HIGH MOON: We Won!

Thank you all for your support!!!!

Tomorrow is the LAST DAY TO VOTE for HIGH MOON!

If you are just joining us, I currently have a webcomic series prologue available to read at Zuda.Com. I have teamed up with the exceptionally talented Steve Ellis and Scott O. Brown for a werewolf western called HIGH MOON. In order for the series to continue, visitors need to vote for it, favorite it, rate it, and comment on it. The winner of the event earns a contract with DC Comics, along with all the trimmings.

Voting ends tomorrow November 30th at 11:59:59 pm.

If you enjoy the strip, and would like to see it continue, please vote for it. And please feel free to comment and let us know what you think!

Thank you all for your support!

HIGH MOON: Scooped!

Steve Ellis gets interviewed in The Scoop. In the interview, he reveals some very interesting details about HIGH MOON, including this little tidbit:

The character of MacGregor was the real meat of it for me. David and I spent hours on the phone fleshing out a back story for him just so that I could outfit him. I wanted him to have a long storied history which would be evident by his clothes and accoutrements. He's got Voodoo gris-gris, an inverted sheriff's star(pentagram), rosaries, werewolf on chains around his neck, he has a rosary wrapped around his gun, he's wearing his clan tartan around his neck as a kerchief/scarf. He even has werewolf and smaller (vampire?) teeth as a decoration on his hat. These little things develop a reality about the character and it took a long time to develop. On Mac's face, I wanted you to read age, loss, sadness, and threat. I didn't spend quite as much on the other characters; they are much younger and live in a brighter happier world than Mac.

To learn more about Mac and the rest of the cast, be sure to vote, rate, share, and favorite HIGH MOON - available now only at ZUDA!

HIGH MOON: First Page, First Draft

Alas, my scanner is still not working quite right, so instead, I thought I'd post the first draft of the first page of script from HIGH MOON. The hyperlinks are reference points I included for Steve, who added his own unique twist. This is not the final script, but should shed some light on how Steve and I put the scene together.

Enjoy!

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PAGE ONE

Panel One:

ESTABLISHING SHOT / MEDIUM SHOT / NIGHT TIME – The full moon’s light is fully visible in the night sky. It is as bright as the sun, with a bluish tinge. There are a few wispy clouds, but not many stars. It is here that we get a small glimpse of Blest, Texas and the house of the Hunter family, theirs is the nicest house in the town.

Margaret 1 [off screen]: Dear Lord …

Panel Two:
Transition shot as we see that same light reflecting in the window of MARGARET HUNTER’S bedroom. Margaret, age six, has blond hair and blue eyes, and is the daughter of the town’s founder, GABRIEL HUNTER. (Think Dakota Fanning meets a Campbell’s Soup Kid) She is at the foot of her bed, in a full-length nightgown praying quietly to herself. Her bedroom door is slightly ajar letting some light pass through. That and the moonlight are light sources in an otherwise dimly lit room. On her bed, we see a little doll. (circa 1890s)

Margaret 1: Please protect Mommy.

Mommy 1 [off screen]: I don’t care about your damn town …

Mommy 2: [off screen]: Or the damn silver mine!

Panel Three:

Focus on the shouting that’s coming from the door, as Margaret continues to pray … the door moves slightly …

Margaret 1: Please save Daddy

Daddy 1 [off screen]: I built THIS town! I can HANDLE The Sullivan Gang!

Panel Four:

Margaret continues to pray …the door moves slightly …

Margaret 1: And … please …

Margaret 2: God Bless Texas?

Panel Five:

The door closes. We see a shadowy form, a human-like silhouette, cast against the door.

Margaret 1: Amen.

Panel Six:

This panel is completely black. The white, lowercase text will fill up the page. The text will be strung together to indicate something wicked.

Margaret 1: nononononopleasenononononohelpmepleasesavemedeargodpleasenodon’t…

HIGH MOON: Radio Spot

When I'm not writing HIGH MOON, I write radio spots, this is the demo I made for HIGH MOON.

HIGH MOON: Status Update

From the Zuda folks:

Hey guys,
You may have noticed that we put the Rankings live last night. Again, this show the Current Rank. You can continue to vote (or change your vote) right on up until the end of the Competition - November 30th.

Looks like High Moon is in the lead right now, so congratulations to Dave, Steve and Scott - but remember, it's not over yet! We're still about two weeks away from closing the polls and so far only 50% of the users have cast their ballot! That means half of you guys have yet to make up your mind. If you haven't voted (or if you know of someone who hasn't voted) then nows the time!

