Schlock Mercenary: Out From Under
Posted November 13th, 2008 by Howard TaylerSchlock Mercenary: Out From Under is the title of the next book in the series. For purposes of folder naming, product codes, and the like, that name is reduced to the acronym “OFU.”
I’m sure you can think of impolite things to spell with that acronym. Please don’t, though. Just think of it as “UFO” backwards, okay?
Progress on OFU is proceeding behind the desired schedule. Here’s the timeline: once we finish laying the book out, it takes about three months to get product into your hands.
That doesn’t sound much like a schedule, does it? Here’s some more detail. I need to script, pencil, ink, and color about five pages of Bonus Story. I also need to re-color or touch up all 235 image files for the book’s content. Finally, I need to create about 20 pieces of margin art and maybe half that many new footnotes. Oh. And a cover. I need to create a cover.
That’s still not a schedule. That’s a task list.
I think I can get all that work done in three months, including the month of November. This means that product should, theoretically, be shipping sometime in late April or early May.
Right now I’ve got 61 of the 234 strip images re-colored. I’ve done no work on the Bonus Story, margin art, new footnotes, or the cover. But I’m working on whittling that list down a little bit every day, and I think I can knock everything down by the end of January, provided I stick with it.
At that point I’ll need to begin work on Schlock Mercenary: Mad Science Means Never Having To Ask ‘What’s The Worst Thing That Could Happen?’ That book will likely need a shorter, snappier title. But that’s a problem for the dead of winter…
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November 13th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I giggle in your general direction.
I used to do historical research … the name I used and billed under? “Odd Facts Unearthed” …. same initials, same way to remember it.
November 13th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
and for the next one how about: “Schlock Mercenary: ‘The Worst Thing That Could Happen?’”
November 13th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
@hswoolve: that’s a good title. It’s already on the list of alternatives. Thanks for reinforcing it!
172/235 remaining for recoloring…
November 13th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
I’d like “Mad Science Means Never Having To Say ‘Ooops?’”
November 13th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
@bookworm? How about “Mad Scientists Never Say What?” Or “Mad Science: Don’t Ask.” Or maybe “TWT: Mad Science Never Asks” (with some room for jokes about what’s worse than TNT? Asking what’s The Worst Thing that could happen!)
Hum – maybe you should have a contest in the dead of winter, Santa Taylor? Name that book — all entries judged by the completely partial panel of the cartoonist and his wife. Ties will be broken by the children.
November 13th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
If you’re going with a Mad Science theme, you could always peruse Casey and Andy for title inspirations.
http://www.galactanet.com/comic/view.php?strip=6
November 13th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Mad Science: More Than Peeved!
November 13th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
My favorite Science quote is attributed to Ascanio Sobrero the discoverer of Nitroglycerin in 1847. He wrote to a friend “I knew I was on to something when I woke up in the infirmary”. Later he changed his mind about Nitroglycerin and began warning everybody it is too dangerous to make or work with and regretted his part in its discovery.
November 13th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
Why not have your daughter color the files? Didn’t she previously do a good job?
November 13th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
Sorry to post twice, but I was reading the archives of Casey and Andy after pointing to them above and found this one: http://www.galactanet.com/comic/view.php?strip=256
Mad Science: “Why do I need a reason?”
November 14th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Schlock Mercenary: There goes the galaxy
November 14th, 2008 at 1:22 am
Hmmm…. What about…
“Schlock Mercenary: FOR SCIENCE!”
November 14th, 2008 at 2:03 am
I’m still stuck at OFU.
It just seems like the sound you make after missing a a block in a Karate tournament. O FU… last part of word cut off by loss of wind or consciousness.
Sorry.
As far as the book after; Actually I like the long title. You could always just abbreviate it as SMMS.
November 14th, 2008 at 2:07 am
What time period (real, not comic) will this book cover?
November 14th, 2008 at 3:52 am
csadn: According to the Archive Synopsiser, book 5 runs from the ides of March 2004 to the third anniversary of 9/11. Also, part 2 (the CSI parody) begins on Anzac Day (which is the anniversary of the start of the Battle of Gallipoli). I don’t recognise any other anniversaries of violence in the start and end dates of the chapters of that book.
