Hey! It's been awhile. Six weeks is a long time between blog posts, but there's a good reason for it--progress is being made! I've turned in a few more scripts to people, hired an editor to review one of my pieces, and I'm getting ready to start lettering two projects. There are a few things I have to share today, but first, let me tell ya about a recent convention trip:
CONVENTION RECAP
The Lexington Comic & Toy Convention took place earlier this month, and it's the closest large-scale regional show to me, so I always go every year. Running a show during a pandemic definitely brings forth some challenges, but I don't think the experience was inhibited in any way.
In my convention-going experience, I'm finally making the effort to attend more panels, and this show didn't disappoint, as they had two different panels on the topic of breaking into the comic book industry.
The first featured Gavin Smith and James Maddox (the creative team behind 'Dead Legends' from A Wave Blue World) and Justin Stewart, an artist local to the area whose resume includes work published by Marvel and Image Comics. The three of them shared insight on how to best conduct yourself when collaborating with others and working in the industry. Like any other industry, relationships are hugely important, essentially, how you treat others.
The second breaking-into-comics panel was organized by two members of Broken Icon Comics, an indie comics publisher. Once I was able to ask my question, I wanted to know more about pitching a project to a publisher for consideration. The biggest takeaway from this discussion was that you need to show that you're invested in your project. Show that you've done the work upfront. Most importantly, if you're not excited about your project--why should anyone else be?
PROJECT UPDATES
I reached a point where so many things are moving, and it feels great to see your work come to life when collaborating with artists. Here's where things stand:
Hired a freelance editor to review my script for 'Hero of Merrywood.'
Bryce Oquaye sent me the first full complete page of art for our book 'Hard Justice.'
Joey Sabo finished the art and colors for our one-pager 'Knight Time.'
I wrote another one-page story, hired Alex Rhys for the art, and it's already DONE! So now it's on to lettering.
I'm still in awe over the artwork I've gotten back, and now the pressure is on me to deliver on the lettering. Time to brush off the dust and fire up Adobe Illustrator!
SNEAK PREVIEW
Now, the moment I've been waiting for--previews of my work! First up, I was blown away by this time lapse video Bryce sent me of the progress on page 1 of 'Hard Justice.' Look how he pulls in my reference photos and
his character concepts into the workspace and then absolutely nails the art. He expertly captures what I have in the panel descriptions and then cranks it up a notch. It's been a lot of fun working on this with him and I can't wait to see more.
Earlier this week Joey Sabo finished the art and colors for our one-page story 'Knight Time' and man, has he got
some serious chops when it comes to drawing fun characters! So now, I'm in the lettering phase. I really should
have kept up with these skills, because now I feel as though I'm back to square one with how to go about this process. BUT--this is a one-page story, and more than likely I'll work through each panel multiple times to get it just right.
WHAT I'VE BEEN READING LATELY
Surprisingly enough, I've made time to crack open a few books these last few weeks and read, read, read! Here are some highlights I want to share and definitely recommend you pick up:
Plastic - this was such a thrilling read, as we follow a serial killer who has something precious stolen from him, and the lengths he will go to in order to get it back. A friend loaned me the tradeback, which contains the full story, so grab it if you're looking for a suspenseful story you can absorb in one sitting (published by Image Comics).
Old Head - is there anything Kyle Starks and Chris Schweizer can't do? This tradeback (also from Image Comics) involves vampires AND basketball, and finds a way to easy meld the two together. It's chock-full of many laugh-out-loud moments.
Southern Bastards vol. 1 - grabbed this on a whim, as I have heard the title before but knew nothing of the story. An old man is unable to escape his family's legacy, and finds himself issuing his own brand of justice like his father did years ago. Jason Aaron gives us a gripping story and pairs it with Jason Latour's visceral art style that keeps your eyes glued to the page.
Whew! Now it's time to get back to work. These panels won't letter themselves!
Until next time!
-WG