The Deathlings Graphic Novel - Official Blog

New Website

2009-10-29T21:27:00.002-04:00

We will be moving our blog over to Our New Website starting today.

"Why?" I hear you ask? Because we're also launching the online preview, starting with Issue 0 of "Anne's Story". Go visit the new site to see!

Quick Post: Boston Comic Con

2009-10-19T13:23:00.004-04:00

(Just a quick update this time, the big news is below in last week's post!)

Ian will be visiting Boston Comic Con this coming weekend. If you would like to meet up and see some sneak-preview pages in person, please comment below.

The Ultimate Deathlings Preview!

2009-10-15T14:43:00.003-04:00

In the recent poll, the top vote-getters have been "A Fully Colored Page" and "A Page with Dialogue"... I've been giving it some serious thought, and it's time to show you a page with everything in place. Specifically, I'm proud to present the first page of Issue 0, with the current near-final drafts of the colors and dialogue/lettering. You simply will not see anything more complete than this until the official preview starts in a few weeks.

The Deathlings: Anne's Story - Issue 0, Page 1 (of 5)

Writer & Letters: Ian C. Struckhoff

Line Artist: Michela Da Sacco

Color Artist: Juri Hayasaka

I hope this gives you all a taste for what our book will be like, and how wonderful the artwork is. It almost doesn't matter how good my writing turns out to be, because at the very least it was an excuse to put together an amazing art team and let them do fantastic work!

After this preview, I'll be scaling back on the preview of pages and artwork on the blog, until the actual Preview issue is released online. Keep your eyes out here for progress updates, posts about our technique and process, and even updates from other members of the team. Near the end of this month, I'll also be updating you to announce when the preview will be available.

Quick Update

2009-10-12T16:14:00.004-04:00

I've decided to hold off on posting more preview art, until it becomes clear what you (our dear readers) really want to see more of. There's a poll at the top of the page that will give you a chance to have your say.

Until then, another quick update...

For the Preview:

- All 10 pages are now pencilled and inked

- At least the first draft of the letters for all 10 pages are done

- One page is fully colored, and a couple more are started

- Two separate covers are lined-up, and on schedule

Overall:

- Line art is almost 90% complete for Issues 0 and 1

- Color art just started recently, but is making good progress

- As writer, my focus is on writing Issue 2, finalizing dialogue and lettering in 0/1, coordinating the artwork, and preparing pitches for publishers

All in all, I'm just damned impressed. I first started writing this (as a graphic novel) only 84 days ago, and the artists have been working for only 60 days. (Less, in some cases.) That's a lot for them to accomplish working part time, alongside other work they actually get paid up front for.

As it stands, I think we are on track to start releasing the official digital Preview (Issue 0, plus 5 pages of Issue 1) by Halloween, as I hoped-- and to send that issue to the printers in November.

If you read this blog, you're already among the first to get a taste of the preview. Be sure to vote in the poll, about what you'd like to see next!

Welcome Juri Hayasaka to the Team!

2009-10-02T11:22:00.004-04:00

The decision has been a while coming, due to the schedules of everyone involved, but I'm incredibly excited to announce a new addition to the art team for The Deathlings. We are being joined by the amazing Juri Hayasaka!

Juri has already begun work coloring pages for Issue 0. She is confirmed as the colorist for the "secondary" (fantasy, etc.) artwork, along with Michela. We are still deciding on who will color the other storyline, be it Juri as well, or someone else.

As much as I would love to tease you with some Deathlings art by Juri, we should hold back on that until final drafts are done. Instead, I highly recommend that you visit her DeviantArt page for some of her amazing original artworks. You won't be disappointed.

I have seen some quick color sketches already, and one near-final page, and this book is going to be beautiful. I'm so proud to have brought together such an exceptional team!

The Home Stretch!

2009-09-24T09:28:00.004-04:00

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

2009-09-16T14:40:00.002-04:00

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)

2009-09-09T09:30:00.004-04:00

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

2009-09-01T14:00:00.010-04:00

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.

Progress Update

2009-08-26T17:16:00.002-04:00

Things are moving at a wonderful pace. I'll try not to update too often, so it doesn't get old for you, but quite a bit has happened since my last post.

Manuela now has penciled pages completed for Pages 1 - 3, and I hear I should see page 4 already tomorrow! Her sense of layout, composition, setting, and narrative is only matched by her clear vision for the characters and story.

