RIAH JAMILA

Recently I stumbled upon the work of concept artist Alex Jay Brady on Twitter and was instantly hooked by their imagination and talent. Several pieces caught my eye which can be seen above and below. Since May I’ve been doing daily writing prompts with my friends Kate and Kalissa and one of the prompts I recently did was inspired by Alex’s work. The prompt can be read below and maybe one day I’ll be able to expand it into something larger. I hope you enjoy it! Also, Alex Jay Brady can be found at the links below! Check them out!

ALEX JAY BRADY
Twitter
Instagram
Website

RIAH JAMILA

The orangutan scratched thoughtfully at the green fur beneath its chin. It had been so long, that Jacinda Wek was certain he’d forgotten the question. Two smaller orangutans, juveniles, a boy and a girl, swung in bored circles along the rafters of the tea house. Jacinda covered her cup with a hand as green hair floated down through the thick steamy air. Sweat dappled Jacinda’s skin. She was going to need a dip when this was all over to cleanse herself of the hairs getting everywhere.

Her patience running out, Jacinda leaned forward, ready to call the whole negotiation off, when the elder orangutan held up a long-fingered hand. “Your price is acceptable.”

Shit. She’d intentionally quoted a steep price to force the ape to find someone else, but now she was committed to the task. Jacinda plastered a smile on her face. “Great.”

The elder orangutan nodded, content with the outcome. “Very well.” He raised his own cup of bitter jasmine tea. “To a successful voyage.”

Jacinda held aloft her own cup and tapped it to his. She tossed the tea back like a shot. It was time to wrap this up. “So two days from now? At the Homily doc?”

The orangutan nodded thoughtfully, his nails once again scratching at his chin.

Jacinda gave a sharp nod and got to her feet. It really irked her that he’d just taken her first quote without even countering. She looked back to him, still seated at the small round table. “You know, not to renege or anything, but, I mean, you could have just shipped the boat to the other side for a hell of a lot less.”

Another nod from the ape. Scratch, scratch. “That is accurate, Lady Wek.”

Jacinda waited for more, but... “So, why don’t you?”

“The design of Riah Jamila has been my life’s work.” The ape rose, and climbed onto the table, bringing him and Jacinda to the same level. “There has never been a ship like her, here or anywhere in the Four Systems. Nor will there ever be another like her again.” His eyes shifted past Jacinda to the white sand and clear azure waters just beyond the porch of the tea house. “My father was a sailor, and his father before him. I chose... another path.” He met her gaze again. “Call me old fashioned, but just once I’d like to feel the wind in my fur and the roll of the waves beneath my feet.”

Jacinda knew the allure of the ocean. She’d felt the pull of the waves her entire life. As much as she had wanted to brush off the job and return to her days of drinking alone and trying to forget the past, Jacinda didn’t have it in her to deny the old ape this wish. She held out her hand. The orangutan smiled and shook it with a firm grip.

FINAL TEASER PAGES!

The teaser pages for DELUGE are finished!

I’m incredibly happy with the excellent work that Sam Beck has done on this project! Working with her has been an absolute delight. She’s a wonderful artist and everyone should hire her! Below are the final teaser pages with comparisons to the earlier versions and the original script.

Currently, the teaser pages for DELUGE, as well the script for the first issue, the outlines for the next five issues, character concept art and the series proposal are circulating among potential publishers. Hopefully it finds a home so Sam and I can continue bringing the story of DELUGE to life!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the process of pitching a comic book. The journey to bring DELUGE is far from over! Keep an eye out here and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts for more updates on DELUGE and the other projects I’m working on. Also, make sure to follow Sam Beck on Twitter,  Instagram and at her website! Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!

THE GARDEN

Except for the Peak Empire, in the world of DELUGE, there is no more dry land. The World Sea covers every inch of the Earth. Because of this, almost every available surface on the many ships and floating communities scattered across the World Sea has been given over to the growing of crops to help ensure the survival of humanity. A perfect example of this is The Garden.

The Garden was once the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Carl Vinson. When it became clear that the Deluge was going to swallow the planet, an Admiral in the U.S. navy decided to gather up as many of the families of the Carl Vinson’s crew as they could and bring them aboard. All of the aircraft were pushed into the steadily-rising sea to make room for live stock, seeds for crops, freshwater and as many supplies as possible. Ten years after the World Sea claimed the Earth, the Carl Vinson was renamed The Garden after it had become a hub for commerce and trade. 

