Chris Well's Posts

Best Mann For the Job #59: What'm I sitting in?

Posted by Chris Well on June 4, 2010 at 3:00pm

Best Mann For The Job #59 is now online at TitleTrakk.com: Out at the farmhouse, shots were fired at Sheriff Grace Mann and reporter Jack MacGraw -- and the sheriff got them both off the porch out of harm's way. Now the sheriff plans her next move, while MacGraw plans a change of pants ...

Best Mann For The Job is the story of a woman with a complicated past who returns home to the small town of Hope Falls to be the new sheriff. Created by the husband-wife team of Christian mystery novelist Chris Well (Nursing a Grudge) and comics veteran Erica Well (Miller Sisters), it's a serial drama for fans of classic comic strips, with the crime-bustin' chops of a rural Dick Tracy, the small-town charm of Gasoline Alley, and the emotional touches of Brenda Starr. Read the story from the beginning at StudioWell.com.

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More free online
comics at StudioWell.com/Comics.

Related links:
WEDNESDAY COMICS in hardcover
Together Again: PHANTOM, FLASH GORDON, and MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN
Preview: Janet Evanovich's TROUBLEMAKER
Updated rules for 'America's Next Great Cartoonist'
'Annie' newspaper strip ends after 85 years

More online comics:
REX MORGAN, M.D. comics online free!
STEVE CANYON comic strip free online!
BRENDA STARR comic strip online free!
MARY WORTH comic strips free online!
DICK TRACY comic strip online free!

Viper Comics Talent Search 2009

Posted by Chris Well on July 20, 2009 at 2:41pm

If you're an aspiring comics writer or artist, Viper Comics wants to hear from YOU! Between now and July 27, they're welcoming scripts and art samples at Comic-Con International in San Diego ... or, if you can't make it to San Diego, you can email your submission to them! However, the rules are VERY specific -- read them here!

Mann Vs. Superman!

Posted by Chris Well on July 20, 2009 at 2:39pm

Best Mann For The Job #22: This week's one-panel emergency-worker drama is *almost* a swipe of Action Comics #1 -- because when I wrote the script, I got out my battered old hardcover copy of Superman: From the 30's to the 70's (Bonanza Books)*, pointed to page 16 and told my wife, "Try to make it look like this."

Alas, Erica held to such higher standards as "integrity" and "good storytelling" and "I don't want to get sued." So while the result alludes to the aforementioned comics cover, it is actually more original than I'd hoped.

For those of you who wonder what I'm talking about: Action Comics #1 is the 1938 comic book that introduced the world's first superhero -- Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. (According to Wikipedia, the cover to Action Comics #1 remains one of the most homaged covers of all time.) Superman, of course, spent the following 70-plus years making billions of dollars for his corporate owner. And, all these years later, the original series is still being published -- and is just months away from its milestone 900th issue.

Best Mann For The Job stars Grace Mann, a woman with a complicated past who returns home to become sheriff of Hope Falls, Tennessee. This serial drama aspires to the style of the classic comic strips, with the crime-bustin' chops of a rural Dick Tracy, the small-town charm of Gasoline Alley, and the emotional touches of The Heart of Juliet Jones. (Or if you prefer, think of it as a cross between T.J. Hooker and Northern Exposure.)

Latest strip exclusive at TitleTrakk.com
Missed an episode? Catch up at StudioWell.com

Watch the trailer on YouTube at Channel StudioWell

Become a fan on Facebook

More comics by Chris and Erica at StudioWell.com/Comics

Related links:
Best Mann: "The tank's cracking!"
Best Mann 1.20: "Consider them armed and dangerous!"

*(Note to professional writers and editors: Yes, the title of the book is grammatically incorrect. It should have been Superman: From the '30s to the '70s. But it wasn't. So shut up.)

Universal Press merges with Uclick

Posted by Chris Well on July 10, 2009 at 5:39pm

Big news in the world of comic strips (and syndicated content): traditional media's Universal Press Syndicate and new media's Uclick have been combined to form a single syndication and licensing arm of parent company Andrews McMeel Universal. "This historic move brings together two industry leading companies to create a dynamic new organization," says company founder, chairman, and president John McMeel, "capable of supporting today's renowned creative talents and the superstars of tomorrow, propelling them to new levels of popularity and success, as well as looking to the future by creating new distribution channels and outlets for this beloved art form."

Since 1970, Universal Press Syndicate has discovered and brought to global markets many of the most popular humor, games, and editorial features in newspapers -- including Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, Garfield, For Better or For Worse, and Ziggy. UPS also handles advice features Dear Abby, Ask Dr. Weil, Focus on the Family and The Motley Fool, and columnists Roger Ebert and Ann Coulter.