From The High Moon Team:

Thanks to all of your great support, we are in the lead, but there are 15 days left - so anything can happen. If you'd like to see HIGH MOON continue ...

Register at Zuda.Com and be sure to:

• Vote
• Rate
• Favorite
• Comment
• Share with your friends

Thanks again!

High Moon: More Photo Research

This is some more of the original reference photos from HIGH MOON.

High Moon: The Photo Research Threads

Here are some reference images I picked up over the years for HIGH MOON. Thought I'd take a moment this morning to share some of them:

HIGH MOON: Mailbag

This is a little later than I had planned, but you asked the questions abut HIGH MOON, and I am here, coffee in hand to answer your questions.

Thank you all for your questions and e-mails. And now, let's get this party started.

What kind of update schedule can we expect to see with HIGH MOON?

Steve and I discussed this briefly a few weeks ago. Ideally, I'd like it to be a scene (3 to 5 screens) once a week - but obviously that is something we'd have to talk about with Zuda / DC editorial. So, I guess we'll see how that evolves if we win.

I think that HM is probably the most developed IP on the Zuda site at the moment. What made you decide to go the Zuda route instead of the typical print publication?

Thank you. Answering you questions honestly? Working with editor Kwanza Johnson was the reason I chose Zuda.

We know that werewolves are part of the story. Can we expect to see other "traditional" supernatural creatures show up (vampires, mummies)?

Well, I've already written a vampire story for another company, and I don't really like to repeat myself - so take from that what you will. And, whatever future threats you may see will be far from traditional.

There was a fair amount of ho-hah about the Zuda contracts and such before you were announced to be working on High Moon. I'd be interested/curious to hear about your thoughts on the legal issues generally, and maybe some of the concerns you were looking out for.

Steve and I were told what DC/Zuda was looking for before the contracts were even in existence. Look at it this way, I don't go to the critics homes and tell them who they should or shouldn't work for and it's not like people are getting up in arms when Hot Writer A signs an exclusive contract with Marvel, so I really don't understand all of the vitriol. We know what we are getting in to.

DC isn't looking to mess webcomics up for everyone else - they are looking to do something different - and I think that's pretty damn cool. If you want to work for Zuda, you are entering a partnership with DC, using the resources of Time Warner, so DC should certainly get a cut of that. If you are interested in working for Zuda, get a lawyer - and just read over your contracts carefully.

Do you see Macgregor someday becoming an iconic crime fighter somewhere along the lines of Jonah Hex or Wolverine?

There would be nothing cooler than that. Great stories happen because of great characters - and we feel that Mac, once his story really gets going, is going to be one hell of a character. Hex and Wolverine have stood the test of time, but I think Mac certainly has the depth and personality to evolve into something iconic.

About HIGH MOON, how many installments will there be?

If we will, there will be 52 more screens ... and after that, we'll see.

Will HIGH MOON go to print?

That is an option, if we do well enough. I would love for it to see print.

What inspires you?

Tom Waits, Old Time Radio shows, Leonard Cohen, Coffee, and Deadlines

Do you have any writing habits (write daily, listen to certain music, etc.)?

I write every day. Typically, I'll have background noise to fill the silence. Usually, whatever music I listen to directly pertains to what I'd writing. I also try to ensure that all of my essential task for the day are sorted and dealt with before I sit at my desk. I also take copious notes and usually give myself enough room to draw out and break down my scenes with pen and paper. I also like to work four hours on and four hours off, till the first draft is finished. It helps me stay fresh.

In my best James Lipton voice: What turns you on? What turns you off? What is your favorite swear word?

Intelligence. Ignorance. Damn.

Tonight: Answers To Your Questions!

Just a quick note to let you know that this evening, I'll be addressing your questions in our HIGH MOON: Q&A.

Thank for for the e-mails and posts.

You still have time to submit questions, so if there is anything releated to HIGH MOON or Zuda you'd like answered, feel free to post your questions below, and I'll answer them this evening!

HIGH MOON: Unused Logo Treatment

Unused HIGH MOON logo treatment by Steve Ellis

Blogged with Flock

HIGH MOON: 10,000 views and growing

Last night, J. Longo, creator of THIS AMERICAN STRIFE, posted this about HIGH MOON:

Kicking ass, Gallaher! First competitor to pass 10,000 views! Hats off.

Hats off to all of readers and voters for making it possible.