The Garden produces a wide variety of crops that are grown on the now-defunct flight deck known as The Field. The interior hangers have been transformed into a massive bazaar where people come to trade and barter for supplies. The Caretakers of The Garden are descendants of the original naval crew. Four massive chains keep The Garden situated over the remains of a once great city, but no one remembers which. The Garden hasn’t moved in over forty years and probably never will again. Because of this, floating piers and quays circle The Garden allowing smaller ships to come and go. The only aircraft that remains on the The Garden is an old Huey helicopter that sits on the flight deck at the furtherest point aft. The main draw of The Garden, beside its crops, is the ship’s nuclear reactor. Using the reactor, the crew of The Garden is able to produce an infinite supply of fresh water from the World Sea. Below you’ll see examples of the design process Sam and I went through to find the look of The Garden. Enjoy!

This is the initial sketch Sam produced of The Garden based on the descriptions in the script for the first issue of the comic as well as the backstory presented above. I can’t tell you how happy I was when Sam sent me this image! All of her work has been exceptional! Sam has an amazing ability to reach into my head and bring everything I’ve been imaging to life!

As I said, it’s like Sam just reached into my head and drew exactly what I’d been imagining for years. Based on her initial sketch, I had some notes which you will see below.

Sam and I then had a great Skype call where we talked about my notes and how to move forward with the look of The Garden. Sam took everything we talked about and produced the final image below! I’m so happy with the look of The Garden and can’t wait for everyone to see everything that happens at this very cool location in the first arc of DELUGE!

I hope you liked this look at how DELUGE is starting to come to life on the page and there’s a lot more to come! Keep an eye here and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts for more updates on DELUGE. Also, make sure to follow Sam Beck on Twitter,  Instagram and at her website! Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!

TEASER PENCILS

Work on DELUGE continues!

In the previous blog we talked about Sam’s rough layouts for the teaser pages of DELUGE’S first issue. Once Sam and I locked down the blocking for the teaser pages in a rough form, Sam moved on to refining the pages with sharper pencil work. Here is where the pages begin to take their final shape in black and white.

Below are the penciled versions of the teaser pages. They are presented along with the previous rough layout and my original script pages for comparison. Hope you enjoy seeing the process of creating a comic come to life!

Sam's Pencils For Page 1

Sam's Rough Layout For Page 1

My Script For Page 1

Sam's Pencils For Page 2

Sam's Rough Layout For Page 2

My Script For Page 2

My Script For Page 2 Cont'd

Sam's Pencils For Page 3

Sam's Rough Layout For Page 3

My Script For Page 3

My Script For Page 3 Cont'd

Sam's Pencils For Pages 4 & 5

Sam's Rough Layout For Pages 4 & 5

My Script For Pages 4 & 5

My Script For Pages 4 & 5 Cont'd

My Script For Pages 4 & 5 Cont'd

Sam's Pencils For Page 6

Sam's Rough Layout For Page 6

My Script For Page 6

I hope you liked this look at how DELUGE is starting to come to life on the page and there’s a lot more to come! Keep an eye here and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts for more updates on DELUGE. Also, make sure to follow Sam Beck on Twitter,  Instagram and at her website! Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!

TEASER LAYOUTS

I love a good teaser. A sharp opening can create a sense of the world being built around you, introduce you to characters you’ve never met and draw you into a story you didn’t realize you were dying to know. So many of my favorite stories (Lost and Breaking Bad being just two examples) have teasers that grab you by the collar and never let go. DELUGE has just the kind of teaser.

The first six pages of DELUGE introduce readers to Bisanne, our main character, as she discovers a shipping container floating on the World Sea. Like any good teaser, these pages will reveal who Bisanne is through her actions as she tries to find out what’s inside the shipping container. At the same time, the teaser will also introduce us to Bisanne’s home on the World Sea, the Sirocco, as well as laying the ground work for the overall mystery that will drive the story of DELUGE’s first six issue arc.

