The Speed of ALL IN
ZOOM! SWISH! ZROOM!
I never had the chance to write the onomatopoeia that we associate with comics. As you know, my comics have been about burnt-up gamblers, world-weary samurai, demonic killers, airplane mechanics, and tennis stars.
But, like all of us, I formed my love for comics thanks to superheroes and the speed of light that they travel with.
After NIGHT OF THE COMET, it was time for something different. Artist Jok Lp and I had worked together previously on a crime pitch that didn’t hit with any publishers, and I knew I wanted to do more with him. (ALSO shout out to Jok, whose new book at IMAGE was featured in the latest copy of the IMAGE! Anthology).
I had this one idea. A high-speed race. Instead of presenting it normally, we’d go landscape style to really put the reader in the zone of the race.
Throughout October/November, we successfully (as always by the skin of my teeth) funded ALL IN.
In between Jok working on his Image project, he worked at the speed of sound to deliver the dramatic race pages to complete this book.
To keep up with Jok’s pace, I needed to script the race fast. Short sentence descriptions for each panel to help Jok flow through the track. I didn’t have time to fill out any of the dialogue, just the emotion and the finale.
So, when Jok finished his pages, and they came back to me, I had the challenge of making it really sing. The pages looked fantastic, but it was missing something.
I did something that I’ve never done before with this book. I printed out every page and laid it out like a finished comic. I got into the pages, immersed myself in the race like a method actor, and the words sang out of me. Thanks to two unseen commentators, the race was given color and light. I felt confident with my script, but now I needed to see how it all worked.
Then came in letterer Javier Hildebrandt. Javier has done exceptional work. His lettering gave this book the final bit of life that it needed.
When I sat down to read the book in full yesterday to check for any errors, I was really blown away. Once again, I felt like a facilitator to great artists. I set up the pins, and they expertly knocked them down.
ALL IN feels like my first attempt at a superhero comic.
I hope that everyone who grabbed a copy enjoys the hell out of it.
(Printing gets locked in a week, so if you’d like a physical copy, send me a message)
Don’t forget NIGHT OF THE COMET is on Kickstarter for its final print run in a limited edition Hardcover (only 75 left!) and a softcover edition. Add-ons include ALL IN and several of my past works in digital form, including BURN RESIDUE #1.