2011: Year in Review

Hey gang,

Now that I've finally processed the pounds of turkey and pumpkin pie in my system from our Thanksgiving feast, I thought I'd take a pause to reflect on 2011 from my perspective.

This time last year I was considering whether I wanted to take my talents and experience toward doing public speaking to church and christian youth oriented groups about Eye Witness and my decade long journey with it, or focus more on creating new artwork and working primarily on the comic/pop culture convention circuit...which would still allow me to promote and sell EW to those it was designed for (mainly the unchurched and skeptical comic fan out there).  After much deliberation on this, I went with the latter!

So...what this the right decision for me?  Hmmmmm....

I speak with a lot of young aspiring writers, artists and self-publisher's at my appearances and through my various pages on the web and get a lot of questions in regards to the financial viability of creating your own comics and graphic novels.  Truth be told, like any indy creative endeavor (film making, music recording, fine art, novel writing etc....) creating and publishing comics/gn's is a risky endeavor where there is no guarantee of financial bounty...or for that matter, breaking even.  If one decides to go down this creative path, it must be with a clear understanding that this is something you feel compelled to do, a project you feel passionate about and that you have funding in place you can afford to do without (kind of like how my Dad always told me to approach going to Las Vegas..."don't gamble what you can't afford to lose").  In other words, it should something you'd do 24/7, even if no one ever paid you for doing it!

In most cases if you're approaching the comic/gn publishing industry from an indy perspective with the belief that your creative properties going to make you rich, (or just maybe financially independent) then you're setting yourself up for a rude awakening.  Is there precedent to the contrary?  Sure... Jeff Smith (Bone), Todd MacFarlane (Spawn), Dave Sim (Cerebus) to name a few...but when you look at the shear number of indy comics that have come and gone each and every year for the last couple decades, these are truly close to "one-in-a-million" scenarios! Am I sharing this because I'm trying to keep young talent from even trying?  Absolutely not!  I'm merely sharing what is (from a financial perspective) the reality of what you're taking on when you go down the self-publishing route. 

If you have a burning desire to tell a story in comic/gn form, then sometimes self publishing is your only, and best, option (especially with the rise of digital publishing...but that's another topic all together).  But just go into it with a firm grasp on what your goals are.  For me with Eye Witness, it wasn't about the financial return I might make (though everyone who heard about the concept I was undertaking or saw the advance artwork assured me I was going to sell millions of copies....I kid you not).  It was about my fulfilling what I saw as a divine directive for my creative talents.  I was extremely passionate about this project and set down the path to create the book (then the series) no matter how much it costs me, or how much I received in return.  My main payoff was determined by how many people I would touch with the story!

I was fortunate that the Lord was at the helm of this particular endeavor and more times than I'd like to admit, He helped keep food on my table and money in our bank account.  But for the better part of a decade I slaved feverishly to complete what became something of an epic (400+ fully illustrated pages) while basically earning enough for the publishing to pay for itself.

Getting back to my original point (in a real round about fashion)...I decided I needed to create a model where I could continue to share Eye Witness with people (since most people still are unaware of it, despite my efforts) while earning extra income from other creative work I was producing.  And since, my target audience for Eye Witness was mainly the unchurched it just made more sense that I should continue to have a presence at comic/pop culture events, rather than "preach to choir", so to speak, by limiting my self to only Christian events and churches.

So yes, this was the right decision for me!  In 2011, it has allowed me to create a decent income from sales of my prints/posters and landing of commissions and contract assignments, while still being able to not only sell Eye Witness, but also continue to inspire and counsel other writers and artists I meet that likewise feel compelled to use their talents in the service of the Lord, but just don't know how to do it.

Will I one day travel down the other path and begin to speak with young believers about my mission with Eye Witness?  That's always possible and like I've operated pretty much for the last decade...I'm leaving that in God's hands.  He'll let me know when it's time to change gears!

Hope to see many of you all again in 2012.  I've have a bunch new comic and pulp culture inspired prints and posters to share (like this one):

RJ Luedke
http://www.bobtheartist.com/

Eye Witness Now Available to Even More Digital Readers!