DELUGE is my first comic book. When I was getting started on the project a few years ago, I searched the internet for examples of comic script formats, but I discovered that, unlike in feature films and television, there is no set format. All that matters is the artists are able to understand the story the writer is trying to get across on the page. I tried to find a format that was both ‘writerly’ and conveyed all of the information the artists would need. These layouts of Sam’s are basic sketches to convey panel size and to determine the blocking of characters on each page. If changes need to be made to blocking on the pages, this is the best stage to do it since the images are so basic and easily refined.

Sam did a fantastic job translating my script into images. For comparison, the script pages for the teaser are presented with Sam’s layouts. All photographs in the script belong to their respective copyright holders.

Sam's Rough Layout For Page 1

My Script For Page 1

On page two, I wanted to get a since of the Sirocco, Bisanne’s home on the world sea. The idea was to present the ship in a wide panel to get a sense of her size, while also showing details in smaller panels. I love reference photos and incorporated them into my script to use as visual references for the ideas I was trying to get across. You’ll see an image of a sailboat on page two of my script that I thought could represent the angle we’d use to introduce the Sirocco, but in her layout, Sam found a much more dynamic - and better! - angle.

Sam's Rough Layout For Page 2

My Script For Page 2

Since DELUGE is my first scrip, I’ve been learning a lot about how action is laid out on the page. When writing scripts for television and film, the goal is to use the fewest words to get across the greatest meaning. In comic books, as I’ve discovered, this is doubly so. Every panel, caption and dialogue bubble must be carefully considered in order to get across the most story in a static image. Page three of DELUGE is a fine example of this. I had to get Bisanne from the Sirocco to the shipping container where she would break open the one of the double doors, while also setting up a symbol on the side of the shipping container that will play into the greater story of DELUGE’s first arc.

Sam's Rough Layout ForPage 3

My Script For Page 3

My Script For Page 3 Continued

I adore ‘splash pages’ in comics - giant single or double pages that often freeze a moment in time to give the reader an overview of what’s happening - and I knew I wanted a double splash page in the teaser for DELUGE. I wanted to show a cross section of the shipping container as Bisanne moved deeper and deeper into the precarious structure and found a mysterious object floating at the back.

Sam's Layout For Pages 4 & 5

My Script For Pages 4 & 5

My Script For Pages 4 & 5 Continued

My Script For Pages 4 & 5 Continued

The teaser for DELUGE ends on a slight cliffhanger as all of the shelving and crates come crashing down on Bisanne when the shipping container shifts and begins to fill with water. But of course Bisanne barely makes it out alive and the story of DELUGE is off and running!

Sam's Layout For Page 6

My Script For Page 6

I hope you liked this look at how DELUGE is starting to come to life on the page and there’s a lot more to come! Keep an eye here and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts for more updates on DELUGE. Also, make sure to follow Sam Beck on Twitter,  Instagram and at her website! Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!

INTRODUCING BISANNE MASOUD & SACHIKO AKIYAMA!

It’s been a little while since my last update, but a lot has been happening with DELUGE! The main thing being Sam and I have locked the designs for Bisanne and Sachiko! Have a look below!

I absolutely love Sam’s work! She’s an amazing artist and I’m incredibly happy to have her on this adventure with me! Sam has really captured the look of both Bisanne and Sachiko in a wonderful way. And wait until you see them in the comic! I think Bisanne and sachiko are in great hands with Sam and I look forward to sharing more with you very soon. DELUGE is really shaping up into something special!

There’s a lot going on behind the scenes and I can’t wait to show you all what Sam and I are coming up with! That's it for now, but I can't wait to show you more! Keep an eye here and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts for more updates on DELUGE. Also, make sure to follow Sam Beck on Twitter,  Instagram and at her website! Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!

SIROCCO

A loner at heart, Bisanne sails the World Sea on her trusted 40ft gaff-rigged sloop, Sirocco, going wherever the endless winds and waves take her.

