About three months have passed since I last posted anything about "I Thought It Would Be Zombies...", my independent creator owned comic project that is perpetually "in the works!" And yeah, you guessed it... it's still in the works.
Scarily enough, it is also rapidly approaching a full year (coming up in October) since I soft launched "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." at the 2019 Baltimore Comic Con. Time flies faster than any comic book superhero lemmetellya!
But to answer the question posed in the title of this very post... yes, "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." is still very much "a thing."
Take the above screenshot as evidence! Date and time stamped showing the screen of my own iPad this very evening! What you see is a glimpse at my software of choice, Clip Studio Paint, strategically positioned to give a decent look at some of my work in progress of course.
Back in October, I printed up a 24 page first issue, which I actually titled as a "preview edition." Even as I sent the files off to the printer to meet my self imposed deadline, I knew that it wasn't up to the level of quality I'd wanted for a "final release."
Beyond starting up a project and intellectual property that I hope to pursue and develop for years to come, I always intended this comic to also be a possible bridge into freelancing; serving as my business card, resume, and portfolio all rolled into one. However it fell short, and didn't meet my expectations of how I wanted to present myself, or present this new story to readers and fans.
So since then, I've gone "back to the drawing board." This is one pursuit where I can use that phrase and mean it literally.
First up is the story. That wasn't spared from a good hard look. The Preview Edition had some awkward transitions, and underdeveloped scenes and character intros. There's a lot of new information to convey in this introductory installment. Perhaps I should have edited myself more concisely, but as I worked on my revisions I simply said, "Ahh, Fuck it." The result is that from the 24 page Preview, a full 48 page double sized first issue extravaganza is being born!
I've recently dug more seriously into the writing application Scrivener, and while becoming more comfortable with its powerful features I've been slowly building the story of "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." page by page and issue by issue. (Yes... I do indeed dream of doing far more than just one issue!)
In addition to the newly added pages of story, I've been reworking most of the existing artwork as well. I'm proud to say that the comic now features 100% more squirrels! 😁 I'm not totally starting from scratch... but it's been pretty close. The previously finished pages in some cases do give me a good jumping off point; but there were some fundamental flaws in my layouts and approach that I felt needed to be addressed. I should never have rushed or forged ahead thinking I could refine, retouch, or rework things later. Without a solid foundation, a project's just got to be gutted and redone.
To that end, beyond actual production of the first issue, I've also been doing my best to binge on learning, diving into my already extensive library of instruction and reference material... while also acquiring even more to help plug more holes in my knowledge! (... and I still gotta work on those custom Funko Pops I started a lifetime ago!)
Many great Steemians Hiveans have supported my ploddingly slow development of "I Thought It Would Be Zombies..." for years! Rest assured, you are not forgotten. Previously, much of the support came through the Fundition platform, which did not make the transition to Hive and has not seen any noticeable development in years.
Those who achieved reward tiers during the active Fundition campaign will absolutely have them honored, and will receive more than what was noted, as there will now be both the Preview Edition (which will exist as a fun artifact and glimpse at the creative process) as well as the official double sized first issue! Guilt and remorse will almost certainly lead to further reward goodies as the inexorable wait time drags further and further on!
Here were the last standings for the previously Steem driven crowdfunding campaign.
Many of the recipients I've been fortunate enough to connect with more personally, and will have available contact info or other social media to reach out through when fulfillment time comes. If you're on the current list and want to reach out to me with the best way to keep in touch in the future, please do.
Speaking of the Future...
So that's where things stand currently. I'm continuing to grind away slowly at a passion project whose scope seems to only ever grow wider! As I work throughout the rest of 2020, here's some of the aspects that I'd like to explore further on Hive.
I'd like to dig into some of just what went wrong with the development of the Preview Edition. There are absolutely some lessons, both technical and philosophical that I feel I can impart to someone else starting on a comic creating journey such as this!
I'd like to share the resources that I'm utilizing to learn, grow, and improve.
I'll continue to share works in progress to whet your appetite and let you know I'm still working at it!
I'd like to explore new possibilities for crowdfunding on Hive, as well as intriguing new markets such as NFTs.
So please, keep an eye on my blog if you'd like to see more of all of this! Most of these items will also fit nicely into my Creating Comics community, a side project that I hope to build in tandem as a resource for fledgling creators just like me! If you are, or might be in that group someday, or are just interested in peeking behind the curtain and supporting some comic creators, please feel free to join up.
Until next time, I remain...
Bryan "the Imp" Imhoff
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