Image from Tonoharu: Part One

Since the raison d’être of this blog is shameless self-promotion, I suppose it’s high time that I introduced the graphic novel I mean to promote.

The name of this “graphic novel” (or “book-length comic book”, or whatever you want to call it) is Tonoharu. It follows the lives of a diverse group of expatriates living in Fukuoka, Japan.

The main character of the story works as an “Assistant Language Teacher” (or ALT) at a rural junior high school. I previously worked as an ALT on the Japanese government-sponsored “JET Program” (”Japanese Exchange and Teaching”), so it goes without saying that a lot of my own experiences shaped this story. But by and large, I think the similarities between my real life and the story are anecdotal. This is the most fictional comic I’ve written in years, and crafting the somewhat complex story has been alternately fun, frustrating, and illuminating.

I’ve been working on this thing for a little over four years now. Out of the planned four parts, I’ve finished the first part and about 8% of the second part, so I’m a little over a quarter of the way through the whole thing. Were I to continue at this breakneck pace, it’d take me another 12 years to finish the whole thing. God, how depressing. Granted, part of the reason it took me so long to get this far is because for the first three years I was working as an ALT full-time. But no matter how you spin it, it takes me a loooong time to finish a comic book. Yet another reason why I feel it’s important to devote myself to comics full-time…

Anyway, here are a few artwork examples. Click on each of them for a bigger view. I’m still deciding on the final color scheme; so what’s shown here is just temporary.

I’ll write more about Tonoharu than you’d ever care to know in future blog entries. Next week’s entry, however, will be devoted to my experience with the JET Program.

After going through a dozen of different concepts and then spending weeks refining the one I ultimately chose, I’m finally done with the dust jacket for Tonoharu: Part One.

The colors will probably change a bit (for example, the mustard color will probably be printed in a matte finish metallic ink), and I have to talk to a printer to find out exactly how thick the book will be before I can completely finalize the spine width. And of course I’ll be making nit-picky little changes right up until I go to press. But it’s basically done, and for the most part I’m happy with it.

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Pictured: Shingu Port, a fifteen minute walk from where I lived.

This is the first post in a series describing the creative process behind my graphic novel Tonoharu. This augural installment deals with the circumstances that allowed work on Tonoharu to begin.

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Pictured: Art I admire

This is the second post in a series describing the creative process behind my graphic novel Tonoharu. This installment covers the formation of the basic idea.

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If there’s a common thread to the experiences in my adult life that get me excited in a kid-on-Christmas kind of way, it’s those that make me feel like the world is a big, terrible, exhilarating place with untraveled roads, fascinating strangers, and infinite possibilities.

“Feel” is the key word here. It’s easy to duly profess the belief that there’s a world of possibility beyond your front door, but I’m not talking about an uninspired intellectual awareness. I’m talking about when you feel it in your guts, when you’re intoxicated by curiosity about what might be around the next corner.
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Image from Tonoharu: Part One 

This is the third post in a series describing the creative process behind my graphic novel Tonoharu. This installment deals with writing the early drafts.

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The more I write, the more I’ve come to appreciate the subtle nuance that is a well crafted story.

The old saw “they make it look easy” applies; a well told story flows forward in such an honest and natural way that it’s easy to forget that it had an author in the first place. That behind that timeless tale of love & death was some poor schlub who struggled over countless dead-end drafts, debated with himself over what events to keep and which ones to lose, fretted over settings, timeframes, character histories, dialogue, etc., etc…

The real world doesn’t have an author (well, probably not, anyway), and a good story does such a good impersonation of Life that it’s easy to forget that there’s someone behind the curtain, pulling the strings. The more skilled an author gets, the more invisible his touch becomes.

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Pictured: Detail from the title page of Tonoharu: Part One 

This is the forth post in a series describing the creative process behind my graphic novel Tonoharu. This installment (along with the next two) deals with the design considerations.

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These posts are organized so that each one addresses a different stage of my creative process, in chronological order. In practice, the stages bleed into each other so it’s not always clear where one ends and another begins, but basically my process boils down to: 1) Inspiration, 2) Writing/Editing, 3) Drawing, and 4) Editing again.

