The Home Stretch!

Unfortunately, this week has been busy in more ways than one. I have mostly been busy with things that don't have anything to do with comics or art. However, Manuela has been especially busy, and sent me a ton of new and updated pages of art all at once yesterday!

- A total of 19 pages (out of 26 for Issues 0 and 1) are now pencilled

- The line art is totally done for 13 pages

- The scripts for Issues 0 and 1 are complete (except for dialogue revisions)

- I have started the script for Issue 2 (and the whole series is plotted)

- Reuben has put together a great concept for the cover for Issue 0

What this means is that Manuela literally has two panels left to pencil, and three pages to ink, and all of her work is done until we get a publisher. I have made her promise I can still bother her sometimes, though-- It won't feel right if I don't hear from her a couple of times a week!

Next up, Michela has seven more pages to pencil, and then finishing her inking, and all of the line art will be done. She should have no problem finishing all of that in time.

I'm sure you have all been waiting for news on the colorist. We are still working on making a decision. For scripts and corrections, working remotely isn't a problem, but we like to be extra careful when communicating about nuanced decisions. We're also waiting for a bit more artwork before we're sure. I really hope we can announce a colorist next week, completing our team and giving us a real chance of finishing the preview issue on schedule.

I hate talking about art, and then telling you I can't show it to you yet-- but I have to mention some very special pages. Both issues (0 & 1) end on a two-page spread, and in fact they are two very very related images. This week, I was able to see the artwork for both of these, one from Manuela and one from Michela. Seeing those pages was really the moment for me, where I knew that we were doing something great together-- and that the artists are taking this project far beyond what I imagined it could be. These pages are shocking, upsetting, and yet somehow beautiful.

However, I have something just as exciting to show you this week... The first inked page (first draft) by Michela, which is also the opening page to Issue 0.

The Deathlings: Issue 0, Page 1 - by Michela Da Sacco

Weekly Update

Unfortunately, we don't have any news this week announcing our colorist. We are down to two very strong contenders, who are working on page samples. I hope we can announce our colorist next week, or the week after.

However, I have a lot to report on in terms of our progress on the book itself. (Needless to say, the line art is beautiful even without the colors.) As promised, another update:

- Of the 10 pages for the Preview, Inks are done for 7 of them!

- A total of 12 pages (out of 26 for Issues 0 and 1) are now pencilled

- The scripts for Issues 0 and 1 are complete (except for dialogue revisions)

- I have started the script for Issue 2 (and the whole series is plotted)

- Reuben has put together a great concept for the cover for Issue 0

I think it's time to put all of this in some context: On July 22nd, 2009 I started writing my first comic book ever. On August 15th, 2009 the line art team started working. We have now been working as a team for just a month, and I have been writing and editing this project for under two months.

Our self-imposed deadline is to have a preview issue (5 page issue 0, plus the first 5 pages of issue 1) done by the end of next month. With four weeks behind us, that leaves another 4-6 weeks, so things are looking very good.

I'm going to end this week's update with a question. Which would you rather see a preview of, next week?

- A page complete with dialogue

- Another inked page by Manuela (Issue 1)

- An inked page by Michela (Issue 0)

- A colored version of the page from last week?

Page 1 by Manuela (and Updates)

I'll keep the progress update as quick as I can this week, to get to the big news:

Last night, I read through 9 pages of Deathlings, and it is definitely coming together nicely. Manuela has pencilled 8 pages, and is most of the way through inking most of those. Michela has pencilled her first page, and I expect to see more in the next few days. I have even done draft lettering on all 9 of the pages we have.

In addition, we are very close to choosing a colorist. We are waiting for some more samples from a few people, and will make our decision as soon as we have those. At this point, we have at least four people who would do a great job on the book, and are in a position to choose the best from those. The book is going to be beautiful.

Enough of that, though. Real progress is progress you can see, not just stuff we can hint about. I'm thrilled to present the first official art from an actual page of the comic, the inks for Page 1 of Issue 1, by the wonderful (and sweet) Manuela Soriani!

(click for larger view)

Progress Update & Colorist Tryouts

Progress has been wonderful in the past week, and we are still on track to release a Deathlings preview comic in October or November (first online, then in print). Just to give you an idea of how things are moving, Manuela has completed the pencils for pages 1-5, and inks for pages 1-2, and I have lettered 1-4.

Now that we have some pages done, we're spending more and more effort finding the ideal colorist for the project. It's been a great experience, and a chance to work with some talented and creative people.

We're looking for someone interested in working on a (for now) Indie comic project, who has a great sense of light, shadow, and texture, and who finds real and fantasy/horror situations equally appealing. If you are interested in being involved, please contact me and I can provide more details.

We have had try-outs submitted by some wonderful artists, and expect to hear from a handful more in the next week or so, before we make a decision. I thought this week's blog post would be the ideal time to show you some of what has been submitted so far.

To see all of the try-outs, as well as some great pinup and fan art, check out my Deathlings Gallery over on DeviantArt. If you like any of these, be sure to tell the talented artists who worked hard to create the colors. (All line art by Manuela Soriani.)

Thanks for following the blog, and supporting The Deathlings. Keep an eye out next week, I believe we will be ready to show you some inked pages by Manuela. Before long, we will also have news on our selection of a colorist.