Hey Gang,

I just heard, that my Eye Witness series is now available to users of the New AMAZON KINDLE FIRE, through the Graphicly app on the Head Press website, as well as the BARNES & NOBLE NOOK TABLET...also through Graphicly!

The versions of the books on Graphicly, contain previously unreleased behind the scenes commentary and artwork, from your's truly...exclusive to that app.  For more info, visit:

http://graphicly.com/head-press-publishing/eye-witness
 
RJ Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/
http://www.bobtheartist.com/

Christian Creators Represent at Comic Con Int'l

Hey gang,

There going to be a pretty impressive lineup of creators/publishers with spiritual based books/comics/short films at this year's Comic Con International later this week.

My friend Scott Shuford, at Front Gate Media, has put together this very all-inclusive press release of the people and events:

San Diego, CA – Arguably the largest pop-culture, entertainment event in the world, THE COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL: SAN DIEGO 2011 kicks off this week with sellout attendance of more than 125,000. The CHRISTIAN COMIC ARTS SOCIETY (CCAS) in partnership with CHALICE PRESS will deliver top talent and projects to create impact at the event. Comic-Con International: San Diego (Comic-Con) is the largest comic book convention of its kind in the world.

Christian Comic Arts Society, presented this year in partnership with Chalice Press, is hosting three events as part of the official Comic-Con programming, and will exhibit throughout the convention in a CORNER BOOTH SPACE #P-08.

CCAS will be giving away copies of “MARVELOUS MYTHS: MARVEL SUPERHEROES AND EVERYDAY FAITH,” an outstanding review of the Marvel universe published by Chalice Press. While supplies last, all CCAS event attendees will receive a copy of the book, and booth visitors can sign up to win copies during hourly drawings on the exhibit floor. Events include:

Christian Comic Arts Society Open Meeting. Thursday, 7/21/11, 7:30p.m. – 9:30p.m., Room: 24ABC

Hosted by CCAS members Kevin Yong (Ragged Capes) and Ralph Miley (New Visions Anthology) of NewCreationNow.com, fans and creators alike are invited to join an informal after-hours time of Christian fellowship, networking, laughter and prayer as we “talk shop” about the Christian comics movement.

Spirituality in Comics: Is Mass Media Our New Church? Saturday, 7/23/11, 6:00p.m. – 7:00p.m., Room: 4

In comics, movies, and even Broadway musicals like “The Book Of Mormon”, spiritual themed work seems to be unexpectedly coming from the least religious of sources. Join panelists including SERGIO CARIELLO (The Action Bible), RUSSELL DALTON (Marvelous Myths: Marvel Superheroes and Everyday Faith), BUZZ DIXON (Serenity/Hits & Misses), and MIKE SHIELDS (Blue Blazes) as they discuss how a new generation of comics and pop culture are exploring timeless truths.

Christian Comics: The Calling of the Artist, Sunday, 7/24/11, 2:30p.m. – 3:30p.m., Room: 23ABC

What unique challenges do artists face in developing work for both mainstream and religious audiences? How can “Christian media” avoid becoming just a pale imitation of its secular counterparts? Join panelists SERGIO CARIELLO (The Action Bible), ERIC JANSEN (Missions Press), STEVE BLOUNT (Kingstone Media), ROBERT LUEDKE (Eye Witness), JOHN SHORE (I’m OK–You’re Not), MIKE SHIELDS (Blue Blazes) and moderator BUZZ DIXON (Hits & Misses) as they discuss the challenges and rewards of following the call of personal faith and the creative arts.

“MARVELOUS MYTHS: MARVEL SUPERHEROES AND EVERYDAY FAITH” shows us that Marvel superheroes are more like us than we may think. What really makes someone a hero? In the early 1960’s, the image of a superhero was someone with a square jaw, a muscular build, and a quick smile whose biggest personal problem was trying to keep their girlfriends from guessing their secret identities. Then, writer Stan Lee and artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko created a group of superheroes who revolutionized comics. These heroes, including The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, The X-men, Iron Man, Captain America and others, were not perfect heroes who lived in a perfect world, but fallible people with physical ailments and personal problems like our own.

