Marooned

Behind the scenes here at mission control I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what my next project will be. While there are those who feel like I should continue doing Marooned (and it is tempting) ultimately I really need to take a break and do something different. Many people (especially those of you who are not artists or writers) are confused by this, but the reasons are actually pretty simple.

One, this story has an ending. To not end it would lesson or even nullify the important events and character growth that has led up to this point. Two, I need to grow as an artist and try new things. And three, while Marooned has been a success on many levels, it’s not exactly setting the world on fire, either.

To me, the end of this story is very important. Obviously I can’t say anything more about that (spoilers!) but you’ll have to reserve judgment until then. And while the story ends, I am not saying that that end is the final end of Marooned. I spoke briefly about a “reboot” of sorts, and that is possible for the future. (Note, any reboot will leave the history of Marooned completely intact – the story as it exists is canon and always will be.) I do have ideas for that. It’s likely that I may return to craft more adventures with John and the gang.

So – the future. First, I’d like to let you know that I will be resurrecting an old site of mine to use as a central hub for all my creative works. This site is pixelmech.com. You can go there now and bookmark it or subscribe, but there’s nothing much there other than a placeholder for now. Eventually you’ll be able to be kept up to date on all my creative endeavors there, as well as buy any of my books in various formats.

As for my next project, I’m about 90% sure it’s going to be my story “The Flower.” It’s a script I originally wrote for the second Marooned book as bonus content, but the story bloomed up to be way too long for that (it currently stands at around 70 pages.) It’s been refined a few times, and I’ve recently been kicking it around with my wife and good buddy Steve Ogden trying to shore it up. I think I am getting close with it. I’ve also began doing some sketches of the main character.

I don’t want to say too much about the story now, other than yes, it will have robots (big surprise) and it will be a “silent comic.” In other words, no speaking. Most likely each page would be one panel/illustration. In some ways, the story has the same type of feel as my robot short stories “Green” and “The Tallest Robot.”

My guess is that this project would take something like a year to complete. In that time, I would be posting sketches and updates, and eventually previews. The ultimate goal is to publish the book in some way, either by self publishing via CreateSpace or doing a Kickstarter campaign for it. (A lot depends on how the campaign for the Marooned book goes.) The story will not be given away free online.

At that point I will re-evaluate whether or not I want to return to the Marooned universe or do some other project. I’m sure I will miss the characters, but only time will tell what will be best.

I’ll keep you posted as things get closer to the end. Speaking of which, my story map shows 30 strips left. I gather it will be a few more than that, but it’s a good estimate. (Note – my earliest stories were only about 30 strips long!) I’m glad to hear your comments or questions.