The Elevator Pitch:
The Weird Weird West is a sci-fi western that borders on a diesel punk landscape. The hero is the robot with no name. To be more specific he (she?) is a Ninja Pirate Robot Squid.
Yeah, you heard me right….Antics ensue
Evolution
Our story about our story starts in 2013
I was about to teach a new class for illustration titled “Graphic Novel”. While I had read comics my whole life, I never really created a full book. With the gauntlet down I decided now was the time to make one.
The first issue “A Pale Horse” was kind of a piece of shit. While there were to many things wrong with it to critique here, I will say that it was a massive learning experience and I am so glad I took the proverbial plunge.
Needless to say the books and process got better. The end result is a book that we are both really proud of and eager to tell the rest of the adventure.
Style
Much of the look of the book is directly inspired by Eastman and Lairds original run on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Is the name of our hero similar? Is that a coincidence?Specifically the Leonardo one shot that has 80% of each page dedicated to a fight scene with Leo vs the Foot where there is no words spoken for 24 pages.
DIY
There is something really refreshing about being your own editor and publisher. Being a part of the cons for the last two years I see lots and lots of independents, some good, some not. One thing that gets to me is when these artists and writers slave away at their projects and have some dead beat publishers drop the ball on their passions.
Maybe it comes from a place of jealousy since we don’t have a publisher so we have to do everything ourselves, including covering all the costs but there is a really liberating feeling about having complete creative control. It has taught us a lot in regards to printing and pricing, advertising and networking. I can’t say it will work for you but if your really passionate about your ideas, i would suggest not waiting for something to come to you but instead find a way to get your ideas out there and see who’s interested. Maybe no one, but at least you can say you did it on your own terms.
Collaboration
It’s now 2019 and looking back on this site really does take me down memory lane. In fact, I remember a time when it was just yours truly working on this rag, long before color and Illustrator and the multiple people who have given up their time and sweat equity to make this a better read. It was issue four that I was having some growing pains with the art and asked an old friend if he would like to take a stab at a panel. Well, four years and eight issues later, Dan Warlop has been the steam that has kept this engine rolling. His unique background and vision has really helped shape this comic into what it is now. The best part of working with someone else is the checks and balances that you constantly have to give yourself. Like the old maxim reads —
Two brains are better than one–
Or to put it in more of an Orwellian term
Four hands good, two hands bad–
Now that Tim Umpleby is sharing color and occasional ink and more contributors jumping on board virtually every month, I can’t wait to see what the book looks like in another four years.