January 29, 2009
Looks like we got a strong nibble on our Mickey Free project. A company that Paul Hutton worked with in Hollywood has expressed interest in developing Mick for the screen. Very exciting. More later.

Worked with Robert Ray last Friday on creating a 128-page-template for the graphic novel on Mickey Free and spent yesterday spreading out Remington's narrative so that each entry from Freddy corresponds with the images on that page (this was the biggest knock against the excerpt that ran in the magazine last November).

Meanwhile, went home for lunch and worked on more clouds, inspired by our trip to Kingman and back. In my discard pile I discovered a very nice cloud bank, and, with Mickey Free back on my mind, whipped out this:

As I brushed in Mickey's big mule, I heard an oldtimer say, "Mickey's life was one damn storm after another."

Too true, Buck. Too true.

And, by the way, I must confess I apologized to The Top Secret Writer for his nomination of Mickey Rourke to play Mickey. When he made the suggestion several months back I made some snide remark to the effect that, "Why don't we get Mickey Rooney, too?" Well, after Rourke won a Golden Globe, Hutton sent me the newspaper clipping with Rourke's award being announced and I sent him this reply:

Paul,
Got your newspaper clipping with the Golden Globe winners. I take it back. I was wrong. Mickey Rourke could easily play a grizzled, one-eyed Irish breed. And, I think he would relish the part, making Mickey Free damaged but sympathetic.

And, I propose we cast Mickey Rooney as Pastor Guenther. Ha.

After the Mickey Storm, I grabbed another discard from the Pat Garrett pile and finished it off. Some nice lighting effects on a Smoke Out.

"Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar."
—Drew Carey