Dead Man at Devil’s Cove, Chapter 4, page 96B
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Hi all, just posting real quick to let you know what’s up. I had hoped to be back at this project in November, and obviously that didn’t happen. The graphic novel I’m working on, Old Souls, expanded quite a bit beyond what I was expecting, going from 120 pages to 240, and it’s taking me a lot longer than I expected.
However! I’m nearing the finish line and will be done with the project in just another couple weeks. And, beyond that, I find myself in a position where I don’t have to make any money for about half a year, and I’m going to take that time to try to turn Jonny Crossbones into my full-time job. I plan to finish this story, write out the next one, try to find an agent to start the process of getting a print publisher, launch a Patreon, and try to get this whole thing rolling. I’ll see you all with some new updates in January or early February!
–Les
You may have noticed there’s no new comic today. This is because I was way overoptimistic about how long working on Old Souls was going to take.
That book has ballooned up from an expected 150 pages to 244 pages. That extra length combined with some health problems means I’m still working on it, and expect to be working on it until October.
So, I have to push back the new updates to November 29. I’m really sorry!
I’m still hoping to keep this comic going after the first story is done. I’ve been doing some sketching in between work on Old Souls, thinking about some characters and story ideas.
I’m thinking of a story that crosses three different time periods, with the bulk of it taking place in “present day,” part taking place about ten or twelve years ago, the first summer after Gretchen lost her parents and came to live with Doc, and part taking place a long time ago, with gangsters and stuff. I want to do more “flashback” stuff but tie it into the story better.
I realize I didn’t post this here, and many of you likely don’t follow my other blogs/twitter/facebook/tumblr/whatever so you wouldn’t have seen it: First Second has announced Old Souls, the project I’ve been working on with writer Brian McDonald for the last few months and that will be occupying my time for much of the next year.
It’s a much more mature story than Jonny Crossbones and deals with some heavy themes about responsibility, addiction, and family. I think it’s going to be a great book when I’m done with it. Brian has an excellent track record and the script is great.
I also did a fair amount of work on Head Games, coming next fall, also from First Second. I did backup work on that, finishing pages that circumstances prevented Kevin Singles, the primary artist, from finishing. That one is also more mature, being a gritty crime adventure featuring two-fisted novelist Hector Lassiter from Craig McDonald’s novel series. Craig also wrote the script for the adaptation, and I think the finished book looks great.
I’ve been working with a lot of writers named McDonald, apparently.
Hi all! Just popping in to let you know that despite the lack of updates, this comic still isn’t dead. I’ve just been focusing on paying projects for other people.
Jonny Crossbones will begin updating regularly again on May 31st, 2017. I know that’s a long time away, but in the meantime I’ll have drawn another entire 1 and a half graphic novels, and I’ll be working up a bit of a buffer.
I know the delays are irritating, and I’m sorry. My goal for 2017 is to try to make Jonny Crossbones my full-time gig, and, well, if it doesn’t work out I’m probably going to quit comics and figure out my next move. I’m turning 40 this year and it’d be nice to make a living. Wish me luck!