The Sirocco was built by Bisanne's maternal grandfather, Samir, a life-long fisherman. After years of crossing the Mediterranean Sea on his family's fishing vessel, Samir decided to build his own sailboat and discover what the Seven Seas had to offer . But instead of a life of filled with brisk sea winds and dazzling sunsets, Samir found a world on the edge of panic as the Deluge swallowed everything in its path. Taking his large family on board the Sirocco, Samir did his best to keep them safe, but the sloop was no place for so many people. Together, they made a new home on the cruise ship Blue Allure. Soon after the cruise ship was connected to a flotilla of other ships, becoming a city that would forever drift on the Great Lane, the super-current that traverses the World Sea. Bisanne’s parents, Gazsi and Laleh met when they were children and became inseparable. When they were old enough, and head-over-heels in love, Bisanne’s parents took to the World Sea on the Sirocco, and never looked back. Eventually, Bisanne was born and together with her parents they sailed the World Sea. After her mother's disappearance and her father's death, the Sirocco became Bisanne's constant and ever-faithful companion. 

Check out the design progression below to get a sense of how the Sirocco has been brought to life by artist Sam Beck. 

Initial Profile

This is the first profile view that Sam provided of the Sirocco. Sam’s line work is absolutely incredible!

Initial Top-Down View

The idea with the Sirocco is that it represents the totality of Bisanne’s world. This ship is not just how she travels across the World Sea, it’s her home and that means the Sirocco must carry everything Bisanne needs to survive in the harsh world of Deluge. Things like water jugs, nets, spare sails and a freshwater still are vital to Bisanne’s survival.

Initial Color Scheme

When Sam sent me her first pass at the Sirocco’s color scheme I just fell in love. I’ve been thinking about the Sirocco for the last few years and finally seeing her come to life was just incredible! But there were a few small changes that needed to be made.

My Notes

After Sam sent me her initial color scheme for the Sirocco, there were only two changes I thought needed to be made. The first was removing the vestiges of a bowsprit at the front of the ship and the second was adding a rudder. Other than that, the Sirocco was just perfect!

Revised Top-Down View

Along with the two changes mentioned above, Sam and I decided to move the sea anchor from the stern of the Sirocco to the bow, where they are normally found.

The Sirocco

And here is the revised and final design of the Sirocco! She’s a beautiful ship and I can’t wait for everyone to see her slicing through the waves of the World Sea with Bisanne at the helm!

That's it for now, but I can't wait to show you more! Keep an eye here and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts for more updates on DELUGE. Also, make sure to follow Sam Beck on Twitter,  Instagram and at her website! Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!

AN UNEXPECTED DELAY

Hello!

It's been a long time since my last post, but I wanted to catch everyone up on the progress of DELUGE. Sadly, in the last month I had to part ways with the artist I was working with to create artwork needed to pitch DELUGE to potential publishers. Deborah, the artist I was working with, and I came to the realization that the size of the project was going to be a little too much for her. But! Deborah is a fantastic artist and I wish her all the luck in the future! You can see links to her website and social media below. She's truly amazing and everyone should check her out!

DEBORAH HAUBER  -  Twitch  -  Twitter  -  Website 

So I've spent the last few weeks looking for a new artist to collaborate with and I've found one! Her name is Sam Beck and I'm very excited to be working with her. She's a wonderful artist and I think she's going to be amazing on DELUGE. Sam's info is below and I implore everyone to check out her work!

SAM BECK  -  Instagram  -  Twitter  -  Website 

That's it for now! I should have new art to show all of you by mid-August! I'm very excited to see Sam's work and to pitch the comic book! Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!

FINDING SACHIKO AKIYAMA, SPEAKER FOR THE EMPRESS - PART ONE

Sister to the Empress of the Peak Empire, Sachiko Akiyama and her family are the 1% in the world of DELUGE. While their seat of power is the top of Old Mount Everest, the only remaining  dry land, the Peak Empire’s influence is felt across the World Sea. Because the Empress never leaves Peak, Sachiko acts as her sister’s emissary across the waves. Wherever she goes, Sachiko speaks with the voice of the Empress. When Empress Hikari hears rumors about the discovery of a new artifact from the Drowned World, she sends her loyal sister to acquire it. For her entire life, Sachiko has taken full advantage of all that being the sister of the Empress could bring: unimaginable wealth, an endless private supply of freshwater and enough food to never know the pains of hunger. Meeting Bisanne Masoud in the first issue of DELUGE will throw Sachiko’s life into upheaval and it may very well change both women’s lives forever.

