Mean Irene

She came, she went... Fortunately we came through the storm unscathed, many others did not. There aren’t many benefits to a storm like this, but occasionally one or two surface. Having been trapped inside all weekend from the storm gave me the opportunity to sit at my drawing table a little more. Here is the transition of one of my drawings through final ink.

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The Storm Is Coming, The Storm Is Coming...

OK, everyone here in New York is freaking out because a major hurricane by the name of Irene is knocking on our door, but you probably already knew that. After preparing my GO bag, with a roll of duct tape, and a bottle of whiskey, I got excited for another reason. POM... Prisoner Of The Mind Volume 1 has arrived, I just received several author proof copies of my new graphic novel.(There are still many changes to be made.) It seems like I waited a lifetime for these. As stated in previous posts, it will be released next year in both hard cover and soft cover, and I got em' both. I already mailed out a couple to friends and family for feedback.

Hard cover copy.

Here's a better shot of the cover.

Here is a shot of my studio and some of my tools, while the windows are boarded up and nailed shut.

Some of my tools.

Working on a couple of details of page nine.

Here's the final street kid drawings for page nine.

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POM loglines

LOGLINES for Prisoner of the Mind

• Uncovering a seventy-year-old secret opens a door that cannot be closed.

• Discovery of a 70 year old secret reveals a past that the Agency will kill for.

• Today, he’s on the right side of the law, but tomorrow is a new day.

• When everything is taken away, all that is left is what’s inside.

• A life built on lies, a man seeking truth, but death is just around the corner.

This is where I got a little tired…

• He’s deadlier than sliding down razor blades into a pool of alcohol.

• Patient, deadly, smart.

• Bad habits include; Smoking, Drinking, Killing.

Page 4 storyboard thumbnail sketches.

Page 4 ink.

Page 4 final ink.

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Visions, Divisions, Revisions

Throughout this book, you will see subtle changes in my drawing style because my artwork has grown along with it. I did manage to keep the attention to detail, and continuity of the story.

After numerous starts and stops, I finally went through about 20 or 30 script revisions until ultimately I was satisfied. I then sent the script around to many of my friends in and out of the industry for feedback. I did some final tweaking to the story and finished it. It turned out that I am re-drawing the entire beginning, so all of the drawings I did over the past 16 years start at about 25 pages into it. What this means is, that you will see all of my latest work first, progressing into the older stuff. I will post one new page each week until I have the whole thing online. Some pages, I will document complete progression from the story, to the storyboards, and then to layout, all the way to final ink.

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STORY SYNOPSIS for Prisoner of the Mind

PRISONER OF THE MIND is a neo-noir thriller set in the near future of New York, the Unforgiving City. On the outside, the city looks a little different. Buildings are taller, the sky is a little darker, technology is more advanced and machines have replaced some human workers. Nevertheless, people are the same inside, hungry, greedy, and deceitful. A hardboiled government agent with a perfect service record tries to commit suicide after investigating another agent’s death. Following Coles attempted suicide, he awakens in the psychiatric ward of a hospital, with no recollection of the incident. The psychiatrist Doctor Zane questions Cole and learns that the dead agent he investigated was a close friend from the academy named Tommy. As Dr. Zane digs deeper, he finds out that Cole’s mother was killed in a boating accident and his father was murdered when he was only nine years old. When Cole is finally released from the hospital, he discovers his apartment has been tossed, but oddly, nothing is missing.

His partner, Agent Alicia Reece has a theory of why he tried to kill himself that involves his friend Tommy and his past lover Jasmine, but Cole is still in denial. Through a series of mysterious forensic clues, strange dreams and weird blackouts, Cole begins to assemble the pieces of a puzzle. Following the breadcrumbs, he obtains classified information from an informant that something more sinister is happening. He discovers that his father’s death might be connected, when suddenly the rat is murdered. This sets off a chain reaction of lies, conspiracy and the death of more agents. Cole finds himself on the run, hunted by a ruthless killer with no identity.

He soon fears that staying alive will test his moral fiber and his friendships. Cole doesn’t know who to trust and sometimes he even questions himself. He tries everything to get to the bottom of it, but the only person holding the key is abducted right before his eyes. Frustrated, Cole seeks the help of his cousin Smitty that works on the wrong side of the law. Every, question leads to more, when Cole pays a visit to his father’s grave to retrieve a secret stash, that has fatal consequences. Will Cole stay alive long enough to see justice for Tommy, and reveal his fathers killer? Will Cole discover who he’s chasing, and who is chasing him? Will he re-unite with Jasmine, his former lover and clear his name, or remain a wanted man?

Thumbnail sketch, blue pencil and final ink page three.

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Final Ink

Throughout this book, you will see subtle changes in my drawing style because my artwork has grown along with it. I did manage to keep the attention to detail, and continuity of the story. My goal here is to show my progression, my process, my successes, my failures and to help others avoid the pitfalls that I fell into while creating my graphic novel. When I started this project, I was anxious to start drawing, so I started drawing pages without having a finished script, which ultimately resulted in me making many more changes down the road, and re-writing the script. I think I made every rookie mistake possible before this was completed.

Rough thumbnail for page two.

 Blue pencil sketch for page two.

First ink of page two.

Final ink of page two.

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Empire Of The Mind

I decided early on in this project, that it would take as long as it takes to get the job done. When I started this graphic novel in 1995, I was working full time as a storyboard artist and illustrator, juggling five or six projects simultaneously. I could only devote an hour here or there until it was finished, that was sixteen years ago. Now, I still hold true to my original plan, which is, “it takes as long as it takes.” Any great comic book artist will tell you that it takes devotion to a project to pull off a 32-page comic in a six-week period. I have recently ramped up my work on this novel and now volume one is nearly complete. These drawings are the first page of the graphic novel, starting with storyboard, blue pencil and then into final ink.

Page 1 thumbnail storyboard in pencil

Page 1 blue pencil and first ink

 

Page 1 final ink

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