Rebooting Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa?

OK—so this is a graphic novel project Galo Gutierrez of Under Belly Comics and I have been pottering with over the past few weeks.

It’s in the very early stages as yet (think baby steps) but we have on board artists Zack Rezendes and Chris Yarbrough to create a visual version of my novel Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa?… which is, in fact, itself the sequel to my Bullet Gal series.

Hats off here first of all in this initial teaser (above) to Seth Hatland, who redesigned the costume of Southern Cross so damned well a couple of years back after I first published the novel.

Here’s a more recent initial character design sketch for the Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa? graphic novel: Southern Cross as conceived by Zack Rezendes Art.

Next step: colouring (or “coloring” if you’re a Yank). 😉

This is a huge step, since all the illustrations in the original novel were in B&W, even if I did give some… er… lively descriptions within the text.

Fortunately,Galo is on board to prod me, and we’re now working with Bobby Delaney to flesh-out the monochrome for the comic-book feel colours that make up Heropa.

Here’s step #1: Major Patriot (original art by Chris Yarbrough).

I’ve just finished the script for the “first issue” (here read chapter) and it integrates elements from Bullet Gal, as well as new material to aid the translation into sequential form.

It’s kind of a relief to focus only here on the words (and the over all look), and somewhat bizarre to see these characters take on their own visual life, but I’m chuffed to be able to participate in this experiment.

Meanwhile, although (as yet) unrelated, Australian artist Asela De Silva (AselaDraws) has just provided the pencils for a story he’s working on by me that relates to the city of Heropa also, this time involving reporter Gypsy-Ann Stellar.

This is ostensibly for the IF? Commix series Tales to Admonish, but may end up in the graphic novel too.

On the side I’m still doing words/pictures for my ongoing series Trista & Holt, and just closed #11. We’ve run #5 through the pre-release media cycle and garnered a great review for that from All-Comic as well as a pearler from Fanboy Comics for #4.

Issues 1~5 are being put together as a limited edition Volume 1 trade paperback to be launched in Melbourne through IF? Commix in August; alternatively, issues 1~10 are now available in digital form exclusively from Dollardownloads.com.