It seems quite appropriate that a book that was going to be titled “Out From Under New Management” would start on the ides of March.
November 14th, 2008 at 8:35 am
It’s a good thing that there’s no commodities market for Schlock product. If there was, I’d be shorting other stuff to go long on a lot more Taylor Enterprises futures based on nothing more than a cool feeling and unbridled optimism… much like most investors that by other silly stocks that begin with the letters AAPL and GOOG. Heh. Books seem like a better way to abuse my income than stocks these daze anyway.
Thanks, Howard!! I’ll need less coffee to make it through meetings today since I can daydream about possible bonus stories instead of paying attention to the electric sheep.
November 14th, 2008 at 8:48 am
I like the long title, personally; you could do something like having,
“Schlock Mercenary: Mad Science”
and the rest as a subtitle, or just, “Schlock Mercenary: M is for Mad Science”
or for a reference to a film I’ve never seen: Schlock Mercenary: Dial M for Mad Science
Of course, these might all be rubbish.
November 14th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
“Schlock Mercenary: Mad Science*”
with a small text subtitle: “* Means Never Having To Ask ‘What’s The Worst Thing That Could Happen?’ “
November 15th, 2008 at 1:23 am
“Schlock Mercenary: Mad Science and You”
I don’t know, I’m bad at this. ;.;
November 15th, 2008 at 2:02 am
Sam: It isn’t the _CSI_ parody I’m concerned about…. :P
November 15th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Cool, new book on the way! Love my Schlock Mercenary. Sometimes it’s the only thing that keeps me sane. See? There’s a purpose in mad science!
November 15th, 2008 at 11:37 am
@ csadn: “Concerned?”
The book ends with Tagon saying “You had me at ‘I can pay’” to meaty-Petey on Saturday, September 11th of 2004. It encompasses the story arcs in which they sell Xinchub to the Yomingans, Schlock gets investigated by OzVegan CSIs, they rescue some baby kreelies, and then they get attacked by Tausennigan Ob’enn. It’s about the same length as Under New Management.
November 15th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
UPDATE: I’m up to 70/234, which means almost 30% of the book is recolored. Yay!
November 16th, 2008 at 1:43 am
Howard Tayler: Taking the last first — OK, it ends prior to the bit I’m
concerned about. Thanks for the data.
The bit I’m concerned about is Schlocktoberfest ‘05 — specifically
the “gotcha shot” at the end. Those who know me know That Image
causes some *very* unpleasant reactions for me. So, when the
compilation containing S-’05 comes out, it will require some, shall
we say, “tactical nuclear editing” on my copy. If it were not a
Serious Concern for me, I’d not have mentioned it (that, and let’s
just say some people seem to think Screaming Panic Attacks are
Hysterically Funny, so mentioning it publicly has resulted in some
unfortunate events; so I don’t much like discussing it).
On a happier note: Nice punch-line to the 11/16/08 comic. :)
November 16th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Ah. You’re worried about the Great Aquatic Menace. That’s not coming until late 2009 at the earliest, in Book 7. Schlocktoberfest ‘04 (”I didn’t do it!”) is the end of the first Act of Book 6, which ends in July of ‘05, or thereabouts.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:37 am
Howard Tayler: Ooh, yah — in freakin’ seven-no-trump…. (Zombies:
Fake. Vampire: Fake. Werewolves: Fake. That — Parenting EPIC
FAIL….. :P )
So, the published books cage with the Books as mentioned in the
artist’s notes. OK. Wasn’t absolutely clear on that. Which Books
are the ones which were published prior to _The Tub of Happiness_?
A certain amount of confusion surrounds me on this point.
November 17th, 2008 at 9:04 am
@ csadn: It’s easy now. Forget the original publication schedule. Just remember that the first four books in the archive synopsizer are now in print, and can be read in the same order in which they appear on the web. Subsequent books will be printed in the order in which they appear on the web.
November 17th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
When do you expect that book-production will overtake the online issues? The more you do, the faster you will get … and online has a fixed schedule :-)