#16 You Didn't, Did You + Brennan and Riz State of Play

 Happy Blog Day Everyone!

Today, I want to talk a little about where Brennan and Riz is as a series, but before we get to that, let's get to the Comic!

The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz

I think this one perfectly encapsulates Riz's opinion on charity...Well, I guess I could be more explicit but I'm not sure if I could get away with showing that! You do have to feel sorry for Bren at times like this, whereas some people trying to do good will have a metaphorical devil on their shoulder, he's got one in his pocket (though sadly he's no devil, as that would be an easy explanation).

Guess Brennan will have to learn to be sneakier with donating to charity.

Brennan and Riz: State of Play

So, it's been 6 years now since I started with Brennan and Riz (elements of the characters are older but that's besides the point) and in that time there has been 26 short stories featuring the pair, spread across 7 books. There's a full length novel with a 2nd being worked on and a 3rd being a scribble in my note book.

Looking at things that way, it's a lot of Brennan and Riz. It's probably worth mentioning as well that one of them is in an obscure book that deals with stories about the Middlesbrough football club. It's funny to think that the story I'm talking about was actually the 2nd one I came up, the first going no where despite several attempts at a workable draft. It's this story (Goblins on the Pitch) that I'd try and "Reissue" in another collected edition if possible.

Thinking back to those first batch of stories though, the first 10 (From Girl in the Water to Wild Hunt on the Road), I can look back and see a subtle shift in how I wrote them. For instance, the way Riz spoke only became more defined as I became more experienced writing him, sharpening his edges as well. If you want an example, just compare Riz’s speech in Girl in the Water to how he talks in A Boy and A Rat.

Not that was the only difference, another is their views on Valarie. This was recently brought to my attention by someone asking me about it on twitter, regarding how Brennan views her in Goblins in the Tunnel, contrasting to how he was, well, everywhere else. My own plans had changed from that story, not least of all Valarie’s backstory which was overhauled exhaustively. This had an unseen knock on effect to other things (like her own novel that I was working on, that's pretty much apocrypha now). While had I inadvertently softened him is another matter, the question of what happened exactly is a sticking point between the pair. I do have an idea in mind but it's still a little beyond the time scale of the three prequel novels, given that I picture them happening within a year of each other. 

So in short, its something I'm planning but I don't know when it'll appear (though I can confirm it'll be pretty Valarie heavy...not that some of you will complain)

Now, what's next for the pair? I've spoken recently on a story of theirs that I ultimately abandoned but by no means was that the last of the ideas. I once said that I had about 60 different ideas for then squirrelled away in a note book, and that still holds true, but I'm also adding to it constantly it seems. For instance I've taken another step closer to having the pair deal with the Lambton Worm, something I've often teased, and have them venture under Richmond Castle to see what's lurking under there. There's also the unreleased stories that are completed and just waiting to be unleashed (this is collection that I was waiting for the Redcar story to complete) and there's yet another Harvey Duckman Presents tale to debut with another two in the pipeline.

To top that off, we also have the Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz, which will receive its own dedicated blog post in about 4 weeks time, to coincide with its 20th strip.

I know there is still some gaps of course, there's no audio books for example, and this pair could really, really benefit from them. It's something I'm going to have to figure out.

I think that's it for now, paradoxically there was both a lot and not a lot to say about the pair.

If you want to catch up on the pairs adventures then feel free to check out the links below!

Till next time,

Keep on writing!

Peter James Martin

Quick Links

The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Volume 1

The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Book 1: A Boy and A Rat

The Strange Tales of Brennan and Riz Volume 2

Malarkey's Imaginomnibus Volume 1