With great pleasure, I’m incredibly pleased to announce that Chapter 2 – “Bird’s Eye” – is officially done and heading to the printer immediately. Chapter 2 was quite a journey with halves separated by a huge length of time––a comic hasn’t been posted to the site since August 2015––and though that was caused through external and unavoidable interference rather than “writer’s block,” it’s still a huge relief to bring this chapter to a close.
I worked incredibly hard this summer to get the book ready for this year’s Crocker Con on September 8th at Sacramento’s Crocker Art Museum, and I am quite sure it’s going to make it (unless disaster strikes). I will be updating the site with the new pages starting around the same time in September, updating twice a week until we’re through the end of the chapter.
What I’d like to do here is premier the cover to Book 2 for those that have been so patient for this moment to arrive.
The cover for Chapter 2 – “Bird’s Eye”
Obviously pulling from an important theme in the chapter, specifically Long John’s conversation with Lady May at the beginning, we see a very different structure and progression here when compared to “Sunza.”
I’ve long said that Long John is less a western and more a character study. One of the guiding questions I challenged myself to answer was “How can I make a gunslinger cry?” and that moment was one I built toward for all of these years. If asked to declare what this chapter is about in as few words as possible, it would simply be “finding perspective.” Most of us focus on what is right in front of us, seeing obstacles as doors we must kick open in order to advance in life. But life advances whether we kick open a door or unlock it with the proper key, it’s up to us how we approach each threshold.
The book will be a bit smaller than the first chapter since there’s no Hellrider Jackie backup story. However, it includes the following:
- 31 pages of comics
- Revised dialogue for Chapter 2 (for depth and clarity)
- New exclusive art (chapter ending page)
- Behind the scenes content (development sketches and Rich Jack advertisement)
- Reproduced Darwyn Cooke Tribute Sketch Friday including a revised essay.
After Crocker Con, the book will go on sale through the website (September 9th) with pages going up the following Tuesday. Again, every online purchase will come with a custom Long John sketch.
I’m so excited for you to see the book and, more importantly, the rest of Chapter 2. Thank you all for your patience and support.