THE BOOK YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR IS FINALLY HERE!
Along with signed bookplates, Sketchbooks, and other characters co-created by Karl Kesel!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Holiday Update
almost 5 years ago
– Wed, Dec 08, 2021 at 06:53:55 PM
Happy Holidays!
Here's hoping it's better than last year's for all of us!
Here at Ground Zero, we continue moving forward. Tom just sent me 3 pages of pencils for Part 2, including this one:
The first time the team is in their uniforms! Who is the man with the carefully cared for mustache, you ask? All I can say is: you ask very good questions!
Meanwhile, I dialoged 8 pages of story, had it lettered by the crackerjack Comicraft crew, and assembled this:
Not only is this story a great introduction to the bombastic Bernie Cork— inspired, in part, by the very real Derek "Blaster" Bates, who was known to play pub pranks exactly as Bernie does in this story—but readers of the first SECTION ZERO book will recognize the woman wearing the coat (and not much else) as the mysterious, manipulative Munro!
There are no credits attached to this story, but for the record: Script and cover inks by myself; Pencils by Tom Grummett, Inks by Jerry Ordway; Colors by Bill Crabtree, Letters by Comicraft.
Enjoy!
The Stats
There are 107 Total Pages of Story in the SECTION ZERO 1959 book. As of December 6, 2021 we have finished the following:
65 Pages Written
50 Pages Penciled
34 Pages Inked
24 Pages Colored
26 Pages Lettered
I'll be spending the remaining SECTION ZERO Mondays this month writing— either Part 3 or the Sarina Ursari solo 8-pager— while Tom continues penciling Part 2.
Have a great Holiday season!
Every Monday is 1959!
almost 5 years ago
– Wed, Nov 10, 2021 at 04:27:07 AM
Yesterday I sent Tom 18 pages of SZ59 story for him to draw.
Here's an excerpt:
Not as exciting as Tom's art will be, I know!
This was possible because I did something I should have done long ago— set aside one day a week to work on SZ59. And that day is Monday.
This is hardly a genius-level idea. But then, I'm hardly a genius.
My plan is to keep writing SZ59 until it's done— to assure that Tom always has something to draw— then I'll circle back to inks. And to help the inks move along more quickly, Jerry Ordway has graciously agreed to ink more of the book, when it fits his schedule.
Where, exactly, do we stand page-count wise?
Fair question. Here's the run-down:
107 Total Pages of Story in the book
65 Pages Written
47 Pages Penciled
34 Pages Inked
24 Pages Colored
16 Pages Lettered
I will include this tally in each update from now on. The number of Total Pages may change as I write— for instance, the script I sent Tom yesterday was supposed to be 17 pages, but ended up being 18. Because it made the story better.
I'm confident this new approach will move SZ59 along much more smoothly and reliably. I'm also sure there will be some hiccups along the way. I'm still dealing with some extreme family matters, and there will be days when those take priority over everything.
I'm not sure what Tom's schedule is right now, but I do know he just mailed me a few more sketches. Here's one that should be in my mailbox any day:
And on that high note— see you in December!
KK
October Update
almost 5 years ago
– Thu, Oct 07, 2021 at 07:42:48 PM
Sorry I didn't check in last month. That's never a good sign, is it?
I haven't gotten much done on SZ59 in the last 6 weeks or so. My son continues to take up a huge amount of our time, and then he was kind enough to bring home a cold (a sure sign in-person schooling is back!) and the entire family got sick at the same time. Today I start an intensive, 2-day course in how to properly restrain people. Because that's what all parents do, right?
I had hoped to finish SZ59 by the end of this year. That clearly isn't going to happen. But I do feel confident I can get you another digital story by then.
SZ59 is very important to me, and I continue to inch forward on it. As I said before, all delays now are on me, not Tom.
As always, your patience and belief in this project is greatly appreciated.
KK
August Update
about 5 years ago
– Wed, Aug 18, 2021 at 03:47:37 AM
Very Quick Update This Time.
I'm working away on more script for Tom, hope to have it in his hands shortly. Right now I'm the one slowing everything down, simply because of the intersection of COVID, climate change, and summer camps.
Early on, summer camps were scarce, and those that were open filled up quickly. And then a few of the ones we were able to snag shut down because of the recent PNW heat wave! As a result, our 2 kids have been home more than we expected— especially this last month— which simply means less work hours.
The good news is: school's only a few weeks away…
KK
July Update
about 5 years ago
– Sat, Jul 17, 2021 at 07:45:50 PM
Sorry for the delay in getting this month's Update out. That's what happens when I take almost a week off for our family's annual 4th of July vacation on the Oregon Coast.
This was in Yachats (pronounced YAH-hots) — "The Gem of the Oregon Coast" as they bill themselves. No better place to go to rest and recharge. Already reserved a spot for summer 2022.
Meanwhile…
Bill Crabtree is handing in oustanding colors on the Bernie Cork Thing from Beyond The Grave solo story…
How do you make Tom's pencils look even better than when they're inked by Jerry Ordway? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the chromatic stylings of BILL CRABTREE!
This coming week is Writing Week, as I wrap the dialogue for this story, and get some more script in Tom's hands for the next chapter of SZ59.
We continue moving forward, slow but steady.
Your patience, as always, is greatly appreciated. It'll be worth the wait.
