[Heathen]

Spent yesterday thinking about what to do with this guy's intro, and came up with this sequence. 

[stefan]

Man,i love your roughs to be honest !just dropping in to say that i am enjoying your exploration !

[Heathen]

Hey, thanks Stefan!  Here's a little preview of the finished first page.  More tomorrow.

[Fearn]

Holy shit man this is ace - looking forward to seeing he complete thing

[Heathen]

Thanks, Fern!  I didn't end up having a chance to work on this yesterday, but got a few panels done this morning, here's a quick update.

[Heathen]

Progress:





Almost to the lettering!

[Mister Kent]

This is lovely work Dino!

[Kozispoon]

GADDAYUM.



These pages are hawt. I can't wait for you to get in and start battling already!

[Heathen]

Thanks, guys!  I went to the store earlier and picked up a bottle of white ink to make some touch ups, and I took a grey Copic to that first panel on page 1 to give it more depth.  I plan on having this thing finished and submitted tomorrow.  For now, I gotta get a few hours of sleep before work. 

Stay tuned!

[Fearn]

SHIT SO HOTTTTTT

[Heathen]

Just a quick update - the art's all done, but I'm having some issues scanning the pages.  I took them to Staples earlier today, but I'm not happy with the way they turned out, all the tones got completely washed out on the second page.  I'm also experimenting with digital and hand lettering.  I'm not very Photoshop savvy, but my handwriting is crap, so it's proving to be a slight bottleneck.

[Heathen]

Decided to hand letter this, and photograph it instead of scanning, to try and preserve the grey tones.  Unfortunately, this method allows a little too much to be visible, so you can also see where I've pasted in text or erased a heavy pencil line here and there.  I'll let you be the judge if that detracts from the comic or not.

Anyway, I'm wondering if page 1 needs any text added to it.  I hadn't initially planned to have dialogue or narration here, but page 2 has so much that it feels a little lopsided.  I want to avoid internal monologue or a Narrator here, but I also want the page to read well.  And yeah, I realize I'm probably way overthinking this, and could just submit this intro as-is, but if this is going to be the first thing anyone ever sees of my character for the rest of eternity, his debut comic, I want it to be as good as it can be.  Because why not?

[Animeshen]

dddDDUUUUUUUUUUuuuude this looks goddam amazing

[Heathen]

Submitted dat sheeit.  Now we wait.

Here's the character sheet, if yer curious.



The Smile

Real Name: Joseph Vilelinko (a.k.a. Joe Vile)
Sex: Male
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 180 lbs.
Occupation: Syndicate Retainer, Serial Killer

The Void City mob keeps a stable of special agents on retainer - individuals shown to posess exceptional skills in very particular areas.  These agents are given call signs.  The Nail.  The Tears.  The Other Cheek.

Joseph Vilelinko is The Smile.  His skills pertain to murder.  And at that, he is exceptional.

The Smile is employed by the Void City crime syndicate, and deployed as a last resort when all other attempts at negotiation have failed, or an act of extreme hubris requires a message sent in blood.  He got the job after killing a member of the Family, and the seven men sent to avenge him.  Recognizing Vile's talents, the syndicate figured if a deadly efficient serial killer was running rampant in Void, he might as well be in their pocket.

Of course, a steady paycheck doesn't keep him from his hobbies.  Vile is free to hunt, so long as his targets hold no value to the mob - sentimental or otherwise. 

The Smile is seldom seen by anyone in the Syndicate, including other Retainers, and he rarely speaks.  This, paired with his reputation, makes him something of a pariah within the Family.  Most Dons and other Retainers regard him with uneasy caution, but among the soldiers and associates of the Family, Joe Vile is the bogeyman himself.

[InkyBrain]

When I first popped back into Void, this character and introduction comic was the first one I read. Needless to say, I wheezed with excitement. Love the design and your art style, the comic was fantastic despite the slack it got for the scanning quality- honestly, I didn't notice it at all until someone mentioned it. Freakin' love this guy, and you're one of my current inspirations for getting back into this game! Cannot wait to read your upcoming battle!!

[Heathen]

New character I'm working on. I have an idea for his intro, so I'll post the roughs as soon as I've got em.

Haven't decided on his name yet, but he's basically an urban explorer. He parkours around Void city, tagging and going wherever he wants. He likes to dumpster dive and fashion makeshift tools and weapons out of found objects. His best friends are a can of spray paint and a roll of duct tape. He isn't shy about showing off his vitiligo markings, because the cops can't catch him. What's a little art on the walls in the wake of kaiju and giant robot attacks, anyway? He fancies himself a ninja, but lacks any formal martial arts training beyond an orange belt in karate when he was six. He isn't actually homeless, but he prefers the adventure of the streets and secret tunnels beneath the city to the comforts of home.

[Heathen]