Each chapter of Marvelous Myths reflects on the heroes’ most famous adventures and discusses the ways in which we are called to overcome many of the same types of obstacles they face as we strive to carry out the ministries to which God calls us. While the authors and artists who created them did not intend to write explicitly religious stories, their tales of imperfect heroes who try to do the right thing despite the many challenges they face provide us with the opportunity to reflect on our own faith journeys as we strive to live heroic lives in the real world.

CCAS members are creating additional impact through Comic-Con related activities:

Created by The JESUS Film Project in association with Brethren Entertainment, Barry Cook (Director of Disney’s “Mulan”), and Tokyo’s renowned Studio 4°C, “My Last Day” is a short film of regret, repentance and redemption. This 9-minute animé unfolds through the eyes of a criminal who receives the same brutal crucifixion sentence as Christ. The criminal’s own guilt causes him to realize Christ’s innocence. See it at www.tinyurl.com/jfmylastday.

Kingstone Media, a central Florida publisher with three primary imprints, will be exhibiting at the event in Booth #5531. Kingstone Comics publishes faith based comics and Biblical worldview graphic novels. Galaxy Comics produces sci-fi and action-adventure graphic novels. Bay Forest Books is the cinematic fiction imprimatur with stories that will move you and characters you will never forget. Get more at www.KingstoneMedia.com. See Kingstone’s Steve Blount at the Sunday panel event.

Blue Blazes, a 168 Project 2011 Finalist, will screen their short film at the CCI-IFF July 22nd, and 1140a in the San Diego Marriott Marina. Mike Shields, (Producer, Director), Amber Greenlee (Storyboard Artist) and Blue Blazes himself, Robert Adan will be available to answer questions about this unique speed filmmaking competition, as well as the movie itself. Also see Shields at the Saturday and Sunday panel events.

Hitting up Comic-Con for the first time, Lamp Post can be found at Small Press Table Q-08. Creators Jerrell Conner (Revelations: The Prophets), Brett Burner (Hand of the Morning Star), and Dan Conner (Heaven Forbid) will be on hand to sign books, give portfolio reviews, and do sketches throughout the show. New books from the following series will be available at the show: Toned: Comics in Black and White, Revelations: The Prophets (featuring a backup of The Cardinal), Heaven Forbid, Finding Elim, God’s Love is Like a Conjoined Twin, Pakkins’ Land, and Parable. For more, visit Lamp Post, Inc. at http://www.lamppostpubs.com/.

The Red R (also known as Revelations) is a movement of artists who aim to revolutionize how biblically related stories are told to cast a bigger net and reach a wider audience. The Red R Movement brings the highest level of art (and beyond) to present the world with the Hope and True meaning that only the greatest stories every told can deliver. Their post-apocalyptic graphic novel series “REVELATIONS: The Prophets” has released six books and will debut the NEW 7th INSTALLMENT at San Diego Comic-Con along with a new animated short. Visit them in the Small Press area at table Q-08. For more info, visit http://www.theredr.com/

He outraged parents, ticked off networks, and delighted young fans with thought-provoking classic episodes of G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Batman. Now Buzz Dixon is launching a line of Young Adult novels based on his bestselling SERENITY Christian manga series as well as brand new tales of faith and courage in a challenging world. “The surest way to get into trouble is to speak the truth, and everyone I’ve ever worked with has found me to be a troublemaker!” said Dixon. Meet Dixon at the Saturday and Sunday panel events. See more at http://www.snokiestories.com/

New from Kingdom Comics, The Kingdom Zone is a 64 page graphic novel anthology that consists of 7 different short stories with a “Twilight Zone” flair coming from a Biblical perspective. Several Christian artists within the industry have contributed their talents to this graphic novel, which will be an ongoing series with new stories every issue. Brian Bradley is the publisher of Kingdom Comics which began in 1999. His first publication, entitled THE ANOINTED 7 has been an ongoing series. Additional titles include “The Lucifer Chronicles”, “Pledge Of Allegiance”, “Code:Evolution”, and various anthologies including “God Works” dealing with prison issues and which is a popular resource within the prison system.