Uclick, created in the late 1990s, distributes comics, text features, and games on desktops, the Web, and mobile phones. Its GoComics.com portal (lauded by the Daily Cartoonist) features the largest collection of comics anywhere on the Web, with more than 200 traditional comic strip and cartoon features from multiple syndicates and self-syndicated artists. The extended GoComics family includes Dick Tracy, Gasoline Alley, Annie, Liberty Meadows, Wizard of Id, and newcomer The Cardinal.

Following the reorganization, Andrews McMeel Universal now has two major branches: Universal Uclick and Andrews McMeel Publishing, a leading publisher of humor, gift, general trade, cookbooks, and calendars (including the two most expensive New York Times Best-sellers on record, The Complete Far Side and The Complete Calvin and Hobbes). The combined muscle of the two divisions gives Andrews McMeel Universal a unique position to offer access to multi-channel distribution for authors and artists.

Links:
Press release: Universal Uclick: Driving Content Services and Syndication in the 21st Century
Kansas City Business Journal: Andrews McMeel combines Universal Press, Uclick; Uclick CEO Edwards resigns

Best Mann 1.20: "Consider them armed and dangerous!"

Posted by Chris Well on July 8, 2009 at 6:48pm

We're now up to the 20th installment of Erica's and my drama/mystery series, Best Mann For The Job. Those with a keen eye may have noticed our subtle tribute to the legendary Osamu Tezuka (1929-1989), the first cartoonist to apply cinematographic techniques to Japanese comics.

In our original outline for this first arc of "Best Mann For The Job," our plan for the bank robbers was to simply have them jump in the car, get shot, and then lose their pursuers. But -- given what's coming up when they reach Hope Falls and cross paths with Grace Mann (who is, after all, the star of our series) -- we realized how much it would raise the stakes if these guys really caused some damage ... and, in the process, were more desperate themselves.

Once we hit upon the idea of stretching out the car chase, bringing in the gas truck and all, it brought to mind that Mr. Tezuka's artistic breakthrough is said to have occurred when he expanded a dramatic racing sequence in 1947's New Treasure Island. As such, it seemed appropriate to tip our hat to the man who went on to create Astro Boy, Black Jack, and Kimba the White Lion -- and transformed Japanese comics and animation. (Which, in turn, rampantly influenced so much here in the West, as well.)

Best Mann For The Job stars Grace Mann, a woman with a complicated past who returns home to become sheriff of Hope Falls, Tennessee. We like to think of it as a cross between a rural Dick Tracy and Gasoline Alley. (Or, for you couch potatoes, a cross between The Andy Griffith Show and Northern Exposure ... with a little T.J. Hooker thrown in.)

Latest strip exclusive at TitleTrakk.com
Missed an episode? Catch up at StudioWell.com

Watch the trailer on YouTube at Channel StudioWell

Become a fan on Facebook

More comics by Chris and Erica at StudioWell.com/Comics

Best Mann on YouTube!

Posted by Chris Well on June 11, 2009 at 1:47pm

Some updates regarding my wife's and my crime/mystery series, "Best Mann For The Job" ...1. We're on YouTube!We have a nifty new trailer that intoduces the series and gives a sense of where it's going.www.YouTube.com/StudioWell.2. We have a new archive!We've dedicated a special page to "Best Mann For The Job," and will add to the archive weekly.StudioWell.com/BestMannForTheJob3. We're featured on Christian Comics International News!The folks at CCI News featured a nice write-up of "Best Mann":Husband/Wife Team-Up Works WellA new weekly web strip entitled Best Mann For The Job is being produced by crime fiction writer Chris Well and comics veteran Erica Well of Tennessee USA. The comic stars Grace Mann, "a woman with a complicated past," who has returned home to be her small town's new sheriff. "We like to think of it as a cross between a rural Dick Tracy and Gasoline Alley," explains Chris, who co-writes the series with wife/artist Erica, a former staffer for DC Comics and creator of The Miller Sisters comic strip. "Not only is Grace the new sheriff, her dad is the town minister and her mom will soon run for mayor," Chris adds. "As the series progresses, we hope to explore the friction that can happen among the three offices -- the law, the church, and the state." In addition to the Best Mann website, there is also a Best Mann fan page on Facebook.

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We're thrilled to be off to such a great start. (We already have some BIG stuff lined up for 2010 ... details to come!):)

Comics online at StudioWell!