There is, however, one important element that doesn’t neatly fit into the above chronology. It began when I first started working on Tonoharu, and came to a close when I finalized production details earlier this week. That is the overall design.

I figured that this point in the Creating Tonoharu series is as good a time as any to address this unruly topic, so following are some of the design decisions I made for Tonoharu and why.

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Pictured: A chunk of Tonoharu: Part One, page 83 

This is the fifth post in a series describing the creative process behind my graphic novel Tonoharu. This installment, along with the one that proceeded it and the one that will follow it, deals with the design considerations. Those who haven’t already are invited to read the previous entry before diving into this one.
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Pictured: Detail of Endsheets from Tonoharu: Part One 

This is the sixth post in a series describing the creative process behind my graphic novel Tonoharu. This installment, along with the two that preceded it, deals with the design considerations. Those who haven’t already are invited to read parts one and two of the design series before diving into this one.

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Shading and Color:
For reasons described in the previous installment of Creating Tonoharu, I decided to omit the black borders that typically run along the edges of panels and word balloons. Without these iconic lines, it became necessary to define these areas in a different way.

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Pictured: My darling little comic book 

I’m happy to report that I now have advance copies of my first graphic novel, Tonoharu: Part One in my hot little hands! Want them in your hot little hands too? Read on:

Tonoharu: Part One
Recipient of the prestigious Xeric Grant!

“A fully realized, engaging tale of international alienation.”  
– Francisca Goldsmith, BOOKLIST Starred Review

Tonoharu is a four-part graphic novel that tells the story of a group of foreigners living in Fukuoka-ken, Japan. It was informed by my three-year experience as an assistant English teacher through the Japanese Government-sponsored JET Program.

From the back cover of Tonoharu: Part One

Daniel Wells begins a new life as an assistant junior high school teacher in the rural Japanese village of Tonoharu.

Isolated from those around him by cultural and language barriers, Dan leads a monastic existence, peppered only by his inept pursuit of the company of a fellow American who lives a couple towns over.

But contrary to appearances, Dan isn’t the only foreigner to call Tonoharu home. Across town, a group of wealthy European eccentrics board in a one-time Buddhist temple, for reasons that remain obscure to their gossiping neighbors.

Sample Artwork
Click on an image to enlarge. Color scheme of final book is different than what is represented here.

Book Details:
Tonoharu: Part One
5.25″x8.25″, 128 pages, Two-color.
Cloth Hardcover w/ full color dust jacket w/ gold highlights.
ISBN Number: 978-0-9801023-2-1
Publisher: Pliant Press
Cover Price: $19.95

Interested parties can get their own copy in one of three ways:

1) Order it directly from me, via Paypal / Credit Card:
Price: $19.95
Minnesota residents pay an additional 6.5% sales tax.
Shipping: $2.13 for shipping to USA and Canada via Media Mail. $8.00 to the rest of the world, via first class mail.
Click this button to order now:

Bonus: Order by March 23, and you can get your copy signed, if you so desire. Just note that you want a signed copy in “Optional Instructions” box as you checkout, and say who you want it made out to, if anyone.

 2) Pick it up at a convention:
My distribution partner, the great alternative comics publisher Top Shelf Productions, will be on hand at a number of conventions and expos across the country this year. For a list of conventions that Top Shelf will be making apperances at, click here.
My book should be available at their booth, along with a bunch of other great books, such as That Salty Air by fellow Minnesota native Tim Sievert.
 

3) Wait a few weeks, and then pick up Tonoharu: Part One at your favorite retail outlet
Tonoharu: Part One should be available at in comic book stores, bookstores, amazon.com, bn.com, etc., around mid-April or May.
To preorder Tonoharu: Part One from amazon.com, click here.

Pictured: A pencil sketch from work in progress Tonoharu: Part Two 

After a very long, unscheduled delay, this is the seventh post in a series describing the creative process behind my graphic novel Tonoharu. This installment deals with my process for drawing the panels.

Up until now, the entries in this series have consisted of half-baked ruminations on vague subjects such as inspiration, writing, and design. From here on out, entries will be a more concrete, and deal with my actual process of creating the final artwork used in Tonoharu. Whether these entries will be of any interest to non-cartoonists I can’t say, but read on and find out.