Writer/illustrator, Robert James Luedke, will return to Comic Con International after a two year absence to share his award-winning Eye Witness graphic novel series and be a featured member of the CCAS panel on Christian comics and graphic novels. Luedke will feature his new, limited edition, signed/numbered Eye Witness Slipcase Collection at Comic-Con 2011. Eye Witness, which premiered at Comic Con in 2004, has won five indy book awards and been named a finalist in 5 others, making it one of the most recognized and decorated series in the brief history of Christian themed graphic novels. His book “Unknown God” was named as a finalist in the category of Novella in the 2011 Indie Book Awards. Luedke and the series has been featured in media from coast to coast (both Christian and secular), including: LA Times, Washington Post, AP, Fox News, Publishers Weekly, Christianity Today, World Magazine, Comic Buyers Guide, Wizard Magazine and USA Radio Network. See more at http://www.headpress.info/

From Wonder Woman to Green Lantern to Jesus Hates Zombies, HOLLYWOODJESUS.COM covers it all. The action at Comic-Con is naturally a huge shaping force in what the comic-reading world talks about. “We continue to be excited about the spiritual conversation the comics world has with our culture,” said Greg Wright, Editor-In-Chief. “Arnaldo Reyes, our Comics Editor, is always looking for new talent and new product to showcase the spiritual nature of comics.” HJ’s latest comic reviews can be found at http://live.hollywoodjesus.com/?page_id=378

ABOUT CCAS:

The Christian Comic Arts Society (CCAS) was formed in 1984 to locate and link Christians who are interested or active in the comic book/strip medium. It sponsors Alpha Omega, the APA of Christian comics and Christian comic displays at various comic conventions across the country. The Goal and Purpose of CCAS is to support Christian professionals, hopefuls and enthusiasts within the Comic Book and related industries, accomplishing that by providing opportunities for the following: 1. The sharing of the Christian message and our Christian faith, primarily within and through the comic book industry and art form. 2. Mentoring, training, friendship and networking. 3. The collaboration on and creation of visual storytelling. The CCAS is governed by a volunteer board which includes Eric Jansen (Missions Press,) Scott A. Shuford (FrontGate Media,) Geoff Strout (Artist,) and Kevin Yong (New Creation Now) along with numerous volunteer committee members from the comic industry and the Church.

For more information on the Christian Comic Arts Society, go to: http://www.christiancomicarts.com/ , Facebook.com/ChristianComicArts , or Twitter.com/ChristianComics.

For more information on the Comic-Con International: San Diego, go to: http://www.comic-con.org/

For more information, please contact:
Lori Lenz – FrontGate Media

714-553-5181

Lori@FrontGateMedia.com

Odds and Ends...

Hey gang,

Just wanted to share a couple things that have been going on in my world here in the last couple weeks.

A.  After naming the Eye Witness Slipcase collection the top graphic novel for 2010, Family Fiction Magazine has recently published a Q & A with me.  If you've always wanted to understand a bit more about what makes me tick, check it out.

B. It was just brought to my attention, that Eye Witness: Unknown God....was named a finalist for the 2011 Indie Book Awards (in the category of Novella's).   Unknown God has already been a Winner in the category of graphic novels in the 2010 Best Book Awards, sponsored by USABooknews.com and the Eye Witness series, as a whole, has now captured 5 indy book awards and been named a finalist for 6 others!

C. I've been very busy creating an eclectic collection of character prints that I'm selling like crazy at my con appearances.  They are also available for purchase on the ever growing BobTheArtist website.

I look forward to seeing all my west coast fans and a lot of old friends at next week's Comic Con International, in San Diego and then next month at the Wizard-Chicago Comic Con!

RJ Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/ & http://www.bobtheartist.com/

Eye Witness Arrives on The Nook!

Hey gang,

In our continued attempts to make our Eye Witness available to more and more readers, we announce that the entire award-winning graphic novel series is now available for users of the various Barnes & Noble Nook platforms!

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Eye-Witness/Robert-James-Luedke/e/2940012801296

The benefit of this new partnership, is that not only does it make the story available to those with Nook readers, but also to anyone using the Nook reader software on their mobile devices...including: iPad, iPhone, PC, Android and Android tablets.