Posted by Chris Well on June 4, 2009 at 1:25pm

Hey, gang - my wife and I spent the past couple of weeks updating, upgrading, and uploading the new-and-improved StudioWell website. Our COMICS page now has a master list of all our comics -- now with more content online! -- ranging from supernatural thrillers and Bible comics to superhero parodies and mystery/crime comics. Go to the page directly at http://StudioWell.com/Comics.

The titles: BEST MANN FOR THE JOB A woman with a complicated past returns home to be the small town's new sheriff ... STORY: Chris Well ART: Erica Well FALLEN WORLD Prepare for the coming storm ... STORY: Chris Well ART: Erica Well

QUE ES AMOR? ("What Is Love?") A man demands help from a god of Roman myth ... STORY: Chris Well ART: Erica Well PENULTIMATE ADVENTURES The second to last word in adventure! STORY: Chris Well ART: Erica Well DARLA VIGILANT "Signed, Sealed, and Delivered" STORY: Chris Well ART: Erica Well THE MILLER SISTERS All Julia wants is an ordinary life. It seems like God has other plans ... STORY and ART: Erica Well THE DEN Lucy has a message to deliver. Will Victoria hear it in time? STORY and ART: Erica Well MORE THAN I COULD COUNT A true story. STORY and ART: Erica Well THE GIRL WHO COULD NOT BE TOUCHED A true story. STORY and ART: Erica Well BILLY! This bilingual comic strip appeared in Megazeen #9 STORY: Tom Hall ART: Erica Well

Bible Comic! BAD ATTITUDE Based on the book of Jonah SCRIPT: Candace Pope ART: Erica Well Bible Comic! THE BURNING HEARTS Based on Luke 24:13-32 SCRIPT: Candace Pope ART: Erica Well Bible Comic! CAN'T TRUST THOSE FEELINGS Based on 1 Kings 19:1-18 SCRIPT: Candace Pope ART: Erica Well DEAR US STORY and ART: Erica Well An open letter from me to you ... WHY I FAILED THE 7 DAY CREATION CHALLENGE No comment. STORY and ART (so to speak): Chris Well

Help Len Wein restore his life's work!

Posted by Chris Well on April 22, 2009 at 12:02pm

Early this month, award-winning comic book writer and editor Len Wein lost his home to a fire. He and his family were safe; sadly, their beloved dog perished.

Wein also lost a lifetime of awards and comics and books and games and toys and artwork. That's something, considering the scope of his comics career: The co-creator of Wolverine and Swamp Thing (among others), he served as writer and/or editor for several companies, on a multitude of comics -- including X-Men, Spider-Man, The Hulk, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Watchmen, Superman, Batman, Justice League of America, Star Trek, The Twilight Zone, The Simpsons, Futurama, and many others.

Friends and fans are working to help him restore the collection of comic books he's worked on. Details at The “Let’s Rebuild Len Wein’s Comic Book Collection” Project.

Best Mann 1.9: "Robbing that bank was stupid!"

Posted by Chris Well on April 22, 2009 at 12:00pm

Now online is the ninth installment of Erica's and my crime/mystery comic Best Mann For The Job. Grace Mann is a woman with a complicated past who returns home to become sheriff of Hope Falls, Tennessee. Even as Grace is sworn in, the deputies are grumbling ...

Updated weekly at TitleTrakk.com
Missed an episode? Catch up at ComicSpace.com/EricaWell
Become a fan at Facebook

Best Mann 1.8: "Sounds like they've called the cops ... "

Posted by Chris Well on April 7, 2009 at 5:50pm

Now online is the eighth installment of Erica's and my crime/mystery comic Best Mann For The Job. Grace Mann is a woman with a complicated past who returns home to become sheriff of Hope Falls, Tennessee. Even as Grace is sworn in, the deputies are grumbling ...

Updated weekly at TitleTrakk.com
Archive at ComicSpace.com/EricaWell
Official page at Facebook

Related links:
Preview #1: Sheriff Grace Mann
Preview #2: Deputy Todd Baxter
Preview #3: Rev. Hezekiah Mann
Preview #4: Elizabeth Mann

Win a copy of FORGIVING SOLOMON LONG!

Posted by Chris Well on March 29, 2009 at 6:04pm

The folks at Mainly Mystery Reviews interviewed me for their blog. They ask about my novels, about my author blog "Learning Curve," and about my wife's and my new mystery series, "Best Mann For The Job." Read the interview here. Leave a comment over there and be entered in a drawing for a copy of my first crime thriller, Forgiving Solomon Long!A HIT MAN IS HAUNTED BY A PREACHER'S DYING WORDS: "I FORGIVE YOU."

