Chambers Update #12

During the first week of April I sent off my completed crime-fiction graphic novel, CHAMBERS to the publisher and began playing the waiting game on editorial feedback.

Today, those edits dropped in my mailbox.

It’s been an interesting experience leafing through 88 pages of notes, feedback, suggestions, errors and inconsistencies. I’ve never worked with a comics editor on this level before and it’s a crazy feeling to know that someone has gone through my story with a fine-toothed comb. A story that, just a year ago, only existed in my brain.

While you hope for an editor to come back say “It’s fantastic! Amazing! We’ll sell millions of copies of this!” it rarely works out that way.

Because this is the first comic that I did for an actual company, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect in the way of feedback. When I finally garnered the courage to kick open the PDF file I saw note upon note upon note upon note.

My heart dropped.

As I re-read my way through my work taking a new viewpoint into consideration, I realized everything that the editor suggested was right.

As humans, ego is a funny thing. I enjoy giving feedback to others and know the importance of being open to it. By the time I reached the final page of my story, I was re-invigorated by the notes and ready to dive back in and start making corrections to ensure that the comic is best it can be. It also made me aware of similar mistakes that I was currently making in other projects currently in the pipeline.

Not that I expected it, but I’m glad that I wasn’t told it was amazing. I’m glad that I’m being asked to make changes that will ultimately lead to a better product that the publisher will be proud to put their name on. I’m glad that the editor takes their job seriously enough to take the time to give feedback on the level they did. It really meant a lot, and I felt bad for “letting them down.”

This is the type of thing that makes a writer better. Pushes them. Fixes them.

I work under the rule, “how do you know if no one tells you?”
It’s nice to have people in your corner who will tell you.

Editorial is typically a thank-less job, but I’m thankful for both the editor, their insight and for the entire experience thus far.

As I work on the next pass of the book, here’s the final character sketch for Chambers, as drawn by series artist, Kristian Rossi.

Meet Detective Kurt Emerson. If you have a problem, he’ll solve it.

Chambers Update #11

Great news on my upcoming crime comic book, CHAMBERS!

Kefas Armando, colorist for the high-octane series has turned in the remaining pages, bringing his duties with the book to a close. All 88 pages have been through penciling, inking and coloring and all that remains is to add lettering to the final 11 pages and format the book for print.

I have every intention of turning the book in to the publisher by the end of next week, at which point I hope to be able to reveal who will be bringing this graphic novel to the shelves and ideally, some sort of date for release!

Expect a final round up once all has been submitted, but for now, here’s artist Kristian Rossi‘s original character sketch of Nate Ashby, one of the series’ central villains.

Enjoy… I only have one of these left to post!

Chambers Update #10

At long last, my crime graphic novel, CHAMBERS, is on the fast track toward completion and it’s exciting to know that in just a few short weeks I’ll be submitting this book to the publisher and securing a release date!

Over the past few weeks, interior artist, Kristian Rossi, completed five different (and amazing) covers that will be the face of the book. One for each issue/chapter (soon available digitally), and one for the trade paperback.

Colorist Kefas Armando has finished coloring issue 3 and has only eleven more pages to color in issue 4 before his work on the project is complete.

I’ve lettered issues 1-3 and will be beginning on the final issue shortly. Once those are complete, we go to pre-press to format the book and make it look fantastic so that you may soon hold it in your hands.

To celebrate, here’s Kristian’s original character sketch of one of the book’s baddies, Jamie Tillman.

Chambers Update #9

Another milestone reached in the CHAMBERS journey!

Artist Kristian Rossi turned in the last of the pages for issue 4 meaning that interior art for the book is complete! All 88 pages have been penciled and inked and I couldn’t be more proud of the work Kristian put in. He now has the dubious task of creating 4 different covers for each issue/chapter which will be released digitally and one cover for the trade paperback which will be released in print and digital.

Meanwhile, colorist Kefas Armando has almost completed coloring work on issue 3 and today I wrapped up lettering the first issue. Things are moving along at a really nice pace! We should soon have a time frame for the book’s release and will be sure to keep you updated!

Another addition to the rogue’s gallery lineup… Greg Nichols. He’s no good at all.

Chambers Update #8

I just received a handful of inked CHAMBERS pages which brings the official count up to 79. This means that the ever-talented Kristian Rossi has just 9 more pages to draw before initial art is complete on the book!

What’s interesting to me is that after this book is released, people will read it and hopefully enjoy it, but what they’re potentially missing out on was getting to watch Kristian grow as an artist. Getting only a handful of pages at a time it’s been great getting to watch him quickly turn into a comics pro. I think we both jumped into this project a little wide-eyed and excited, but we hunkered down, did the work, and soon we’ll be releasing a gorgeous book that all my future projects will be compared against (at least in my brain).

Until next update, here’s the next face in our lineup.

This is Jake McCall. He’s a real bad dude.