And as with all our digital versions, purchasing-reading in this format is a great bargin at $5.99 each!

RJ Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/ 

The Digital Age of Comics Marches On

Hey gang,

As I've promised for some time now, we are continuing in our quest to make Eye Witness available to more readers in more reading formats. 

Our latest breakthrough along these lines are these:

1.  All four books in the award-winning Eye Witness series are now available for viewing/reading/downloading for virtually any electronic device you can mention (from your PC to iPad to smart phone) through through the Graphicly.com website!

They have really gone the extra mile with the bells and whistles their site offers indy publishers.  With Eye Witness, each book has 4 pages of previously unpublished content I've put together, that's sort of a "behind the scenes look at the making of the series."  In addition, they offer a FREE preview copy of each book in the series!

To check out our offering on the graphicly site, go to:  http://graphicly.com/head-press-publishing

2. At long last the revised edition of Eye Witness Book One is available for purchase as a hard copy!  Drivethrucomics, (who have previously offered books 1 and 2 as digital downloads), have now made available a POD (print on demand) version of the revised edition of the first book in the series.

Prior to this, the only way you could read this version was in digital format, but I know there are comic and graphic novel collectors out there that still love the hard copies.  For those of you who are wondering what is different between this edition and the original....well, I went back and remastered the colors on the entire work to better reflect the improved production the series had starting with book two.  In addition, I repaired the editing mis-steps we had made rushing the first book to press without adequate editing (lesson learned) and finally I added some content to make it flow better into the later books (since when I wrote the original manuscript, it was only going to be a one and done).

To order the Revised edition, visit our page on the Drivethrucomics site, at:  http://comics.drivethrustuff.com/index.php?cPath=5731

There will be more to announce soon, so stay tuned!

RJ Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/
http://www.bobtheartist.com/

The Readers Have Spoken!

I was pleasantly surprised this last week to learn that my Collected Eye Witness Slipcase Set, was the winner in the category of comics and graphic novels, in Family Fiction Magazine's 2011 Reader's Choice Award!

Given the quality of the competition, including Serigio Cariello's "The Action Bible", I am incredibly honored and humbled by this award!  My thanks to all those "readers" out there whose vote made this possible.

If you have not yet read the Eye Witness series and want to get your hands on the limited edition SIGNED & NUMBERED variant of the Slipcase Collection, go to our order page  at the Head Press Website...and to get a 20% discount....enter COUPON CODE: holiday.

R.J. Luedke
www.headpress.info
www.bobtheartist.com

Ready For Con Season (Updated)

Hey gang,

Been working feverishly to get my act ready for another convention season...which for me will kick off next week at the C2E2 Convention in Chicago.

Besides continuing to promote the award-winning Eye Witness graphic novel series (and the signed and numbered slipcase collection), I been working hard, (and having a blast, I might add), creating an ALL-NEW portfolio of original art and limited edition prints.  And in the spirit of the times, here's the final addition to the initial offerings...which will be premiering next week:

So if you hail from the Chicago land area (or the Midwest) come find me in the artist alley area (I'm at table J7) at C2E2 at the McCormick Place in Downtown Chicago.

.......AND HERE'S AN UPDATE, 3/24/11*******

Totally sold out of the "Winning Duh" print in Chicago and had lots of requests for the image on a T-shirt ('cause I was wearing one that I made as a promotional tool).  So coming up at this weekend's Megacon Convention (in Orlando....Orange Co. Convention Center/West Concourse), I'll have an EXTRA LARGE supply of the prints and about 20 of the T-shirts (so don't wait too long in the week to come find my table).

R.J. Luedke

http://www.bobtheartist.com/

Acts of the Spirit Now Available for Digital Media!

Hey gang, I'm proud to announce that the second book in the award-winning Eye Witness graphic novel series (Acts of the Spirit) is now available for reading on your iPad and iPhone Apps, the Android Marketplace Comics App...as well as through the comiXology web store online.

Up until now, only the Revised edition of the first book (A Fictional Tale of Absolute Truth) has been available through Comixology (and these other applications).  The book is divided up into three chapters and each at a very reasonable price point (of $1.99 each chapter)...which makes the digital versions less than 50% off their hard copy counterparts.
And don't forget PDF versions of the first two book in the series are already available for viewing on your computer through DriveThruComics!