This has been a great boon to me, on top of being exciting to see. I have decided that for now I will assume that I will be the letterer for the project. One nice result of this is that I have a very natural intuitive venue to edit my dialogue. As I letter, the dialogue improves to more perfectly match the pages. It lets me do a lot of work with pacing, which I like.

I understand that soon, I should begin seeing pages from Michela, as well. (She has fewer pages, due to the structure of the story, so didn't need to work as fast.) I'm excited to see the other side of our story, as then it will all really come together.

We have had a strong response from colorists, and have started to receive some sample work. I hope we can select a colorist in the next two weeks or so, so that they can work on inked pages almost as soon as they are ready.

So far, everything is on track to have Issues 0 and 1 complete by the end of the year, with a preview available late this year. Our hope is to make the preview available in limited quantities in print, for comic shops who are interested, and limited distribution at trade shows. (More on that when the time comes.) We will also probably be releasing Issue 0 online as a preview.

Thanks for paying attention. I can't wait until we can show you the story we are telling-- the artists are doing such amazing work, they make me look like a better writer than I really am.

Official Art Team Announcement!

2009-08-19T10:27:00.014-04:00

I am incredibly excited to announce that two artists from Italy's EdenStudio, Manuela Soriani and Michela Da Sacco, along with painter Reuben Negron, will form the core of the art team for the upcoming "Deathlings" graphic novel! Read on for more information about the team, and some official sample images they have put together of many of the characters.

(If you have been paying attention over the last couple of weeks, you know that it has been driving me crazy not to be able to share this news, so posting this is a huge relief! I really could not be more personally thrilled with the people that have agreed to work with me. I don't think I ever really believed I could put together a team like this.)

Manuela will be doing pencils and inks for the real-world elements of the story, featuring Anne, and her friends and family, in small-town New England. Her previous credits include "Jonathan Steele" and "Rourke" (Star Comics) and "Galaxies" (Ass. Cult. Alex Raymond).

Michela will be doing pencils and inks for the more fantastic elements of the story, including other-worldly and dream sequences featuring the Deathling, Ani. Her previous works include Jonathan Steele (Star Comics), "L'Insonne - Desdy Metus" and Maisha (Edizioni Arcadia), Gli Scorpioni (Ass. Cult. A. Raymond), and Thumos (an original webcomic).

The especially cool thing about this is that Maneula was once Michela's apprentice, before becoming a full member of EdenStudio. The two work very well together, with distinctive but complementary styles. You will see the difference when the story moves from setting to setting, but the effect won't be jarring. Obviously, I'm also incredibly excited to be working with such consummate professionals, with such amazing portfolios and publication histories-- who it also turns out are just wonderful, sweet people to work with.

The news doesn't end there, though. Brilliant artist Reuben Negron will be providing painted covers for the entire six-issue mini-series! I already knew him for his Dirty Dirty Love series of paintings, among others, before he said he was interested. His artworks are currently showing in the "Off the Clock" show at Like the Spice Gallery, and in the "New Breed" exhibition at Last Rites Gallery, the most recent of many group and solo shows. His published works include "Democracy for Beginners" (Steerforth Press), Playboy Magazine, New York Press's "Underground Comics Spectacular", and "Rabbit Rabbit Comics Anthology".

We are still looking for a Color Artist and a Letterer, and will be also working with various talented artists on pinups, variant covers, and promotional art. In other words, if you've been hoping to get involved, this announcement doesn't mean it's too late!

Official Character Art

I hope you enjoy these official character sketches by Manuela and Michela, which are our first taste of their excellent work on this project.

A Word on the Story

Anne's Story is the first chapter of a larger story. It is a coming-of-age tale that starts with the protagonist's death. A teenager gains power over life and death, in a world where it turns out that the real stakes are bigger things-- and smaller ones.

The overarching story is about a war against the undead, fought by secretive beings-- Deathlings-- who are similar to their immortal enemies. There is another war, within their ranks, over whether the innocent lives are an acceptable cost. The core concepts are death, purpose, growth -- and the lack thereof.

This chapter is all about grounding fantastic concepts (especially the undead) in reality, and most importantly, with characters who are real people. The art team I have brought together is going to be just perfect for exactly that!

To find out the rest, you will have to read the series...

Characters Preview

2009-08-13T20:30:00.012-04:00

Update - Script and Characters

2009-08-12T09:52:00.003-04:00

For those who are curious, I will be doing occasional progress updates on creating the first couple of comics. It's your peek into our process, but also a chance for me to share how excited I am about how things are going.