Here are Deborah's first sketches of Sachiko and they're fantastic!. I really like images B, D and F while leaning more towards B. These images feel like they could be variations on the same face. Sachiko is the Speaker for the Empress so she's meeting people all the time while doing the business of the Empire. Image B feels like we're seeing a bit of her sterner side while F feels like a little bit of her kinder and more gentle side. I think we see more of Sachiko's kind and generous side, but when the anger comes out it can be a scary thing because we know how much power Sachiko can wield. 

Deborah had the idea for Sachiko to have a shorter hairstyle, which is great! I think it's a wonderful way to differentiate between Bisanne and Sachiko in a simple and visual way. I think when it comes to Sachiko, everything about her should be a visual representation of how she's set apart from everyone. Sachiko is the second most powerful person on the World Sea. She and her sister, the Empress, are the 1% of this new Earth. 

I love the full-body pose as well! I love the coat draped over Sachiko's shoulders. That image and pose alone set her apart from everyone. And it's great! I think Sachiko is the kind of character in DELUGE who has a different outfit for every new day - sometimes even for every new scene, depending on what the scenes call for - while everyone else usually wears the same thing with slight variations. I think Sachiko is more into custom, Japanese inspired dresses. Her wardrobe is a tool she uses and she changes it up to suit the goal she's trying to achieve. For example, when we meet Sachiko in issue #1, I think she's in one of her custom dresses because she's meeting someone who's a little more refined. But then she wears something in issue #3 that's very close to what's in the image above. Love the shirt! Love the pants! Love the boots! Oh, and I really love those gloves! 

These are only the first sketches Deborah has done of Sachiko and there will be more refinement of her design as time goes on. I can't wait to show you more! That's it for now. Keep an eye here and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts for more updates on DELUGE. Also, make sure to follow Deborah Hauber on Twitter, Twitch and at her website! Also, also, Deborah streams on Twitch every Sunday at 7am PST. She's doing amazing work and everyone should follow her! Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

When I first started developing the story of DELUGE, I thought it was going to be a novel. But I was unable to think of a suitable name for the main character as I was writing a practice chapter to see what the story would look like. So I needed a name to use as a place holder.

At the time I was working on season five of Teen Wolf. One of the writers that season was a delight woman named Bisanne Masoud. She was half of a writing team and they did a spectacular job on episode 503, Dreamcatchers. But I still needed a name for the main character of DELUGE. Bisanne had an interesting name and I asked if I could use it as a place holder. She said yes and off I went to write. 

Sadly, I didn't care much for the practice chapter I wrote for the noevl, but I was determined to find a way to tell the story I had in my head. But when the time came to sit down and find the right name for the main character I discovered that everything I came up with just sounded wrong. Bisanne Masoud was stuck in my head and there was no dislodging it. Bisanne's name implied an unspoken backstory that I was itching to explore. And from there came Laleh and Gazsi, Bisanne's parents, the cruise ship where they grew up and much more! The real Bisanne Masoud has graciously given me permission to use her name for the main character of DELUGE and I can't wait for her and you to see how it all comes together! 

I'm always fascinated by the different ways a story unfolds and presents itself. Especially when the story starts from a small place, like a name. Keep an eye here and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts for more updates about DELUGE. Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!

FINDING BISANNE MASOUD - PART ONE

Bisanne Masoud is the main character of DELUGE and she'll be a driving force in all of it's stories. Though she's tough and resilient, Bisanne is a solitary person and enjoys sailing the waves of the World Sea on her own. Friends can sometimes be few and far between for Bisanne, but that doesn't mean she's completely alone. The friends she does have would do to the ends of the World Sea for her and beyond. As Bisanne navigates the trials and hardships of the World Sea, she'll learn that love and camaraderie truly make us stronger. 

Bisanne’s parents were born to Middle Eastern refugees after the Deluge drowned the Earth. They grew up on a cruise ship that circled the globe until the last of its fuel ran out. Afterwards, the cruise ship was connected to a flotilla of other ships, becoming a city that would forever drift on the Great Lane, the super-current that traverses the World Sea. Laleh and Gazsi, Bisanne’s parents, met when they were children and afterward they were never far apart. When they were old enough, Bisanne’s parents took to the World Sea in her grandfather’s sailboat, the Sirocco, and never looked back. Eventually, Bisanne was born. A few years after, Laleh disappeared, leaving her daughter and husband alone on the Sirocco. Bisanne’s father raised her on the small sailboat until the day he died six years ago. Since then, Bisanne has sailed the World Sea alone on her trusted Sirocco. 

