The Dusk

December Update
over 3 years ago – Fri, Dec 02, 2022 at 10:36:32 PM

Blackstone Citizens,

This is gonna be a short update, but a meaningful one -

THE DUSK IS COMPLETE.

Not printed, not packed, not ready to be shipped but...DONE. Story, art, letters, edits. The book is in the hands of our wonderful designer and then it'll be off to the printer. I am SO THANKFUL for your patience, understanding, and excitement. I'm so excited for the book to be in your hands, and we're almost there.

A few quick things:

Once the design for the book is done, you'll get your digital rewards and will be able to read the book! Soon!

I will keep you posted on the printing/shipping front. Fair warning, this tends to bring unexpected delays, but I'll do my best to be transparent and communicative as we've been overall.

And, because it's the holiday season, here are some never-before-seen colored pages/panels from the book for you to enjoy!

Talk soon,

Alex

October Update
over 3 years ago – Wed, Oct 26, 2022 at 07:09:56 PM

Hello, Blackstone denizens!

Not a ton new to report, but here’s your October Dusk update!

Interior line art from David is DONE!
Coloring by Ellie is proceeding apace!
Liz and I are finishing up the final lettering pass, and then Taylor will do his magic!

And then - that’s it! Our designer at Ominous, Philip, will take things from there and put together the proofs for our trade collection and single issues and we’ll send it off to the printer.

Kind of hard to believe things are just about at the finish line. Thanks again for your insanely wonderful patience.

Here’s a look at some jaw-dropping line art from the fourth chapter - to get you juiced for the final lap!

Best,
Alex

September Update
over 3 years ago – Sat, Sep 17, 2022 at 02:41:35 PM

Hello, Blackstone Citizens! Welcome to the final lap!

We are less than five pages from being DONE with the line art. David is working away diligently to close the gap, then the book will be in the able hands of our colorist Ellie. Once that’s done, Taylor and co. will put the lettering down and we will have completed 80 (!!!) pages of story since this Kickstarter launched. I know it’s been a topsy-turvy ride, so I have to thank you for sticking it out with us!

Once the files are ready and designed, we’ll send it off to the printer and your books will be on their way to you. It’s been a journey, huh? We should have a more firm timeline on delivery once the files are delivered to the printer.

As we close in on the end here, and as the rest of the team ponders next steps - because you know we want to keep creating Dusk adventures for you - I’ve started thinking back to what made me want to do this in the first place.

The idea for The Dusk started years ago, while I was reading some Batman stories to my son (now six!). He loves Batman - so do I! But this ritual also got me and my wife wondering about how we could relay some of the complexities of our world to our son in a way he could start to understand. Going beyond “punching the bad guys and tossing them in prison.” That spurred me to team up with David, Liz, Joe, Ellie, and Taylor to create the book you’ll hopefully hold in your hand soon. But now, with most of the book done - I had to wonder: did we succeed? So I gave put the first three chapters of our book the ultimate test: I read them to my son!

My son is aware of The Dusk. I’m not sure he fully understands the “why” of it - he knows his dad writes a lot of things. But maybe down the line he’ll learn that he was a big part of the story’s beginnings. Anyway, it felt great to share the close-to-final product with him. It felt even better to hear him laugh at the jokes and marvel at some of the scenes we crafted with him and younger readers in mind. The verdict was swift: “It was good. I liked it.”

Even better? As we hit the Chapter Three cliffhanger, his response was clear: “When can I read the rest?”

I just want to send out a heartfelt thanks to everyone that backed this project, and for everyone’s patience and understanding as we navigated this project during the pandemic and beyond. Stay tuned for more updates. Oh, and here’s some artwork! A mysterious sequence that kicks off the second half of the book. Enjoy!

Talk soon!

August Update
over 3 years ago – Wed, Aug 24, 2022 at 07:02:44 AM

Hello, Blackstone Citizens!

So, this is it - the final lap! We're about a handful of pages away from artist David Hahn finishing up, and then the remaining fourth chapter of THE DUSK will be in the hands of our swift colorist and letterer, Ellie Wright and Taylor Esposito, respectively. After that, we enter the fun stage of design, proofing, and printing - but what a journey, huh?

First and foremost, I want to thank you all for your patience - I know this took a bit longer than we all expected, but we hope the quality of the work more than makes up for the delay. We're excited to get this book in your hands.

In the meantime, here's a peek at some color art by David and Ellie (plus an inked page from chapter 4!) that will hopefully whet your appetite for the full comic! More soon and talk in a few weeks.

Thanks again,

Alex

Dusk July Update
over 3 years ago – Tue, Jul 12, 2022 at 02:46:12 PM

Hello, Blackstone Citizens!

How is it July? Wow, time is really clicking fast.

I’ll keep it short and sweet:

David is well into the fourth (and final) chapter of the Dusk - meaning we’re ALMOST DONE with the lineart. I know it's been a journey, folks - but I have to tell you, David is doing the absolute best work of his career here. We've got some samples to prove it. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for your patience.

Ellie is working on chapter three colors, and Liz and I will polish off the full lettering script once David is done, allowing our esteemed letterer Taylor to do his job. Then our editor/creative consultant Joe will make sure we do it well. :)

What does that mean for you?

Well, we’re aiming to be DONE with the pages in about two months, and then we’ll get rolling on design and printing, which is of course its own journey, but in short - we’re almost there!

Big thanks to all of you for your patience and support. I know it’s been a journey, and with the world being topsy turvy, COVID, and everything else, it has been more challenging than expected to get this done. So, thank you. We appreciate your support and want to get you the best product we can!

I’ll be back with another update next month. In the meantime, here are a few previously unseen color pages from THE DUSK to keep you psyched!

Talk soon,
Alex