-------------------------------------------------------------
In other Eye Witness news....

I've been nominated in a couple categories in this year's Eagle Comic Awards (which will be announced this year at the London Comic Con).

This is one of the longest running (if not thee longest running) awards in the industry and set up to allow the fans to participate by voting for who is chosen as finalists.  I'd love your support (especially if it helps Eye Witness get more exposure in the UK).  If you'd like to help out, here's what you have to do:

-Go to the Eagle Awards Voting page (can cast one vote per computer address) at: http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/

-Of course vote for any and all of your favorites in as many categories as you'd like, but make sure to  cast your vote for, category #4: Writer/artist ....and look for Robert James Luedke on the drop down menu.

-The other category of importance is, category #23: Favorite Graphic Novel...and look for Eye Witness: Unknown God on the drop down menu.

If I understand correctly how the awards work, voting will run through late March '11, and then they'll announce the top 5 finalists in each category.

Thanks in advance for your support!

R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/

Kicking Off the '11 Con Season in Style

Looking forward to meeing all my midwestern friends and fans during my first visit to the C2E2 2011convention, (which is one of the nations fastest growing pop culture events) on the shores of lake Michigan in Downtown Chicago, March 18th-20th.
 

I'll of course have plenty of the limited signed/numbered editions of the Eye Witness slipcase collection and a whole selection of never before seen prints (and original art) of some of the most beloved (and sometimes quirky) pop comic and pop culture characters.

To view more of my commission/print artwork, visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eye_witness/

...and if you are interested in commissoning me to do a piece of original art based upon a particular character or actor for you, (to pickup at the show), please email me at: headpress1@gmail.com, and we'll discuss what you're looking for and pricing.

To find out more about the C2E2 show, visit:
http://c2e211.mapyourshow.com/3_0/exhibitor_details.cfm?exhid=326739

Hope to see many of my midwest friends and fans there!

R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/

Late Edition to the Unknown God Tour

Hey gang,

Talk about your basic last minute addition to the Unknown God tour...I'll be going to San Antonio this weekend for the Texas Comic Con.

Visit their website for full details:
http://www.texascomicon.com/index.htm

Hope to see any of my south Texas friends there.

R.J. Luedke
www.headpress.info

The Unkown God tour...2010.

Here is a listing of my scheduled appearances in support of the release of the fourth book in the Eye witness series...Unknown God!*

6/4-6 Heroes Convention/ Charlotte, NC
http://www.heroesonline.com/heroescon/

6/11-13 Philadelphia Comic Con/Philadelphia, PA
http://www.wizardworld.com/home-pa.html

6/30-7/3 Cornerstone Music Festival/Bushnell, IL.
http://www.cornerstonefestival.com/

7/14-17 Sonshine Festival/Willmar, MN.
http://www.sonshinefestival.com/

7/21-25 Creation Northwest/ Enumclaw, WA
http://www.creationfest.com/nw/

8/19-22 Chicago Comic Con/ Chicago, IL
http://www.wizardworld.com/home-ch.html

8/28-29 Dallas Comic Con/ DFW, TX
http://www.scifiexpo.com/DCC/dallascomiccon.html

9/18-19 Project Comiccon/St. Louis, MO.
http://projectcomiccon.com/

9/25-26 Nashville Comic Con/Nashville, TN
http://www.comiccitytn.com/

10/8-10 New York Comic Con/ NYC
http://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/

10/15-17 New England Comic Con/Boston, MA
http://www.wizardworld.com/home-newengland.html

10-29-31 Long Beach Comic Con/ Long Beach, CA
http://longbeachcomiccon.com/

11/6-7 Mid-Ohio Con/ Columbus, OH
http://midohiocon.blogspot.com/

11/12-14 Austin Comic Con/ Austin, TX
http://www.wizardworld.com/home-tx.html

12/3-5 Atlanta Comic Con/ Atlanta, GA
http://www.wizardworld.com/home-atlanta.html

If you are owner of a book or comic shop, or pastor/minister of a youth group in one of these regions and have an interest in having me come in and do a book signing, or sharing my testimonial about my mission with this series, by all means contact me through my website
During much of this tour, I will be driving and have some down time between events and would love to fill it by visiting your location.

