a nice yard and a pond, and I didn’t.

He had a birth defect and could not fly, which is probably why the other ducks were pecking at him.

He got to stay in the family house, and eat goldfish crackers, and swim in the tub. Eventually they built him his own house. We called it the Duck Majal.

He lived for ten years.

I named him Fred because I’d been watching Breakfast at Tiffany’s when I heard him quacking for help that day we met, and Holly Golightly’s brother was named Fred.

So, here’s to you Fred.

Until next time.

I don't really ever use Tumblr for advertising. But so many of the questions that come in about writing and plotting are answered in much more depth in my Masterclass. (Yes, you have to pay. They have also been answered here on Tumblr and over on my blog for free, but you will have to find them.)

It's been one of the most popular Masterclasses since its release in 2019, and these days I get to hear from people who published books and blame me, which is nice.

So consider this a rare commercial, mostly because it may actually make life easier for some of you.

Your library may give cardholders access for free through Hoopla. We do! Here's the link:

https://www.hoopladigital.com/television/masterclass-presents-neil-gaiman-teaches-the-art-of-storytelling-neil-gaiman/15484462

This link should work for any library that has Hoopla and offers the class :) If you're not sure just follow the link, click sign up, and search for your library (or, of course, ask your librarian!)

Creating Kid Lit -- I'm Teaching!

So, this summer, through the auspices of the fine folks at The Writers Circle, I will be teaching a six-week course (via Zoom) on “Creating Kid Lit.” Here’s how The Writers Circle describes it: Dragons! Pirates! Cowgirls! Mastodon-sized dung beetles! Children’s fiction never fails to let a writer’s imagination go wild. In this hands-on workshop, writers with an interest in picture books, middle grade, or YA fiction will learn how to craft compelling stories and characters that will make young readers want to keep turning pages. Works in progress will be constructively critiqued in a supportive environment. And real-world advice on the publishing industry will help your completed manuscript stand out in a crowd. And, yeah, that’s about the size of it. (Though there is also plenty of room for realistic, contemporary fiction even though it isn’t specifically mentioned!) We’ll meet Thursdays from 7pm-9pm (Eastern time) and it should be a ton of fun. You’ll find registration information for this class (and others, too) at this link. Join me! Read the full article

For many American families, Memorial Day is more than just a holiday weekend. They will never forget that knock on the door or the folding of the flag… 💔 Today we honor and remember the sacrifice of their loved ones. 🇺🇸

useless ancient roman law facts

#…if these are actually true im gonna scream (via @dragonchantant)

they are indeed real! they’re from the twelve tables, a roman law text so old that it’s hard for even people who are well-versed in latin to read by the text is archaic (also half of it is missing but whatever)

while we’re on the subject, here are some more good ones that i forgot to put in: