Pesto Comics - Audio Edition

Not Quite 40

0:00

-16:26

Not Quite 40

Looking over the cliff of my next decade.

Adriano Ariganello

May 21, 2025

Transcript

Welcome Back (00:00)
Worklog Updates (02:03)
Project Updates
- From Parts Unknown #4 in Prelaunch (03:02)
- Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1 on Kindle Unlimited (03:29)
- Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 2 Call for Entries (04:02)
Media Updates
- My Floppy Ears on Two Geeks Talking (04:45)
Main Story
- Happy Birthday to Me! (05:10)
- Talking to Myself (05:53)
- More Importantly (07:13)
- But You Care, Don't You? (08:28)
- The Point (09:24)
- Leave a Comment (10:23)
Updates and More
- Coming Up on the Substack (10:32)
- Upcoming Appearances (10:58)
- Pesto Comics Release Calendar (11:52)
- Instant Ink Comic Book Podcast (12:33)
Super Secret Epilogue (13:07)

Welcome Back

It’s my birthday!

I always cringe a bit when I see birthday posts from 24-year-old’s worried about whether it’s “too late” to get started in a creative career. I feel myself crumbling to dust as I watch - but I know that many of you are doing the same as you read the reflections of someone lamenting (though not quite) being nearly 40.

I see less and less of it now. Instead, the algorithms have decided to feed me content about doing “x over 40”. I’m not quite there yet, but YouTube and other socials sure make me want to feel like I am.

At 1:15pm today, I’ll officially be 39 years old. I don’t feel old - mentally, at least. I’ve been injured by my attempts to push my body past its, very narrow, breaking point more than a few times over the past few years and it doesn’t look like there’s any likelihood of those slowing down now.

I have a cane that I use periodically. I wear glasses more often than not. My back hurts for no reason much of time and heartburn & snoring have caused me to get a triangular-shaped pillow so I can get sound sleep.

Yet, I feel good. I have very few complaints (though I can come up with a few more if you push me.) I’m generally happy about everything overall. I know that in itself makes me a very lucky and fortunate person.

It’s a morbid, yet motivating, truth that a few people don’t even get to make it this far in age. I’m always aware of that. I can’t say that I make the most of every day, but I try to make the most of most. That’s all I can hope for and I’m glad I’m in a position, in a country, in a family and in a world that I can do it.

With that, I’d like to reflect on what led me to get here, writing to you about comics and writing projects. It started in my 30s and I’ve got plans to finish this decade as something worthy looking back on.

Before we get into that, something new…

Worklog Updates

Sometimes, you see a good idea and just have to steal it. I’ve done so with posts like post-mortems from ComixLaunch and I have one more I’m going to steal now.

Declan Shalvey

has a biweekly Substack that he always starts off with a worklog. Not only is it a great way to keep Declan accountable for his work, but an excellent view into what goes into being a comic creator.

Here’s an example of his latest entry:

Declarations

#172: Hungry like the Wol-verhampton

Welcome to DECLARATIONS a bi-weekly newsletter by artist/writer Declan Shalvey…

2 months ago · 15 likes · 2 comments · Declan Shalvey

Going forward, I’ll be including my own Worklog every week to give a basic idea of how much I’m actually getting done and what I plan on doing.

This week was a big one:

Shipped out copies of Naked Kaiju Woman and From Parts Unknown #2 to all backers.

This is the plan for next week:

Send out surveys for and digital copies of From Parts Unknown #3.
Finalize From Parts Unknown #3 with the printer.
Prep for transfer of pestocomics.com to new host.
Write two scripts for upcoming unannounced projects.

For the projects I can talk about…

Project Updates

From Parts Unknown #4 is in Prelaunch!

Last week, I said I’d be pushing out the launch for FPU#4 to make sure #3 gets in the hands of more readers.

With that, I’m tentatively scheduling the launch for June 11, 2025.

As of this writing, we have just over 60 followers for the campaign. I’d hope to get this to over 100 before I hit launch. If you haven’t followed yet, it’s easy (and free) to do so!

Follow From Parts Unknown #4

Speaking of free, if you have Kindle Unlimited…

Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1 on KU Right Now!

You can read it now through August. It’s a hefty book, so don’t delay getting into it. The stories themselves are short enough that you can put your Kindle down and return to it later, but you’ll want to get started soon as there’s over 40 stories from 40 great authors to enjoy.

Read 'Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 1' on KU

If Amazon and Kindle Unlimited aren’t for you, I’ll be publishing this book wide on digital platforms once the KU exclusive-window is completed (including Kobo Plus, Canada’s non-exclusive version of KU).

Big Smoke Pulp Vol. 2 - Call for Entry

The long-awaited Call for Entries for Big Smoke Pulp, Vol. 2 is nearly here.

I have some finishing touches to do on the entry form, which will be handled via Google Forms, before I unleash it to the public. With well over 1000 entries submitted last year, I needed a better system to manage applications and sometimes the easiest answer is the best one. Once I’ve finalized the form, it’ll go live on bigsmokepulp.com.

If you have a short story under 5000 words, I want to read it.