* All events are subject to change and more will be added soon!

R.J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/

Unknown God----Preview Pages!

Get an advance peek at a sampling of pages from the upcoming Eye Witness: Unknown God, graphic novel.

This is the fourth and final book in the award-winning Eye Witness series. The book will available nationally in book and comic outlets in July 2010.

Click here for your preview!

Enjoy!
R.J. Luedke

Things I'm Thankful For (2009)

Hey Gang:

I just wanted to give you an update on my progress with Unknown God and share a few things I'm thankful for on the very special Thursday morning.

As of yesterday, I started the home stretch on this largest of all the Eye Witness GN's. I began work on the final 20 pages, which will wrap up almost 8 years and 400 pages of storyline.....YEA! Please say a prayer for me that I can do this justice as it requires me to really stretch my talents to their limits to bring this project across the finish line in a complete and satisfying fashion.

Some things I'm thankful for...

-My loving wife (Sandy) of now over 26 years, who provides me the environment that has allowed me to pursue the EW project.

-That God has graced my children with health.

-That the Cowboys play each thanksgiving day.

-That 8 years ago God revealed his plan for, what up till then I thought, was a pretty wasted life.

-That God continues to bless this wonderful bastion of freedom we know as the USA. And even though we are currently going through some tremendous trials and growing pains as a country and people, that all these experiences will serve to make us stronger and more thankful...as it did our forefathers (and mothers) who weathered the storm of the great depression.

-recipes passed down through generations, like creme cheese based potato topping and liver turkey stuffing (it's on old-world German thang)...yum!

-and finally...that when all else seems dark in our lives that we still have the ability to laugh!

Happy Turkey day all...and be on the lookout for more sample artwork from Unknown God soon, as well as a pretty exciting announcement!

R.J. Luedke

http://www.headpress.info/

Working a Graphic Novel System

I have a lot of people who have asked me over the years why it takes so long for books in the Eye Witness series to be published, (about 24 months). The answer is quite simple...because I perform most of the work myself.

For those of you not familiar with the way larger comic/graphic novel publishing companies work, think of companies like Marvel and DC like an auto assembly line...where each person on the line has their job to do and does it in order. This creates a very efficient system if your goal is to publish books from concept to shelve as quickly as possible and is critical for juggling multiple sequential titles and keeping them on schedule.

Example: The writer writes an outline or fully developed script; that goes to the penciler, who does the pencil illustrations from the script; that goes to an inker (or for you fans of Kevin Smith...a tracer) who inks over the pencils; that goes to the colorist who takes the black and white line art and makes it pop in full color; that goes to the letterist, who now adds the dialog, narration, thought balloons and any special sound effects; that goes to the editor, (or multiple layers of editors) who does all the things editors do...who then may refer it back to any of the previous people in the chain to make corrections and/or additions; and then it goes to the printer. Granted this is just a basic outline of the structure and depending on what company you will work for, it will deviate...but you get the idea.

This kind of process guarantees that everyone in the chain can be working on something simultaneously to insure the book is produced in the most time efficient way possible.

Indy publishers, like myself, are more equated to the old world concept of "hand made automakers," where each car is meticulously worked on till it's totally constructed and another one is not started till the first one is completed. There are many reasons why this second type of system is used in publishing, but most I'd guess deal with either lack of production capital or just a desire to be a part of every facet of a book's production. For me, it's a little of both. But needless to say, I can only be working on one aspect of the book at a time before going on to the next.

Neither system is "the right" way to create comics or graphic novels, but they are just systems used to achieve a common goal and utilized based upon the needs and goals of the particular creators or publisher. Just like in the film industry there are "studio" pictures (with large budgets and hundreds if not thousands of people working on them) and there are "indy" films (which are the vision of one man...or a handful of dedicated professionals that are driven by their creative juices rather than a paycheck). Think about for a moment the number of people needed to produce a movie like Watchman, versed the number needed to produce a film like Juno or Good Will Hunting. Neither is the right way to make a movie (though I'm sure you'd get a lot of heated discussion on that point) but both are used based upon the size of the project, it's projected budget, it's level of financing and it's potential for box office.