Best Mann 1.7: "Things are bound to pick up!"

Posted by Chris Well on March 29, 2009 at 5:49pm

Now posted online is the seventh installment of Erica's and my new crime/mystery series Best Mann For The Job. Updated weekly at TitleTrakk.com, this serial stars Grace Mann, a woman with a complicated past who returns home to become sheriff of the small town of Hope Falls, Tennessee. Even as Grace is sworn in to her new job, the deputies are grumbling ...

Direct link: http://www.titletrakk.com/index.htm#bestmannArchive at comicspace.com/ericawellRelated links:Preview #1: Sheriff Grace Mann Preview #2: Deputy Todd Baxter Preview #3: Rev. Hezekiah Mann Preview #4: Elizabeth Mann

Best Mann 1.6: "Our readers will love you!"

Posted by Chris Well on March 25, 2009 at 4:44pm

Now posted online is the sixth installment of Erica's and my new crime/mystery series Best Mann For The Job. Updated weekly at TitleTrakk.com, this serial stars Grace Mann, a woman with a complicated past who returns home to become sheriff of the small town of Hope Falls, Tennessee. Even as Grace is sworn in to her new job, the deputies are grumbling ...

Direct link: http://www.titletrakk.com/index.htm#bestmann
Archive at comicspace.com/ericawell

Related links:
Preview #1: Sheriff Grace Mann
Preview #2: Deputy Todd Baxter
Preview #3: Rev. Hezekiah Mann
Preview #4: Elizabeth Mann

Best Mann 1.5: "Why'd you stay on?"

Posted by Chris Well on March 16, 2009 at 9:19am

Now posted online is the fifth installment of Erica's and my new crime/mystery series Best Mann For The Job. Updated weekly at TitleTrakk.com, this serial stars Grace Mann, a woman with a complicated past who returns home to become sheriff of the small town of Hope Falls, Tennessee. Even as Grace is sworn in to her new job, the deputies are grumbling ...

Direct link: http://www.titletrakk.com/index.htm#bestmann
Archive at comicspace.com/ericawell

Related links:
Preview #1: Sheriff Grace Mann
Preview #2: Deputy Todd Baxter
Preview #3: Rev. Hezekiah Mann
Preview #4: Elizabeth Mann

Best Mann 1.4: "I Know It's Awkward"

Posted by Chris Well on March 9, 2009 at 4:48pm

Now online is the fourth installment of our new crime/mystery series Best Mann For The Job. Updated weekly at TitleTrakk.com, this serial stars Grace Mann, a woman with a complicated past who returns home to become sheriff of the small town of Hope Falls, Tennessee. Even as Grace is sworn in to her new job, the deputies are grumbling ...

Direct link: http://www.titletrakk.com/index.htm#bestmann

Related links:
Preview #1: Sheriff Grace Mann
Preview #2: Deputy Todd Baxter
Preview #3: Rev. Hezekiah Mann
Preview #4: Elizabeth Mann

BEST MANN 1.3: "Hey! Wait!"

Posted by Chris Well on March 2, 2009 at 4:00am

Now online is the third installment of our new crime/mystery series Best Mann For The Job. Updated weekly at TitleTrakk.com, this serial stars Grace Mann, a woman with a complicated past who returns home to become sheriff of the small town of Hope Falls, Tennessee. Even as Grace is sworn in to her new job, the deputies are grumbling ...Direct link: http://www.titletrakk.com/index.htm#bestmannRelated links:Preview #1: Sheriff Grace Mann Preview #2: Deputy Todd Baxter Preview #3: Rev. Hezekiah Mann Preview #4: Elizabeth Mann

BEST MANN 1.2: "Just look at that badge!"

Posted by Chris Well on February 24, 2009 at 9:56pm

Now online is the second installment of our new crime/mystery series Best Mann For The Job. Updated weekly at TitleTrakk.com, this serial stars Grace Mann, a woman with a complicated past who returns home to become sheriff of the small town of Hope Falls, Tennessee. Even as Grace is sworn in to her new job, the deputies are grumbling ...

Direct link: http://www.titletrakk.com/index.htm#bestmann

Related links:
Preview #1: Sheriff Grace Mann
Preview #2: Deputy Todd Baxter
Preview #3: Rev. Hezekiah Mann
Preview #4: Elizabeth Mann

BEST MANN FOR THE JOB: "You were robbed."

