How I Hate Him
together we can find the cure
I just want to be clear here. Charles Soule is a friend. But you can still hate your friends. As an example, most of mine hate me because of all the things I’ve done.
If you took a look at everyone working in the literary pop culture field and threw them against each other in a Royal Rumble, Charles would be the one left standing. He’s written at the highest levels at Marvel/DC and has a deep bench of creator-owned hits, including arguably this past year’s biggest, Eight Billion Genies with Ryan Browne. That’s enough to cement his bona fides, but he also works for Lucasfilm as a fuckin’ Star Wars story consultant! He gets to say things like, “Actually, C3PO wouldn’t do that” and get paid for it!
Oh, and get this: he’s written three novels! Great ones! Like, genuinely great in a way where I didn’t have to lie to him after I read them! Also, he’s handsome! An accomplished musician! A goddamn lawyer!
So, yeah. Charles is mopping the floor with the rest of us. For some, being used as a mop is a sexual fetish, so it’s okay. But for guys like me, with non-mop fetishes? It’s infuriating! Because now he’s written a fourth novel! Oh, wait, sorry: A FOURTH AND FIFTH NOVEL!
He wrote his latest novel for HarperCollins, The Endless Vessel, about a “depression plague” (relatable), but that wasn’t enough for ol’ Charles. He wrote a companion novel called Chronicles of the Lazarene, detailing the ship’s voyage from the previous novel!
Fuck. This. Guy.
Anyway, my feeling is, if we reward overachievers enough, maybe we can finally satisfy whatever it is that pushes them to be like this. There must be a cure for Charles Soule! And if you, like me, want to find that cure and also read what’s going to be an epic and marvelous story, back his Kickstarter and spread that word!
SORRY DID I SIGN UP FOR THE CHARLES SOULE NEWSLETTER
No, but you could.
In other Friend News, Jason Loo (Afterlift, All-Nighter) and Allison O’Toole (Chipclass, duh) were on the CBC last week talking about their decade of friendship after both dressing as Multiple Man for a Toronto comic con!
And yet I still work with both of them! Amazing.
In actual CHIP NEWS, the Toronto Star had a nice write-up for Public Domain! Remember, news outlets, it’s never too late to write about Public Domain. The people need to know! Fellow comic book writer Matthew Rosenberg gets it:
And the people ALSO need to know that in a week’s time I’ll be in Barcelona signing comics and smiling behind my mask! Come and find me!
I believe there will be a schedule posted soon for times and panels, etc. I am not on the convention site as a guest because, I’m assuming, the convention is embarrassed to be hosting a filthy foreigner like myself.
JAMES TYNION IS ON THE SITE AS A GUEST
Shut up
I believe a man like Charlie there is what the fancy folks call, a Savant. Or a renaissance man as my old neighbor would say. But hey, think of this. For all the incredible things he’s done, who’s been writing Batman huh? Whose done what’s arguably the most iconic DD run of the modern age? And who can grow a beard like no one else? Is it Charlie soule?
DON’T THINK SO!!
Though that Star Wars bit is rather impressive I won’t lie. Suppose you have to concede him that one.
But hey, the future is still forthcoming, who knows what you’ll end up doing in a few years from now? Maybe u end up a DC consultant and get to say, “Actually Batman would grunt more like this, and he glowers on top a gargoyle more like that.”
You just never know what’s coming next for you.
But that being said, one should always celebrate their frenemies successes, because they make the best inspiration for one to do better.
👍
dear chip,
thank you for all this wonderful charlie/charles/chip news!
have you ever thought about taking over writing "peanuts" and casting yourself as charlie brown?
i think it would be great and everyone would love it except for maybe you?
love,
myq