If you'd like to see HIGH MOON continue, please feel free to vote, favorite, rate, and share the strip with your friends!

Expertologist on HIGH MOON

The well-noted Expertologist site had these awesome things to say about HIGH MOON on Zuda:

While a large number of comics seem caught up in the current one-note meme of “what if it had zombies/vikings/pirates/ninjas/mouseketeers”, High Moon has a more serious tone to it, creating the sense just from the first eight pages that the creators have a deeper sense of what horror can be beyond graphic imagery or whatever the latest cool cliche to toss in is. In the best horror it’s not the monsters you have to watch out for, it’s the people, and High moon already feels like it understands that.

So go read and vote already, yeah?

HIGH MOON: Q&A - Bring Out Your Questions

So, this evening, I was totally going to scan some more notes from my original HIGH MOON concept, but my scanner seems to be on the fritz, and since I know there actually quite a few of you out there reading this blog, I figured I'd open the floor to some HIGH MOON questions and answers.

From now until Friday, I'll be taking questions in this post about anything related to HIGH MOON, westerns, inspirations, or what have you. Friday night, I'll post the answers to you queries - and maybe even drop a couple of hints or two.

So, there you go - comments are open!

Zuda: The Not So Secret Formula

From Zee Zuda Staff:

Okay guys, you've seen the ten competitors and you've read their comics. The competition is officially on! I'd like to point out some of the finer points of how we're collectively evaluating these comics.

First off, there is the vote. You'll see the big VOTE button right on the Competition Page and on the Comic Information drop-down on the Comic Page itself. This is your number one decision making tool. Vote for the comic you want to see become an ongoing series.

Next up is the RATING. You'll find this just below the vote, in the Comic Information section of the Comic Page. This is a more subtle tool that lets you rate each comic on a scale from one through five stars. While you can only Vote for one comic at a time, you can Rate them all. This will be a crucial tool in close races where more nuance is needed in order to accurately express your opinions. Incidentally, the Rating tool will also come in handy for letting us know how you feel the ongoing series (like BAYOU) are going.

We've also got FAVORITES. It's in the same Comic Information panel, near the bottom. Some people have confused this with voting so let me clarify. You can Favorite any comic you want, any time. It will then show up on your Profile Page. It's a simple way for you to navigate to the comics you like (yeah...I mean, once we have more than 12 on site) and for letting other people know you're tastes. Especially if you're active in COMMENTING.

COMMENTS, of course, can be found directly beneath the comics themselves. A quick sidebar about Comments: the newest is at the top, closest to the comic. I know this is a bit backwards but we're trying something out here - bear with us. The thinking is that we want the most recent comments up top, near the comic itself. That way the comic and the comments are updated near each other so that users need to do as little scrolling up and down the page as possible. Let's see how that works and feel free to give us FEEDBACK on it.

Jumping around that Comic Information section you'll see that we're tracking the VIEWS as well. We figure some people just like to read without any greater level of participation. That's ok by us and as far as the competition goes, having a widely read comic is a great indicator of success. It's worth noting that this is one of the criteria that does not require registration. This is an indicator of how many times the comic was read by anyone, registered or not.

Finally, in that same Comic Information section you'll see the SEND TO A FRIEND link. Comics have a long history of being passed on from friend to friend, grass roots style. There was no way to know how many issues actually we're passed from friend to friend, other than to know that it happened. Here we're hoping to be able to give the comics credit for inspiring that kind of interest.

So, what I'm saying here is that everything counts. The Vote is obviously the main indicator, but we're looking at the rest of this information as well.

It's On! | Zuda Comics

World Building: Blest, Texas

In creating HIGH MOON, I had to do some world building to get the setting just so. Here were some of my pitch notes about the setting of our werewolf western:

BLEST, TEXAS

Blest, Texas is located in Menard County, about 250 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico. Its sudden growth and expansion was a direct result of the legend of the San Saba Silver Mine, which is along a small rocky offshoot of Edwards Plateau, near the San Saba River. With roughly 200 residents during the 1890’s, the town is located within 15 miles of recently closed Fort McKavett. The drought has forced many of the area ranches to close. The town itself is composed of a mixture of Americans, Irish, Mexicans, Germans, English and Wendish, with Americans comprising a 50% majority. The town has a heavy Wendish/Sorbian flavor to it. A few ‘buffalo soldiers,’ members of the 9th and 10th United States Calvary also make their home here.

Werewolves: The Next Zombies?