Bisanne and the story of DELUGE have been in my head for the last few years, but I knew that creating the visuals for the story were beyond my skill set and I would need to find an artist to collaborate with. Thankfully my Twitter and Instagram feeds are full of artists! Also cat gifs. But mostly artists! And that's how I found Deborah Hauber. I reached out to Deborah and, after reading the proposal and script for the first issue of DELUGE, she agreed to come on board and develop concept art and character designs for pitching the comic book. As the main character of DELUGE, finding the look of Bisanne would be our first and most important task. 

These are the very first sketches that Deborah did of Bisanne. The idea here was to start broad, with a variety of ideas, and refine her look from there. I really liked the first two images, but they weren't Bisanne. This woman was more graceful than what I'd pictured in my head. But now, as I write this, I think these two images might be of Laleh, Bisanne's mother. Ultimately, Deborah and I agreed that image D was more in line with how we were both picturing Bisanne. 

Keeping image D in mind, Deborah tried a few more variations, but when I saw the top image on the left, I knew we'd found Bisanne! I loved her freckles and the way she kept her hair in a long loose braid. Deborah also tried a variation that was a little on the cartoony side, but we decided to stick with a more realistic style for the art of DELUGE. 

This final image is Deborah's first take on a complete rendition of Bisanne and the type of clothes she would wear while on the Sirocco. I think Deborah did a great job on these sketches! She really captured the body structure of someone who's spent their entire life working hard to stay alive. I'm incredibly excited about how the design process for DELUGE is evolving and I can't wait to see what Deborah comes up with next! You can find Deborah Hauber on Twitter under the handle @boaillustration and see her work at boaillustration.tumblr.com. Oh! Also, Deborah does a live stream on Twitch every Sunday at 7AM PST so people can watch as she works. She's in Germany so it'll be pretty early for us on the West Coast of the United States, but I guarantee it's worth it!

Well, that's it for now. Keep an eye here and on my Twitter and Instagram accounts for more updates on DELUGE. Thanks for dropping by! Talk again soon!

WELCOME TO DELUGE!

The Earth is drowned. Only the World Sea remains.  

A generation after the Deluge, the rapid melting of the polar ice caps, the Earth is covered in a single great ocean known as the World Sea.* Pockets of humanity litter the World Sea in a life and death struggle to keep the human race from going extinct. This is the life our hero, BISANNE MASOUD, was born into. A loner at heart, she sails the World Sea on her trusted sloop, Sirocco, going wherever the endless winds and waves take her. On her journey, Bisanne will meet colorful and dangerous characters as well as find herself inexorability drawn into the mysteries of the World Sea. Wherever Bisanne sails, adventure is sure to follow. (*Yes, I know that if the ice caps did melt completely, the entire world would not be covered in water. All of our coastlines would be wiped out and billions of people would be displaced, but we would not be living in a new waterworld. This is the "buy" of my story.)

All photo copyrights held by the respective copyright holders. 

BISANNE MASOUD: THE HEART OF THE SERIES

Bisanne’s philosophy is that the best way to survive on the World Sea is to forgo meaningful attachments and close herself off from anything that could cause her pain. But, over the course of the series, she’ll learn this won’t stop the pain creeping in. People come and go. Friends die. These are the only certainties in life, especially a life on the World Sea. Bisanne will eventually come to trust those closest to her and learn that love and camaraderie truly make us stronger. 

THE WORLD OF DELUGE

The world of DELUGE is a beautiful yet dangerous one. Littered with the remains of the human race, the World Sea is a living organism. Humanity has spent the last sixty years finding balance with the World Sea and the myriad life forms living beneath its vast surface. Great fishing fleets crisscross the blue-green waters in search of food. Instead of natural gasses, oil rigs pump silt from the sea floor to be used for farming on the many ships that have been converted to yield crops and livestock. The most famous of these is The Garden, an aircraft carrier that now produces fruits and vegetables instead of war. And looming over all of this is the Peak Empire. Ruled by Empress Akiyama, the Peak Empire is the sole superpower on the World Sea with eyes and ears everywhere. 