First, I have now received a total of eight amazing character portraits, from the internal line-art team. As a writer, who has been dreaming up stories with these characters for over a decade, it is like magic to me how the artists are transporting characters out of my head, and onto paper. They look exactly as they always have in my mind's-eye.

You're going to love this comic, no matter how good my writing turns out to be. The artists are so professional and gifted, and they totally understand every inch of the world they are creating for you.

The second bit of news is that the script for Issue 0 is finalized, and the script for the first three pages of Issue 1 is as well-- both have been sent to the artists! Now that they have pages to draw, they will be starting in the next week or so. I'm working hard to make sure that I have pages done ahead of when they are needed, so I never slow these geniuses down.

Finally... With the cover artist confirmed, and so many character designs ready, we are very close to an official announcement of the core art team. You should be hearing from me in the next few days-- and the news will appear here first!

First Photos for The Deathlings: Anne's Story

2009-08-10T07:37:00.007-04:00

I've been dreaming up Deathlings stories for over a decade-- but I've been working as a photographer for years before actually starting this story. When I get a chance to combine my passions, I usually jump on it, and this has been no exceptions. There have been many Deathling photos before, but these are the first specifically for Anne's Story.

To see all of the images, visit This Gallery... I hope you will comment to let us know what you think of the photos, our logo, and of Anne.

Behind the Scenes Progress

2009-08-08T11:14:00.003-04:00

The project has been going for less than three weeks, and we're already making great progress.

The outline for the entire six-issue "Anne's Story" mini-series is complete, broken down by issues. Character sketches and official designs have been coming back from the wonderful artists, based on written descriptions of all of the characters for the first few issues. We have a one-page publisher pitch written, ready for when we have enough final art to show them. We're even making progress in our search for a cover artist, letterer, pinup artists, and a color artist.

Plus, as you can see, the Deathlings website is now live, along with this blog. I've hidden a few other things out there on the Internet for you to find, and there are more to come.

Starting on August 15th, the art team will be finishing up deadlines on other projects, and officially begin work on Issues #0 and #1 of "The Deathlings: Anne's Story". Around that time, we will make an official announcement of the team so far.

As of today, the first drafts of the 5 page Issue #0, and the 21-page Issue #1 (or a 26 page first issue) are done. I will be putting the finishing touches on them, and doing some re-writing where necessary, in time to have a final draft off to ________ and ________ one week from today.

By this winter, both issues will be complete, and the preview will be available. Then our efforts can focus on pitching to publishers, visiting conventions, and the process of finding ways to share our story with you.

In the meantime, keep up to date on our progress, and see teasers from the story and art, right here!

Coming Soon

2009-08-07T09:17:00.006-04:00

Our whole team are hard at work on bringing you the first chapter of the Deathlings, "Anne's Story" or "Missing Pieces" (working titles). This six-issue mini series will introduce us to the world of the Deathlings, starting on the last day among the living for a normal teenage girl.

Coming Winter 2009-2010

Deathlings: Anne's Story Issue #0 , "The Dream of Death"

Full color prologue story introducing our main characters, plus teaser art.

Watch this blog for more news and announcements about the series, including completing our art team, character previews, samples from Issues #0 and #1, and more.

Recent News:

- The interior line art team have been selected, and are at work on character designs. An official announcement will be made in the coming weeks.

- We also hope to have news soon about a confirmed cover artist, someone you may recognize.

- The entire six issue mini-series is plotted, the script for Issue #0 is with the artists, and the script for Issue #1 is nearly finished.

- Coming Soon: TheDeathlings.com

- We are still looking for a colorist and letterer. Visit This Article on DeviantArt for more information.

Public Outline

2009-07-31T14:44:00.001-04:00

Deathling: Anne's Story

Series Outline - Updated August 13th by Ian X.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: The character, concepts, etc. described and references below are copyright Ian C. Struckhoff. They may not be reproduced or used in any way without permission. If permission is given you may create artworks based on these descriptions, but it may not be used for commercial purposes without express agreement, and copyright of the characters and concepts remain wholly property of the author.

Give it to me in 100 Words or Less

Anne's Story is the first chapter of a larger story. It is a coming of age tale that starts with the protagonist's death. A teenager gains power over life and death, in a world where it turns out that the real stakes are bigger things-- and smaller ones.

The overarcing story is about a war against the undead, fought by secretive beings-- Deathlings-- who are similar to their immortal enemies. There is another war, within their ranks, over whether the innocent lives are an acceptable cost. The core concepts are death, purpose, growth -- and the lack thereof.

Bonfire. Fishnets.

What is a Deathling?

