Issue One Production Post 5

All right, number 5. Things are progressing well, but I still have one panel (yes, the same since my last post) that I've been procrastinating about. Yeah, I'll get it done. Soon. Okay, all pages are set, cropped, balloons (oops, one I have to add after some reviews) added and even a better idea for the cover, but the image is not quite there yet, but at least I'm heading in the right direction.

I've been researching the web for digital comics publishing, and one of the two I had in mind, ComiXology, seems to be a fairly good deal. Free uploads, no contract pitfall and a heavy hitter with the Big Two, the smaller guys and indies. That seems to be the way forward with small creators like me, but I still want to have at least a few print comics, because I'm old school. Ka-Blam is the only self-publisher with any sense of history that's still around from what I've read and prices for small (very small) runs probably aren't going to break the bank. I'm not under any illusions that I'll be swimming in cash from this endeavor—this is a labor of love and making comics is a childhood dream of mine.

Up next: News about Issue Two!

Issue One Production Post 4

After a second round of extensive renders to edit the originals I was unhappy with and finally finishing all (save one panel, arrg) the Photoshop post work, I can finally say that the interior artwork for the first issue of Agent Maya is in the can. This took me longer than I anticipated, but the outcome is much, much better for the extra labor involved—leaving me quiet on the blog since my last post a while ago. My next hurdle is completing the panel layouts of each page, some of which are locked down but several others need to be scaled and cropped. After this step the dialogue balloons and narrative text I mentioned on a previous post will be added in; this will be a time-consuming task unto itself. And finally I have some rendered ideas for the cover, but I still haven't captured a definitive image yet that best represents the story inside to my satisfaction. I never said anything about this project would ever be easy!

As promised, I have a few images to show for my hard work—sorry it took so long to post again. Hopefully I won't go more than a few weeks next time!

Issue One Production Post 3

Welcome back to a slightly delayed post 3. I have had to re-render some panels, after compositing attempts needed more to go on, so that's slowed down the post process. I have a few pages ready to go, captioned and set aside for lockdown. Dialogue, words balloons, narrative boxes and credits are done for all pages and they will be composited when page panels are complete.

So the post train is moving down the tracks and I'm just a passenger at this point!

More teasers on the next post.

Issue One Production Post 2

Barring any "reshoot" renders, primary production on Issue One is now complete, three months' worth of work. Overall I'm satisfied with the renders, but somewhat disappointed in my skill level with UV mapping and texturing with the app software at my disposal. I hope to improve in this area with my succeeding set of issues this year and into 2014.

Next I will begin Photoshop post-production editing—compositing, masking, filter application and a "rough edit" to see how the story flows before the pages are locked down.

Until next time, here are more teaser images:

Uh-oh, a little B&E.

Knocking on the front door.

Dropping off.

A Neptune rendezvous.

Thanks!

Shoutout to Zero Dark Thirty for all the page hits on Agent Maya! My decade-long publicity campaign has finally culminated in more people checking out my project than I could have imagined in 2004. Thanks again.

I'll soon have more renders to show in my next Issue One Production Post, coming soon. Stay tuned.

Issue One Production Post 1

Production on Issue One is in full swing, and I have some new teasers for 2013, as promised! 

Here is the cockpit of Skeeto, our heroine's speedy craft and the third character in our main trio.

Mars, home planet of Maya and the location of the orbital headquarters of Precinct-4.

Agent Maya surveying across a vast expanse, to be added in post. 

Our final teaser. Maya on another cheat arrest. But where...?

Hello, 2013!

A new year is days away, and this blog is ready soon for some preview images. I've held back from posting as I've been working on the first issue of IPTP Agent Maya, trying to keep distractions at bay. Impending holiday job workloads always slow me down, but I am modeling, rendering and surely gathering raw images for the debut issue. Never having done this before it's a steep learning curve but this is what Agent Maya has been about since day one in 2004, and I couldn't be happier with the process and the progress so far.

It's too early to predict when I'll have Issue One done, however I'm aiming for the rough cut to be done by this summer, and work to start on Issue Two soon after. The plan is to have the debut release mid-2014, or at least within that year so Issue Two can be followed up quickly behind it while Issue Three is in the production pipeline. I have a "Season One" total of five issues or "episodes" that will be a first wave lasting 30 months (two-and-a-half years) from Issue One's to Issue Five's debuts (once every six months, if I can work steadily and not fall behind, a big if). I still haven't decided on going pure digital or a mix of print and digital; it all depends on the economics and anything can (and will!) change in the next 18 months.

If nothing else, it'll be an adventure. Join me, won't you? I look forward to it!