Chambers Update #7

Artist Kristian Rossi has wrapped pencils and inks for issue #3 of my crime-fiction comic book, CHAMBERS, while colorist Kefas Armando has completed work on the first 2 issues of the book. Everything is coming together amazingly and I can’t get over the professional package that we’re putting together.

I turned in the production script for issue #4 this week (the last issue in the mini-series) but before sending it off, I had a small dilemma when it came to the ending of the book. I had done a rough draft with a conclusion that I was happy with, but then doubt started creeping in…

Would the readers find the ending as satisfying as I do? Was it a strong conclusion? What if people don’t like it? Did I leave myself room for a potential sequel?

I’d told the story to some of my comics pals and was met with mixed reactions when it came to the final pages of issue 4. Panicked, I quickly came up with two more ways to end the series and went to the one person that I knew could help me through this rough patch… The one person who had lived the Chambers story even more than I: Kristian, the artist of the book.

Kristian shared that even though he liked the alternate ideas I pitched him, they might not work within the confines of a comic book, and that when he read the original scripted ending, it had given him chills.

Then he said the words that I needed to hear all along: Go with your instinct.

At the end of the day, I try to write comics that I’d want to read, and if other people in enjoy them, then it’s icing on a graphic cake. I made a few edits to dialogue and panels and shipped off the script with the original ending still in tact and feeling more confident than ever.

Now that’s a true collaboration!

In my typical celebratory fashion, enjoy the original character sketch of DEA Chief Williams.

Chambers Update #6

Another milestone for CHAMBERS!

Artist Kristian Rossi has completed pencils/inks for 55 pages of the graphic novel while Colorist Kefas Armando has turned in 40 pages. Everything is looking great — and by great, I mean dark, gritty, and atmospheric.

I’m proud that this book is shaping up so well and in my opinion it looks as professional as anything currently on the shelves. This is likely the first book of mine that will be released and it will be one heck of a debut!

To celebrate, here’s Kristian’s original sketch of Bruce’s Uncle, Ian Conway.

Chambers Update #5

Another day, another milestone event for my crime-fiction comic book, CHAMBERS!

To date, artist Kristian Rossi has penciled and inked an astounding 44 pages of the book! He’s reached the half way point in the journey. Getting to watch him bring the story in my mind to life has been an amazing experience. He’s worked very hard to deliver a book that’s original, creative, and characters who have distinct personalities.

Colorist Kefas Armando has finished coloring the first 22 pages of the book and it’s been a joy watching him bring the characters to life. He’s helping to give the book a grim tone that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

I’ve shown the work to date to our publisher and he’s very excited about our little comic. I can only hope that all of you will soon be sharing his enthusiasm.

To celebrate the occasion, here’s Kristian’s original sketch of Denise and Adam’s father, Adrian Chambers.

Chambers Update #4

We’ve reached another milestone in the progress of the crime-fiction comic book, CHAMBERS, and I thought I’d take a moment to celebrate the small victory. Artist, Kristian Rossi, has completed pencils and inks up through page 33, and colorist, Kefas Armando, just submitted page 17. The first round of completed pages are with the letterer and things are coming together at a very nice pace.

This the first time I’ve been through the production process on a comic longer than five pages, so it’s been a great learning experience and I can’t thank the team enough for their consistent hard work and focus. The train is moving and we’ve yet to hit any roadblocks. With each completed page I see, I become more excited about the story, especially as everyone gets more and more comfortable with the characters, settings, and story.

I’ll toss another update here when we reach page 44 (the halfway mark!) but you can always stay up to date on the book’s progress by clicking over to my Current Projects page.

Let’s celebrate with another character sketch from Kristian!
This time we have DEA Agent (and Denise’s partner) Bruce Conway!

Chambers Update #3

It’s been roughly a month since the last update on my upcoming crime-fiction comic, CHAMBERS, but let the silence be broken!

I’m happy to report that we’ve made a ton of progress on the book and things are coming along swimmingly. When I say that “we’ve made a lot of progress” what I really mean is, the art teams sends me finished pages and I sit at my desk with wide eyes and mutter, “Oh, wow… that’s absolutely awesome.”

Penciler/Inker Kristian Rossi has finished the first 22 pages of the book (the first issue, essentially) and Colorist Kefas Armando (fun fact – he colored the original 5 page Chambers story) has completed his work on the first 12 pages.

It’s been awesome watching this story go from being inside my head to being on paper, but I’m pleased with all the work being done and can’t thank the team enough for their hard work and dedication. The first round of pages will go off to the letterer this week and I’m excited to give the publisher their monthly update on the project.

Speaking of the publisher, they were at the Comic-Con International in San Diego this past weekend and I hope they had a ton of fun met some great people. Perhaps soon I’ll be able to clue you in on exactly who will be bringing Chambers to store shelves in 2013!

At some point, maybe I can sneak in a colored panel of the story onto the blog for you to check out, but in the meantime, here’s Kristian’s character sketch of Adam Chambers, another major player in the story.

Diggable?