Red Light Bytes: 11-10-2023
Catching Up on the Latest with 365 Infantry
Overview
I’m not gonna lie, this week has been one hell of a readjustment. Between moving places, the glories of Daylight Savings Time drawing to a close, and the excitement of some pretty hefty projects outside of our cozy little cybernetic niche, this has been a bit of a “where did I set my head down?” kind of a week.
That said, we still have updates to crack on about, and a bit of a different kind of streetwise caviar. No news from the frontlines though…mainly because I’ve had my head too buried to check things out. Do want to give a belated shoutout to the Halloween special published by our friends over on Aegeon! Looks like a gruesomely fun time if I do say so myself.
Updates
Writing carries on as usual. It’s taking longer to incubate than anticipated, but part of that has been my interest in more thoroughly plotting out and denoting particular beats and scenes I want to include.
Issue 7 is the culmination of many things. General Knox’s drive to improve the Force’s capabilities against both their newfound and well-worn enemies, Nic Ridgefield’s biggest project yet as the Infantry’s chief engineer. It’s a culmination of the bizarre twists of fate and shell-shocking revelations that Valentina and her Hunters endure in their first few weeks on the road.
It’s also a bit of a knowing genre potpourri this time. The action of The War, the drama of The Hunt, and the anarchic chaos of The Urban Avenger and The Speedfreak Files. I never write consciously in terms of genre, but I do feel like planning things out more has given me a bit of a firmer grasp on how I want these characters to interact with the changes I make to their world.
Just some idle thoughts from the road. I’ll leave you with the latest from Maestro Kevin as we carry on working. Thanks for your time.
Streetwise Caviar
I’ve been on a bit of a bender of some old favorite artists of mine. Art I can just gaze right into, get lost in. Some of the names are well-known to those in cult media circles, H.R. Giger for instance.
One man who I’ve been thinking of for no real reason other than he’s awesome is the titanic Philippe Druillet, a bande dessinée legend who has been producing jaw-droppingly detailed and colored eye-candy for decades on end. I’m fortunate to have some installments of his creations in my personal collection of Heavy Metal Magazine, but for once, I’m gonna use the Substack gallery feature and treat you to the wealth of gorgeous imagery I’ve found while cruising the internet. No context to give, just art that speaks for itself. I do hope to collect more of his work in the future, including the many adventures of his hero Lone Sloane, but for now, getting lost in his worlds does the trick.
While you’re thumbing through this little showcase, throw this tune on in the background, “Glass Echoes” by Gilles-Luc Laurent & Armand Frydman. A piece of French library music from Koka Media that’s perfect for letting your imagination wander through the richly realized worlds of the great Druillet.
Byte of the Week
This Week’s Story is the The Half-Hour Baptism, a particularly odd little tableau concerning a Gail Smith, an average Jane in the seas of wolves that populate Haven. She has a particular problem with depression, brought on by and large by the world around her, and has been going regularly to a strange sort of aquatic therapy. Time and time again it works, but only for the first few days.
Except for today.
Read on to see one of the methods of healing one’s mind in the world of Haven. This one’s on the house.
May God Bless You and this Force, see you next time!