TONE

DELUGE is a character-based mystery and adventure series. Like THE MASSIVE and SAGA, the world of DELUGE is a far-reaching one, but its core is made up of characters we’ll want to follow from issue to issue. The stories of DELUGE will be exciting and at times frightening, but also joyous and inspiring. Just like the story if humanity itself. 

CITIZENS OF THE WORLD SEA

After the Deluge, the World Sea became a literal sea of humanity as what remained of our species fought to stave off extinction. Because of this, the cast of DELUGE will be truly international, pulling from countries all over the old Drowned Earth. The World Sea is a true melting pot and the struggles and triumphs of the human spirit will be a driving force behind DELUGE from beginning to end.

THE WORLD SEA AS A CHARACTER

The World Sea is a beautiful and dangerous environment, filled with wondrous sights and deep mysteries. Bisanne’s journey in DELUGE will take readers to places both familiar and unimaginable. From The Garden to The Slog to the Peak Empire, the World Sea is as fascinating as it is dangerous. The Earth is forever changed, and the beauty and grandeur of the World Sea will draw readers into the story of DELUGE. 

So that's DELUGE in a nutshell! I'm looking forward to sharing with you the journey of creating this comic book and the process of finding a publisher. Keep any eye on this site, as well as my Twitter and Instagram accounts (both under @Willwritesgood) for the latest updates on DELUGE. Thanks! Talk soon!

I'M DEVELOPING A COMIC BOOK!

I love to write and ever since the eighth grade I've wanted to be a screenwriter. That journey led me to Teen Wolf at MTV. There I was able to work with a fantastic group of people to tell the story of Scott McCall and his friends as they battled monsters and the ups and downs of high school. This was a great experience and one that I will treasure for the rest of my life. For as long as I can remember, screenwriting was how I wanted to tell stories. But some stories are just too big for the "small screen." Hell, they might even be too big for the "big screen."

In 2015, while I was still on Teen Wolf, an idea began to form in my head. A story set on a world covered in water. A water world, if you will. See what I did there? Classic. And as the story formed, a character emerged from the fog of... story... stuff: a young woman, sailing alone on what I was starting to call the World Sea. But how would I tell this story? My first instinct was a TV series. But that would be incredibly expensive. Then I considered a movie, but the story I was thinking about would be too large to cram into a two-hour movie. How about a novel? That made sense. Novels don't have budget constraints and they can be as long as you want. If they're good, that is. So I wrote a practice chapter but didn't like it. At all. When I mentioned my frustrations to Eric Wallace, my friend, and mentor from Teen Wolf, he said, "Dude. This is a comic book." 

A comic book! I'd never tried it before, but here was the perfect opportunity to give it a go. So with Eric's help, I wrote a series proposal and the script for the first issue. Everything was going well and I really loved the story I was coming up with. But then life got in the way.

Working as a TV writer is one of the most rewarding jobs around, but it's a very hard job and the hours can be grueling. And sadly, this type of job doesn't always afford you time for your own personal writing. From 2015 to 2017, we worked on Teen Wolf practically non-stop. Then Teen Wolf came to an end. Scott McCall and his friends defeated the monsters in Beacon Hills and graduated from high school. As they headed off into the wider world, so did we. And now I had time to get back to DELUGE. 

While I look for a new TV show to write, I'm developing DELUGE to pitch to potential publishers in 2018. Currently, I'm writing the first six issues and I'm having a blast. But what about the art? I'm working with a young artist in Germany named Deborah Hauber to develop the look of the two main characters as well the world itself. You can find Deborah on Twitter under @boaillustration and you can see her work on Tumblr here: boaillustration.tumblr.com.

And I want you to come along for the ride! As we go along I'll be sharing with you the designs for characters and locations as well as explaining the process of pitching the comic to publishers. So that's that, I guess. This is new territory for me, but I'm very excited to see what becomes of DELUGE and hopefully, in the not too distant future, you'll be able to pick up the book in your local comic shop. Thanks for dropping by. Talk again soon!