"Nobody knows where we came from-- But we know, deep in our chests, that we're made to kill the undead. All of them. They just-- Mmm.. There's life, and there's death, both totally natural-- and as hard to avoid as taxes, or the one slippery spot on a clean floor. Like two sides of a coin. It's cheating to set it on its side." -Ani (Issue 0. She does ramble.)

Deathlings are immortal and powerful undead hunters. They aren't people exactly, but rather constructs, stitches together from the bodies, and sometimes the personalities, of the dead. They aren't exactly undead, but the difference is a pretty fine one-- something that frustrates them.

Every Deathling has incredible power over life and death. They are virtually immortal, and some of them can kill with a thought. Death is incredibly important to us all, and their power over it is astonishing. Yet in many ways, they are limited. They have little power over anything besides death. They often lack creativity, or nuanced thinking. For things like that, they need normal people.

Their powers are focused through, and symbolized by, a series of common-looking "craft objects". They often carry and use special silvery-white ones, and many Deathlings would have many of each type they use. (Ani and Anne both mostly focus on Scissors and Thread, for instance, and both will be seen to differing degrees with silver-white scissors and needles or spools.) The most common are used for abilities to do with death and undeath in very direct ways-- Crown is for controlling the will of the undead. Scythe kills or hurts without hesitation. Scissors can sever souls. Needle and Thread can mend and heal. The others, more rare, come down to life and death eventually-- Lenses show you things. Keys open doors to other places. Matches and Torches make fire. Clocks and Hourglasses can influence the flow of time. In all, there are almost two dozen powers reflected.

Every Deathling also has a Cloak. This is their defense-- in the form of armor, an almost-creature to guard them, and most often invisibility or stealth to hide them from their enemies.

What's the big story behind this?

All worlds exist, and most of them have undead somewhere. There are Deathlings everywhere, but not very many of them. In most worlds, nobody has heard of the Deathlings.

The war they fight is long, patient, and calculated. It is concerned only with eventually destroying all undead everywhere. There is very little care for lives lost because of delay, or indeed caught in the crossfire. At the core of Deathling society is a Cathedral to their cause, an impossible bureaucracy.

A small group see it another way, and are fighting to change the path of their stubborn, unfeeling people. They are led by Ani, an unassuming and strangely expressive individual. A few zealots on the other side are just as proactively pushing in the other direction.

We're left with a broad cast of characters to draw from, a rich world, and a varied but contained internal logic.

So What's the Story Here?

Anne's Story (working title) is all about grounding these fantastic concepts in the real world, and most importantly, with characters who are real people. Not just because only one of them has any powers, but in how they think and act.

In our world, what we think of as the "real world", nobody has ever heard of these things. It's not even clear if there are really ghosts, and vampires, and fairies, in our world. Maybe they are just stories.

To find out the rest, you will have to read the series.

About the Author, Briefly

Writer Ian X. (Ian Struckhoff) is a reasonably well-known alternative fine art nude photographer. His artworks can be found at http://ian-x.com/ or http://ian-x.deviantart.com/ He was also once one of the founding editors of early Gothic web-zine "Raising Cain: The Twenty-First Century Goth", but that was a very long time ago.

A long-time fan of comics and graphic novels, he is now working on his first original series, based on a series of stories that he has been working on for the last decade in a variety of media.

He can be found here:

Email - ian@ian-x.com

Twitter - @ian_x

Web - http://ian-x.com/

AOL IM - IanXPhoto

Yahoo IM - IanXPhoto

F.A.Q.

Why do the two main characters have such similar names?

That would be telling. Let the story play out, and you might see. Don't assume they are the same person, but there is obviously a connection.

Will there be pretty girls like in your photos?

Yes. I've actually done a number of photo series over the years based on the world and characters of this story. As a result, some characters now have a look that definitely fits in with my photography. You may recognize some of the characters, but they will mostly appear as minor characters, especially in this first mini-series. It's probably also obvious that I have an unhealthy interest in the idea of strange girls, and they are likely to show up in my writing as well.

Who is on your art team so far?

I am holding off on making an annoucement until we have more work to show people. The interior line artists are a team used to working together, based in Europe, and have both been published in that market for years. Our cover artist has been published in comics and elsewhere. (We are still looking for an interior colorist and letterer.)

NOTE: This page is intended for the general public. If you are an Artist interested in working on this project, a comics pro willing to give constructive feedback on written materials, or a Publisher interested in this series, I have additional documents geared towards you. Please email ian@ian-x.comfor more information.