Posted by Chris Well on February 16, 2009 at 10:59am

This week kicks off the first arc in our comic strip Best Mann For The Job. Grace Mann is a woman with a complicated past who returns home to become sheriff of the small town of Hope Falls, Tennessee. Even as Grace is sworn in to her new job, the deputies are grumbling -- but when a pair of desperate criminals drive into town and take a local family hostage, she has to step up and prove herself ...

Updated weekly at TitleTrakk.com.
Direct link: http://www.titletrakk.com/index.htm#bestmann

Previously on BEST MANN FOR THE JOB:
Preview #1: Sheriff Grace Mann
Preview #2: Deputy Todd Baxter
Preview #3: Rev. Hezekiah Mann
Preview #4: Elizabeth Mann

God is bigger

Posted by Chris Well on February 14, 2009 at 10:00am

I was once discussing the idea of doing a "Christian" story inside the familiar framework of a major comic book company, and the other person dismissed it. As he put it, if God appeared in this comic and saved the day, the reader would think it no different than if Galactus or some other cosmic being had done so.It was impossible to disagree with him on this point, simply because our heads were in two completely different places. In his mind, the concept of a "Christian" version of the familiar comic book construct was to simply include God or Jesus, or even Judeo-Christian ideals, inside. To fold Him up and shove Him (and, apparently, His Eternal Glory) inside that tiny, 32-page, stapled pamphlet.So if that had been the discussion -- i.e., how to include Jesus (Lord of All That Was, And Is, And Is To Come) inside a comic book -- then sure. The reader would have no choice but to conclude that any character on the page is relative to any other character on the page.But here is the problem with that course of thinking:God is bigger.Our Heavenly Father, the Creator of All Things, is Eternal. He is omnipotent. He is omnipresent. He is Infinite.His Only Begotten Son, Jesus, has been declared Lord of Lords, and King of Kings. There is nothing over the Earth, or on the Earth, or under the Earth, that is not under his jurisdiction. There is nothing that happens that is outside His control.And you can't fit THAT inside your fiction. No matter how hard you try, no matter how noble your intentions, it is simply impossible to shoehorn an Infinite and Eternal God into your little made-up story. The second that God or Jesus (or the Holy Spirit) appears inside your story and acts or speaks, you have, in fact, performed an act (albeit, unintentionally) of bait-and-switch.You may tell the reader that this character in your story is the "real" God, but it's not. It's a false god. An idol. A graven image.* * *But that's not even where I'm headed.Let's go back to the "Galactus" statement that the other person had made. Now, I would say that he was correct in the way that he meant, and in the specific context that he meant.But God is infinite. Try to imagine that:God is bigger than you.Bigger than your home.Bigger than your town.Than your region.Than your state.The country.The hemispere.The planet.The solar system.The galaxy.Bigger than space, bigger than time ... bigger, in fact, than anything and everything that He created.Now, if we are small and finite, that leaves a LOT of room for all kinds of amazing things in that space that exists between the frail things that we are and the Infinite Being that He is.Given that, if Galactus were to show up ... he is simply a component of creation. If Bruce Banner were to be gamma irradiated, Peter Parker bitten by a radioactive spider, or Thor came down from Asgard -- or, for that matter, if baby Kal-El was rocketed from a dying planet, Hal Jordan inducted into an intergalactic police force, or Barry Allen struck by lightning and doused in chemicals -- none of these events would contradict the biblical truth that GOD IS BIGGER and that JESUS IS LORD.Any character or place or thing that has ever been imagined -- any superhero, mythological god, urban legend, or grand, super-science scheme ... anything -- is smaller than infinite. Out here in the real world, should any (or all) of these things show up on your street today, it would be foolish to let them shake your Christian faith. They would simply be part of a Creation that points to an even bigger Creator.So would I put God inside a Marvel comic? No. Because that wouldn't be God. But to think of ways to use those characters to point to God ... now, that would be something.

Best Mann: Preview #4

Posted by Chris Well on February 11, 2009 at 2:00pm

TitleTrakk.com has now posted the final preview for the new serial Best Mann For The Job. This week we meet Elizabeth Mann -- Grace's mom, and librarian at the local library.Best Mann For The Job, the new comic created by my wife and I, stars Grace Mann -- the new sheriff of Hope Falls, Tennessee. As Grace grows into her new job, she'll soon be caught up in all the weird crime, small-town politics, and church conflicts you can find in a one-horse town. (You'd be surprised.)Updated weekly at TitleTrakk.com.Direct link here: http://www.titletrakk.com/index.htm#bestmann

Related:Best Mann For The Job BEST MANN #2: Deputy Todd Baxter BEST MANN #3: Rev. Hezekiah Mann