“I expected this reception…”
I effectively cancelled this newsletter almost a year ago because I wasn’t able to keep on top of it in any meaningful way, but it’s now been hooked up to life support and this reincarnation will be entirely focused on my work as a writer and creator which is ramping up considerably with plenty of announcements coming in the next 12 months or so. Read all the way through this release because the most exciting bit *might* be at the end.
Okay, let’s get down to the business of art!
Critical Role
October 20th marks the release of my first new single issue comic in almost two years in the form of a short four issue mini series (with an incredibly long title): Critical Role: The Tales of Exandria--The Bright Queen.
Written by myself, with art by CoupleofKooks, colours by Cris Peter, lettering by Ariana Maher, along with Matthew Mercer and friends at Critical Role - published by Dark Horse Comics. We put a lot into this series and I’m proud of what we’ve done.
It was important to me that the story should satisfy fans of Critical Role while also standing alone as dramatic fantasy for anyone at all, so even if you’re not familiar with the DnD role playing sensation that is Critical Role, give it a shot.
The series was delayed for a bunch of pandemic related reasons and a lot of people are eagerly awaiting its arrival so my advice would be to call your local comic shop today reserve all four issues asap.
Read more about it the series here:
Dark Horse Comics also revealed that the entire series is getting variant covers from the one and only David Mack, sold exclusively through US retailer Things From Another Planet.
You can read more about that here:
The Bright Queen - David Mack Variant
Precious Metal
Precious Metal is my comic collaboration with artist Ian Bertram, colourist Matt Hollingsworth, letterer Aditya Bidikar, and designer Ben Didier. It’s a prequel to our 2020 Eisner Award Winning mini series LITTLE BIRD, that also stands alone as its own story.
Ian and I recently dropped some PM art from CH03 on Instagram so I thought I’d include it here for you as well.
Next month I’ll include a couple of colour panels because we exclusive like that here at DVP News!
Writing Journal - Entry #1
Recently I’ve been thinking about how stories begin for me. This came more sharply into focus when a couple of co-writing opportunities came up and I found it difficult to enter into that kind of creative relationship. Not because I’m against co-writing per se but because I was presented with a concept void of real character, and I almost never begin with concept. For me it all begins (and ends) with character.
The very first images in my mind are often a character’s emotional reaction to something very small, and from there I build from the inside out. Eventually a world forms around the character, and ideally, what they want to say about it. But it always starts with a someone, rather than a something. To begin with a world or a concept is to work from the outside in. Many do this very well, but it’s not my natural starting point.
I’ve heard LITTLE BIRD introduced as a “high concept” book many times now, and perhaps it is, but it still took me completely by surprise to hear it because no matter how vast and complex the concept became, it all just began with a girl who desperately wanted to be loved, but was never given the tools to find it.
Everything else grew out of that profoundly sad idea and rest came bit by bit from the ether of ideas to form the world, conflict, and characters that would support the protagonist and how she felt about the world around her.
Until Next Time
That’s it for now! There’s a few exciting things brewing that I can’t yet talk about but they’ll be announced here first so subscribe and tell your friends to as well.
Oh, remember I mentioned the most exciting part being here at the end. Well here it is - I’m considering the idea of releasing a completely original comic through Substack that would either be very cheap or entirely free. No, I haven’t been offered one of those sweet Substack comic deals (way too small potatoes for that) but I do like the idea of sharing something more frequently, as it develops, and then collecting it at a later time.
Let me know how you feel about that in comments section.
- DVP
I rather love that idea, especially of being able to watch something as it's put together, some thoughts or notes on it as it's forming, and essentially being both a sort of blog and a craft corner all at once.
Great letter! Glad you have so many things on the go, I am sure they will all be top shelf material. I will always prefer reading the printed page, but would love seeing something evolve through substack! All the best Darcy