On Enjoying It

Or Trying To

With Dead Boy Detectives launched last Thursday on Netflix, and now Top Ten in over seventy countries, it took me until yesterday evening to check if this meant the comics were selling.

I found —

That’s in the UK. And in America —

And I sat looking at my laptop screen, and didn’t know what to do. I was at my Dad’s, and he was already long asleep. I sent a screenshot to Leigh. I messaged my son. I opened a beer. I said whoo.

What else? Let someone know.

I posted on Bluesky —

I think this may be the only time I'll have my name on a #1 Bestseller.

So, what the hell, I'm going to mention it.

And Neil Gaiman replied with —

Big proud happy face. Toby created the version of Dead Boy Detectives that inspired Steve Yockey to make the TV show. (Toby, now’s when you point out to DC Comics how much you’d like to write a DBD novel.)

Which immediately put me into a panic.

Yes, that’s clearly the thing to do. Write a book that lots of people will want to read.

However.

There’s a line I put in a novel somewhere, which I’ve always felt true —

I’ve never really enjoyed having fun.

For this, I blame my Classics master at school, Mr Andrew Wilson.

Mr Wilson, a great and passionate teacher, who is a subscriber (hello), taught his classes all about hubris.

Any sign of self-congratulation or bigging yourself up, of smarming or smirking in the spotlight, will be immediately punished by the Greek Gods.

The Chorus here chimes in with —

Be humble. Give thanks. Keep your head down. Don’t wish to be great.

The problem with this is that you can end up never being able to enjoy anything.

I feel I can be punished for buying a slightly expensive pencil, and taking too much pleasure in writing with it.

It’s not exclusively Ancient Greek, this take on delight.

Catholic or Jewish guilt can do the same work of suppression. And the Protestant Work Ethic. And Generalized Anxiety Disorder. You are almost irredeemably bad, so don’t think too highly of yourself.

Maybe that’s what Neil Gaiman is saying about the Dead Boy Detectives novel — get going on something else. Show your thanks and gratitude by toiling.

I even feel nervous posting this.

#1

Can’t you just enjoy it?

Nope, I can’t.

Well, maybe a tiny bit.