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, I really think werewolves are the next zombies. And why wouldn't they be? Werewolves are pretty damn cool, if you ask me.

Anyway, if you enjoyed HIGH MOON, here are three other werewolf stories for your edification:

• Moonstone's DEAD MOON RISING
• Matthew Maxwell's STRANGEWAYS: MURDER MOON
• Archaia Studios Press' REVERE: REVOLUTION IN SILVER

Unused Page 1 Layout

What you are looking at is one of Steve Ellis' first layouts for Page 1 of HIGH MOON.

In the first panel, you'll see we were going to have a signpost that read 'HIGH MOON' - that sign was going to list all our creator credits. When we found out that we didn't have to have a title page, Steve went to work and created the beautiful layout you currently see online.

Original Character Notes for HIGH MOON

When I finally decided to type out the original HIGH MOON pitch, this what I wrote for our central character:

MATTHEW MACGREGOR

An ancestor of Scottish Outlaw, Robert ‘RobRoy’ Macgregor, our protagonist is a stubborn and grumbly retired bounty hunter. Underneath the rough exterior, is a cultured, well-educated, literate man.

Clad completely in black, with his six-gun strapped low on his thigh, he rides of in search of people that need protecting. He considers himself the shepherd of the flock of townspeople. The wound to his left arm remains unhealed and he keeps it wrapped. He stands about 6’2”. His eyes are deep green, his hair is a reddish brown. He’s got a medium build.

As with many, many other things in the original pitch, quite a bit of this changed - for instance - Mac, as you'll read in HIGH MOON, is not a bounty hunter, but rather a former Pinkerton.

Still, I always loved the bit about 'RobRoy.'

Kung Fu Rodeo on HIGH MOON

"Steve Ellis is producing the best art of his career."

Wouldn't that quote just look brilliant on a cover?

Molly Crabapple on HIGH MOON

The uber-talented Molly Crabapple had this to say about HIGH MOON on ZUDA.

"The art is breathtaking. If there's any justice in the universe, this has to win."

Be sure to check out Molly extraordinary Victorian murder mystery, BACKSTAGE, available only on ACT-I-VATE!

The Challenge Of Writing For Zuda

Working on HIGH MOON has been a delight for Steve and I. We are really excited about presenting our ideas with ZUDA. It really has been a blast.

But, that doesn't mean that there haven't been challenges.

The biggest challenge is working for ZUDA is developing a story that gives the reader an incentive to read further through the story.

In writing your standard full-sized, regular ol' comic, the trick you learn is that every right-handed page should give the reader an incentive to read further. With only eight screens (which is 4 full sized regular comic pages) to tell your story, how do you establish the setting, advance the plot, and reveal character - while still creating something awesome?

The answer, of course, is that EVERY screen needs to give the reader an incentive to move forward through the story. Every panel had to have something to keep the story moving.

When I wrote the very first draft of HIGH MOON years ago, the opening was very different that the opening you'll read on the site. For starters, I had a whole bunch of narrative text that didn't work - becuase comics are a visual medium, I had to show, not tell my readers what the story was all about.

When I submitted this project to Zuda, I radically retooled the opening, so that everything - every scene, every character, every prop served a purpose. In order to make an effective introduction (and not cheat the you later on) - every element, every prop, nearly every essential character had to be introduced and serve a purpose - whether it was a 43-starred American flag to indicate that we were in the year 1890, or the casual mention of this or that, or even the introduction of the threat - it all had to be there. The dialogue, which originally was a little more free flowing, was clipped - to convey the relevant information, while still revealing little tics and behaviors of the characters. I studied the cadance of gunslingers from old time radio programs - and adpated the dialogue so that it all served a purpose. You'll see some transition dialogue, some off-screen/leading dialogue, and some funny little quips were put into to do exactly what I had to do - keep YOU interested.

What you will discover in reading HIGH MOON is how Steve and I tried to make everything exciting, dramatic, and kind of dark. We tried to make every page something that really stood apart.

Think of the prologue you'll read online as the "tease" before the opening credits of your favorite television show. HIGH MOON must stand on the strength of that tease.

If we've lost your trust and your attention - then as storytellers, we haven't done our jobs.

And if we have kept your attention, hopefully, you'll see a whole lot more of HIGH MOON in the future.

Zuda Launch Party Photos

THIS AMERICAN STRIFE creator (and Zuda contesant), J. Longo has some excellent photos from the Zuda Launch Party up on his blog, go take a look!