Hi All,
Long time no blog. Posting a quick update here on my latest comic book project, LadyDarke #1. The team behind the book closed out 2021 on a strong note, with all 24 pages of the core story penciled, inked, and colored! We’ve also gotten 2 of the 3 additional backup tales complete, with the third in the works now.
As the dust settled after our successful Kickstarter campaign and the grind of months of artistic production, it’s been really cool to see the final product begin to take form. I did a lot of studying of favorite #1 issues from throughout the ages, and the almost impossible challenge that lies within both making an enjoyable standalone issue while also planting the seeds of potential for the future. It’s a lot like a pilot episode of a TV show. I’m really pleased with the results in LadyDarke’s debut, and I think it hits all the cylinders I love to see in a first issue. I can’t wait for you all to see and judge for yourself.
In February, we’ll tackle the lettering and final production bits and smoothing out any of the little flubs that inevitably spring up as you put together a big book like this (40 pages big!). Then in March, we’ll turn our attention to the beast that is printing. We have a high bar in terms of print quality, as well as a big assortment of super-cool variant covers, so juggling all that will be a challenge, but a fun one. Again, the scale of this is beyond typical indie fare and really borders what you would expect from a Big Two kind of launch. Exciting stuff!
Then, as we enter spring and summer of this already strange 2022 aka Covid Year 3, I anticipate lovely little parcels of LadyDarke #1 showing up in mailboxes and stoops across the land. Looking forward to that more than melting snow, which is a strong competition.
At that point, I really want to make an effort to fully engage with the ~400 people who supported this project, get their feedback, see what excited them, and listen to some of their theories and thoughts on where things are going. I’ve now created a nice little shelf worth of comic book stories over the last decade, but there’s been scant time to reflect and absorb. With LadyDarke, I’m less concerned about “shopping” the series to publishers and feel more liberated to relish the experience, write the best story and lead the production of the best comic I can, and engage with fans at a whole new level.
Check out the LadyDarke Kickstarter page for more updates and info, and also follow along on Twitter!
LadyDarke Kickstarter: LadyDarke #1 Comic Book by Erik Radvon — Kickstarter
Erik Radvon Twitter https://www.twitter.com/radvon