Due to issues with my immediate family, I had to put "Bay Side Blues" on hold starting sometime in early June. It was a hard decision to make, because we were gaining a lot of momentum, but my family always comes first.
Now that those issues have finally been resolved, I'm thinking of restarting work on "Bay Side Blues" #1, but we'll have to see what Miguel Barriga (the artist) and Steve Oaks (the cover colorist) say about that.
In the meantime, here are pages 1 & 2 of "Bay Side Blues" in their fully-drawn, fully-lettered form.
Again, all the credit goes to Miguel for the amazing job on the art. I did the lettering in Manga Studio 4.0 EX, which has something of a learning curve to it. Six hours into it, I was a lettering fool, getting my freak on with the keyboard and lettering any kind of comic page I could find. I'm still learning, but lettering is something I really enjoy and look forward to doing on future comics.
And here's page 2, the introduction of Miaka Sakamoto and the infamous "look" that Moses gives Griff that I never described in the script. The description for that panel said, "Moses gives Griff a look," and the rest was up to Miguel. That panel will always make me laugh.
Miguel's redesign of Miaka came out extremely well, as she seems more free to move and strike, instead of her old cat-suited version. I had her weighed down with straps for weapons and knives, but Miguel saw that less is more, and gave us this current incarnation. I like it quite a bit now, but at first I was like "WTH is he doing to Miaka?" ;-)
Miguel finished Page 3 of "Bay Side Blues" before I put the project on hold, so I should have that lettered soon. Since we're going to miss the original September 25th release date, I'm hoping to have "Bay Side Blues" #1 completed in time for Halloween Comicfest, which is coming up in October.
"Take It To The Grave" #1 is still in a holding pattern at the moment. I haven't been in touch with Jadool since I put "Bay Side Blues" on hold, so he probably thinks I'm no longer interested in working with him. *sigh* Time to mend some fences and get this comic back on track for a December 2013 release.
Thank you all for your support of Riot Comics, Bay Side Blues, and our work. It's been rough going these past two months, but the worst is behind us, and now it's time to focus on the future.
So long for now, but don't forget to click on the "Subscribe via E-Mail" button if you want the latest news about our projects. And remember, it ain't over till the fat lady sings.
Miguel Barriga (biggmiggz.deviantart.com), the artist working on Bay Side Blues, sent me this sketch yesterday. It's an updated character design for Miaka Sakamoto, the Japanese assassin and thief who's featured in the pages of Bay Side Blues#1, which comes out September 25th, 2013.
As you can see, Miaka looks a little different than she does on the cover that Steve Oaks (siriussteve.deviantart.com) colored. Miguel swapped the skintight jumpsuit and belts for a simpler design, and also added some goggles and a backpack. He also changed her hair color and some basic facial features in order to make her appear more Asian.
Miguel also told me that he's sketched out the first 18 pages of Bay Side Blues #1 and should be able to start cranking out pages soon. Writers often talk about the feeling you get when new pages come in, and let me tell you, it is real, it is exciting, and it is indescribable.
I'm also looking forward to my next project, Take It To The Grave, a horror-noir. I'm in talks with an artist from India who I was introduced to on Deviant Art, and as you can see, his pencil-and-ink work is exemplary. I only know him by his username Jadool (jadool.deviantart.com), and he's rarely online, but he's expressed interest in doing the cover for the first issue, which will appear as an ad on the back inside cover of Bay Side Blues #1. After that, it's all up in the air. I'm hoping to release the first issue of Take It To The Grave sometime in December of 2013.
That's all that's worth telling on my end right now! Remember to click on the subscribe via e-mail button if you want the latest blog updates, and don't forget that Bay Side Blues #1 comes out September 25th, 2013!
Good afternoon, everybody! Just thought I'd share these awesome pics with you that just came in on the ol' e-mail account.
Steve Oaks (siriussteve.deviantart.com) had a chance to work on the cover to "Bay Side Blues" #1 last night and I had the beauty on your right waiting for me in my inbox this afternoon. The good news is that Steve only needs to make one more tweak to it and it's done!
The bad news?
Miguel mentioned something about doing an entirely different cover once he completes the first issue and gets a better feel for the characters, so if that happens, this cover will either become a back cover to Issue #1 or a print if we ever do a Kickstarter campaign! See
, it wasn't all that bad...
...but now it's time for sketches. Here's a sketch of Page 2 by Miguel Barriga (biggmiggz.deviantart.com) that introduces Miaka Sakamoto, the deadly Japanese assassin (as if an assassin would be anything but deadly), as she tries to break into the First Bay Side Bank via the rooftop.
I should tell you guys that Bay Side Blues was originally written as a screenplay and then translated into comic book form. The first issue contains the first ten pages of the screenplay, or you can think of it as the first ten minutes of the movie.
And here's a sketch of Page 3 by Miguel. His little blurb in Panel 4 about how Miaka should look was mostly directed at me, since I hadn't specified whether she was Japanese, American, or of some other nationality. You gotta love that look on her face, though.
So far "Bay Side Blues" is progressing fairly well. I really feel blessed to have Steve on colors and Miguel doing the covers & interior art. Both of them are extremely talented, and all three of us hope that you like this book as much as we like working on it!
Don't forget--September 25th, 2013 is the day Bay Side Blues #1 is released to the world! And don't forget to spread the word any way you can!
Here are the fully inked cover and the first page to Bay Side Blues #1, Riot Comics's first project. It's written by yours truly, Justin Swartz, with art by Miguel Barriga (biggmiggz.deviantart.com).
Bay Side Blues #1 will be 24 pages in length with a full-color cover by Steve Oaks (siriussteve.deviantart.com) and a black-and-white interior. I'll be pulling lettering duty on it as well. It will also feature an ad on the back inside cover for our next project, Take It To The Grave.
Bay Side Blues is the story of Bay Side City, a tenement slum populated with criminals, thieves, low-lives, and scumbags, who are all after the same thing--The Bay Side Treasure, a fist-sized treasure chest said to be worth millions. What they don't know is that The Bay Side Treasure is really Pandora's Box, and whoever opens it will unleash hell on Earth.
The comic's release date is tentatively set for September 25th, 2013. Click on the "follow by e-mail" link so you can stay up-to-date on the latest developments, and be sure to spread the word about Riot Comics and Bay Side Blues!