There's no cost to entry. If your story is accepted, authors are paid 1¢ CAD per word, receive a free digital copy and discounted physical copies upon funding of the Kickstarter campaign.

bigsmokepulp.com

Media Updates

My Floppy Ears on Two Geeks Talking

If you missed it, you can see me and my floppy ears on Two Geeks Talking from this past Saturday…

I’m happy to have joined an amazing array of guests that Kurt has had on recently.

I have a couple more podcasts lined up, all with the hopes of getting From Parts Unknown #4 in the zeitgeist, and I’ll be sharing those in the coming weeks.

For now, I’ll use this birthday of mine to reflect on the decade that was - and how I plan to finish it off with a bang!

Main Story

Happy Birthday to Me!

There’s a sad truth that as you get older, no one is going to throw you a birthday party unless you do it yourself. In my “real life”, I end up at Lone Star Texas Grill with whoever cares to join me. I can usually count on at least my brother and my wife to do so, but I’m just happy to have any company at all - and to enjoy my fajitas with a “Mexican Bulldog” to celebrate surviving another year.

I always say I’m not one to tie too much to dates, but I clearly don’t mean it. The trick is that I don’t use these dates to start working towards a goal. I don’t believe in new years resolutions or waiting until a birthday to kick things off.

I do think they’re a good marker for reflection, though. The only way to know how far you have to go is to realize how far you’ve gone.

Talking to Myself

I started keeping a journal about 10 years ago. It was actually just before my 29th birthday, but much like now, I was feeling reflective. I was somehow in a totally different place and not that far off from where I am now at the same time.

I was struggling with work, feeling stagnated with no real direction. I was a ‘Team Lead’ in my company and I had no idea that just a couple years later, my manager and mentor would be leaving for greener pastures and handing me the reigns of managing 35 technicians in 6 different hospitals. That stagnation would turn into excitement, anxiety, burnout and frustration over the course of a couple years.

All before the pandemic and a new role, a step back away from management, would lead me to where I am today. Writing a post on a break between meetings in the basement of my home - where most of the magic happens.

I was a struggling writer back then. I wanted to write novels, screenplays, comics and comic strips - but I only had experiences with short stories at the time. Reading those early journal entries, I knew what I needed to do to become a better writer. Read more. Read a lot more.

Though my TBR (to-be-read) list is longer than ever, so is the list of books, comics and articles that I’ve read over the past decade. I’m far from considering myself “well-read”, but I’m a lot more on my way than I was at 29.

More Importantly

I’ve made real progress in my writing journey.

Not only have I had more success with short stories, but I’ve put together a collection of stories with authors from around the world in Big Smoke Pulp. I’ve self-published 7 comics with plans for dozens more in the near future. I have novels in the works and another set of short stories to test the market with.

I’m where I wanted to be at 29. At 39, I feel like this is still just the beginning. I want to grow Pesto Comics to a level of self-sufficiency that allows me to get more stories than I can muster out at once. I have a backlog of ideas, ever growing, that are limited by my wallet and time, keeping these stories at bay.

The truth is, even with unlimited funds and resources, I could have never done what I did through my 30s at 29. It was my life experience, my literacy and my scars I gained through tough battles in my day job that gave me the courage to be where I am today.

To succeed in a creative career, you need to be ready for heaps of rejection. It’s not always folks saying “no” directly. A “no” is definitive. I almost prefer it. Worse than a “no”, and a lot more common, is apathy. There’s just too much out there for most readers to care about what’s happening with an independent.

But You Care, Don’t You?

It’s thanks to readers like you that I’m able to do any of this. You’re part of a small, but mighty, group of readers that is actually willing to take a chance on someone who hasn’t (yet) been vetted by the greats as someone to watch.

I’ve had the good luck to meet, and work with, some of those creators already. The fact that they’ve been so friendly with their time and feedback means a lot. A 29-year-old me would think it absolutely surreal to know that Scott Snyder has read, and enjoyed, my work. It would be unfathomable to be working with Allison O’Toole on [redacted].

Plus the artists that I’ve been able to get under the Pesto Comics tent are some of the most talented people on the planet. They don’t just want to work on our projects, but are excited and grateful to be doing so. This didn’t seem like a possibility after flopping my way out of film school. The fact that I’ve worked with these creators again and again proves that we’re doing something right.

The Point

I’m happy with where I am at 39, but I’m not satisfied. I still have a long way to go. I have a to do list longer than my arm (in 12pt font) and a lot of improvement on the things I’ve accomplished so far.

I need to get better at juggling all the tasks I want to do. Rather than seeing things through beginning to end, I have many projects started at once. I can only water so many seeds before I’m surrounded by dying plants. By the time I hit 40, I plan to have a real system in place to get things through the line and out into the world without having to sacrifice everything else.

I have so many projects I want to get out there. Starting them all at once isn’t a guarantee that they make it to the end. I’m very comfortable with planning the next few years out if it means these projects will see the light of day. I’m going to make them happen.

My 40s will be marked by climbing the ladder of creative success.

My 30s will be known as the decade I built the foundation.

I’ve got one year left, starting today, to let that concrete set.

Until next time…

Do you use birthdays to reflect? New year’s day? Anything goals you’re hoping to achieve in the near to medium future?

Let me know in the comments.