Here's a outline of what it takes for me (time wise) to construct one of the Eye Witness graphic novels (of approximately 100 pages):

1. Construction of original draft of the script (developed from out outline)...1-2 months.

2. Illustrations (that is, the penciled and inked images...which in a 100 page book will number approximately 600 individual frames. During this process on many pages I will be revising the script based upon the space I am creating on the pages)...10-13 months

3. Coloring (assuming I'm doing all that work myself...done with Photoshop on my computer)...1-2 months.

4. Lettering (where I basically will do a third draft of the script....done with Illustrator)...1 month.

5. Editing and pre-press production (creation of the final cover, back cover and non-story related pages)...1 month

6. Advanced marketing of the book to distributors, retailers and the media...2 months

So as you can see in this breakdown, to get the books to the shelves of your local comic or book store (and in the warehouse of online retailers) takes anywhere from 16-20 months...and that's not counting any of the marketing and personal appearances that then take place once the book is released (which I've typically dedicated 6 months to)...and assuming I can keep to a regular full time production schedule with no disruptions due to personal or family reasons...which has never happened yet!

Could I speed up this process by bringing in people to help pencil, ink, color or letter the book? Absolutely! But this series for me is very personal...kind of my personal quest if you will...and though it is both physically and mentally taxing, I enjoy and prefer to stay on top of all areas of it's projection...a sentiment you will see quite often among indy film-makers also. This is my baby!

R. J. Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/

Advance Artwork for Eye Witness Book 4

Here's a taste of some of the advance artwork from the Eye Witness: Unknown God...the fourth and final chapter in the graphic novel series.

As I write this I am in the early stages of the illustration for the book, which will be somewhere in the area of 125 pages and is tentatively planned for a summer 2010 release.

The final piece is the color guide for what will eventually be the fully painted cover, (done by painter, David Rodriguez).

R. J. Luedke

http://www.headpress.info/

Digital Remastered Version of Eye Witness Now Available

Beginning on Sunday May 10th, we are going live with our first "digital only" offering...a fully remastered and revised edition of the first book in the award-winning Eye Witness series, A Fictional Tale of Absolute Truth.

This is our first attempt at creating something specifically for digital distribution and since the original edition of the book was very experimental, production wise, I was dying to go back and remaster the colors, revise some of the narrative while cleaning up the editorial missteps.

Initially, the revised edition of Eye Witness Book One will be exclusively available through the Head Press Publishing website, at: http://www.headpress.info/order.html

...but also, we are currently having discussions to make it available through other select comic and Christian venues sometime in the near future (Stay tuned).

This is a huge step for us toward making Eye Witness available to more people, both inside and outside of North America. We've heard from numerous potential fans, who've read a very complementary review on the Internet, only to find the books weren't available to them locally in stores or through web retailers. Now, virtually anyone with a computer and PDF viewer can purchase and read the first book in the Eye Witness series at a very reasonable price.

The fourth and final book in the Eye Witness tetralogy, Eye Witness: Unknown God, is currently in production and tentatively scheduled for a summer 2010 release.

R.J. Luedke

www.headpress.info

Free Graphic Novels on FREE COMIC BOOK DAY

Saturday May 2nd, is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY nationally...where comic shops, publishers and creators come together to give away comics at stores around the country. This is all done in an effort to help more young readers discover the joys of reading in general and reading comics in particular.


Since I'm already scheduled to make an appearance the ComicPalooza Comic Festival in Houston on May 2nd and 3rd, I'm going to contribute to the spirit of the day, by giving out FREE signed copies of Eye Witness (Book 1): A Fictional Tale of Absolute Truth.

This is only going to be offered on Saturday and only while my supplies last (since I am limited by what I can haul to this event). So if you plan on attending, come find me first!

In additional I'll also have some FREE 2 x 3' Eye Witness promotional posters to give out to anyone who stops by my table the entire weekend.

RJ Luedke
http://www.headpress.info/