Coming This Summer…or early Fall!
This year I took part in Script Frenzy. It’s an international writing event where the goal is to write 100 script pages in the month of April. I used this challenge to begin work on my new project. While I’m not 100% set up to reveal what that is exactly, I am prepared to give you a quick sneak peak at what a small part of that project will be.
As you probably know, we wrapped up Dr. Floyd last year. As we did, I started looking for a new project to work on and so began looking through old notebooks for ideas. I came across a series of comic books I’d drawn in high school. Yes, I was quite a comic book nerd then, as now, and fancied myself both artist and author. My art was never really much to write home about, but the stories seemed to interest people, so I kept going.
My main comic was The B-Men, an X-Men take off featuring mutants based on fellow members of the Burlingame High School Marching Band. I also had Death Shadow: High School Vigilante. Based on The Punisher, he went around righting the wrongs high school kids committed. Dark stuff actually. Eek!
During this time of comic creativity, I also created Deputy Guppie. The concept was a western…underwater. A true western in all aspects except all the characters were fish. And now, for the first time on the internet, I give you the first ever appearance of…Deputy Guppie…
While this search for new ideas was going on, I was listening to the classic old time radio show The Six Shooter with Jimmy Stewart. If you haven’t heard this incredible series, do yourself a favor and search it out online. It’s amazing. The moment I heard it, I knew I wanted to do something in the western genre. When I rediscovered the Deputy Guppie comics, my fate was sealed. This would be my new project.
The original comic was only 7 pages long so I began fleshing out the characters and the overall story. I also decided it should be Deputy Guppy, with a ‘y’, not ‘ie’. My friend, amazingly talented puppet builder and performer, Russ Walkocame up with this great logo that I instantly loved.
Then came time to do initial character designs. I looked around at different friend’s art styles and decided on animator, comedy musician Kyle Carrozza a.k.a. TV’s Kyle to do the designs. I sent him my ideas and a few of the scans of my High School drawings and he went to work. Friends, he nailed it. His final results are just stunning. And so now for you, dear reader, I’m so excited to present the cast of The Tales of Deputy Guppy!
Awesome huh? Guppy and his friends already have a four episode arc written with ideas for more. I’m sure you can tell that I’m extremely excited to bring Guppy and his fin-fisted adventures to you, but as I said, the adventures of The West’s Bravest Fish are just one part of a brand new project that I’m developing! Stay tuned for more news as this new project nears launch late this summer (or early Fall).
The Tales of Deputy Guppy are just the first step in my goal to develop something completely new in the world of family entertainment on the web! I hope you plan to join me on the adventure.
Looks great, Grant. Looking forward to it. The art looks wonderful as well. Best of luck!