Where is Black Salt #2?

If you follow my blog or my work in general you may recall I said Black Salt #2 would be available at comicsxp.com on January 4, 2010. It is now February 2 and Black Salt #2 is still not available. You might be wondering why. I recently received an update from Blackline Comics, publisher of Black Salt.

Black Salt #2 was completed in early December. The finished comic was uploaded to ComicsXP before the end of 2009. Word is ComicsXP was (and perhaps still is) moving office space and thus their release schedule has been seriously delayed. ComicsXP hopes to have everything sorted soon though no specific date was given. So, you have to keep waiting. Thanks for your patience.

Despite the delay with the release of issue #2, production on issue #3 got started in early January. (You will recall I completed the script before the December holidays.) Artist J.C. Grande turned in sketches of new characters introduced in the new issue. Those were approved and last week he turned in proofs of pages 2 – 5.

Here is a little treat to tide you over until the release of issue #2…

Some new characters are introduced in Black Salt #3. Three of those are pictured above. From left to right: Researcher, Agent Burch, and Agent Beck. The character sketches are by J.C. Grande.

Arrrggg! More Pirate Sketches, Me Matey!

I re-wrote “the pirate script”, which is part of 3′LL’s Special Edition. When I first wrote the script it was mostly just dialogue. 3′LL gave me the heads up last week that he would be starting on additional character sketeches and then working on the story itself in the near future, so I re-wrote the script as an actual comic script. I am very proud of the it and found myself laughing once again at the antics of the characters even though I’ve read the script a couple dozen times now.

True to his word, 3′LL did some more character sketches. There are two I’d like to share.

This first sketch is Rooster. 3′LL had already shared with me a general look and feel of the pirates. They would be a combination of urban streetwear and romanticized pirate garb. Knowing 3′LL had a particular look in mind, I didn’t spend too much time describing the pirates in detail in terms of their clothing, features and weaponry. Instead, I used descriptive names to suggest to 3′LL how those characters should appear. For Rooster, for instance, 3′LL interpreted the name as this thin fellow with a red mohawk.

This is a rough sketch of Greasy Jesus. 3′LL has this guy bang on. He’s thin and maniacal. I love the pointy nose and the wide mouth. And even though this is a rough sketch you can tell this dude is going to be greasy. I like the fine touches already apparent– the tattoo, the weaponry and the rat, the latter of which is a also a character from the script I wrote.

Character Sketches

To date, I’ve written a couple scripts that will be used as pieces of the tapestry that is ultimately Special Edition. One of those scripts inspired creator / artist 3′LL to create some sketches of characters I helped create. I’m not going to provide much insight into who these characters are or what role they play in Special Edition because I don’t want to reveal too much of the overall project, but I wanted to post these character designs here because I think they’re slick. Also, as a writer, it’s fascinating and exciting to know these sketches will eventually become finished character designs, which will then be used in the creation of the comic pages based on my script. That’s what I really love about comics– the collaborative process that is required to create the finished project. I love to see things take shape.

The Captain although 3′LL suggested an alternative name: Commodore.

The Skid. Interestingly enough I envisioned The Skid as a tightly muscled wisp of a dude, and not the big lunk seen here. With that said, with the addition of some crazily spiked hair this character sketch would be a good fit for Rooster. I suggested as much to 3′LL when I saw this sketch. We’ll see how it all shakes out, and you’ll likely see the end results on this here blog at a later date.

Apparently, 3′LL took a liking to Numbers too because he took the effort to render her completely. I’m quite fond of her myself. The glasses were added after the fact at my request. 3′LL had this great idea of her wearing a necklace of teeth. The teeth are those of her former boss back when she was an accountant. You can’t quite make out the detail of the necklace in the smaller version I’ve pasted here, which is why I mention it. Anyway, it’s a very sinister idea that I felt worked well for the character. Once again, there’s that collaborative process I love so much.