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Pictured: Local Weirdos Lars Martinson and Tim Sievert

Attention Twin Cities Comics Fans–Breaking News!

I’m once again postponing a new installment to the Creating Tonoharu series to make an announcement–at the end of this month, I will be jointly throwing a book release party with my friend Tim Sievert, who is also debuting his first graphic novel in April!

More info about my book can be found by clicking around this website; for more info about Tim’s book, entitled That Salty Air, visit Tim’s blog, or to see a six page preview of his book, click here.

Graphic Novel Release Party Details
What: Graphic Novel Release Party for Tonoharu: Part One and That Salty Air
Who: Cartoonists Lars Martinson and Tim Sievert, respectively
When: Saturday, March 29 2008, 4pm-7pm
Where: Big Brain Comics, 1027 Washington Ave S, Minneapolis, MN [Google Maps]
(I also heard a rumor there will be an “after-party” of some kind too; details about that to follow.)

The timing of this is great, because it will also serve as the closest thing I’ll be having to a going-away party; I’ll be leaving for Japan just three days later, on the morning of April 1st!

Needless to say, there’ll copies aplenty of both Tonoharu: Part One and That Salty Air available for sale, and Tim and I would be delighted to exchange them for your cold hard cash, and sign them for you to boot.

But book purchase is by no means a requisite for attendance; I’d really like to see as many people as possible before I leave for Japan, and this will be my last chance to do so. So mark your calendars and stop on by!

*UPDATE* I just finished designing a flier for the event. It’s a 1.4mb PDF file, and can be found here. Click on it to take a look at it, or right click and select “save target as…” to save it. Feel free to, y’know, print these out and distribute them around town. You have nothing better to do… er… right?

And a new entry to the ever-postponed Creating Tonoharu series will be up next Friday. (Does anyone even care anymore? Probably not, but oh well.)

Pictured: The Tools of the Trade 

This is the eighth post in a series describing the creative process behind my graphic novel Tonoharu. This installment deals with my process for inking Tonoharu.

There are two stages to my process for inking: the brush stage and the dip pen stage. Both of these steps require the use of a messy, easy to spill bottle of black india ink. 

The Brush Stage
I never knew this before I started drawing comics myself, but many comics are inked not with a ballpoint pen or felt tip marker, but rather with an old fashioned brush dipped in ink.

Lines created with a brush are vastly superior to lines created via other means, IMHO. Brushes allow for lines that are smoother, livelier, and can achieve a modulated line unlike anything any other writing implement could produce, going from razor thin to a quarter-inch thick in one smooth stroke.

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This is the last entry to go up while I’m still on American soil; next Tuesday, I’m boarding a plane and heading off to Japan, to study Calligraphy at Shikoku University for two years!

What’s that you say, Twin Cities residents? You just couldn’t live with yourself if you didn’t see me at least one more time before I go? In that case, why not join me tomorrow, Saturday March 29 from 4pm to 7pm! I’m throwing a joint book release party with fellow graphic novelist Tim Sievert at Big Brain Comics in Minneapolis, to celebrate the release of our respective graphic novels, Tonoharu: Part One and That Salty Air! For more details, see this post.

But in case my imminent departure from the USA isn’t enough to convince the Minnesotans among my readership to come out to my little soirée, then how’s about these reviews/coverage for my book, Tonoharu: Part One?

Reviews
The Daily Crosshatch / Brain Heater
Comics Waiting Room / Marc Mason
Comic Book Bin / Leroy Douresseaux
Read About Comics / Greg McElhatton
The Japan Times / David Cozy
Best Shots / Micheal C Lorah (Review of Tonoharu a little less than halfway down the page)
Booklist also reviewed Tonoharu, but I can’t seem to find a link to that…

Other Coverage
JETAANY / Alexei Esikoff
Roseville Review / George Fairbanks

It’s both bizarre and exciting to have complete strangers comment on my work; it gives me a whole other perspective than friends and family, whose criticisms naturally soften when confronted by my large, puppy dog eyes. I’ve been very happy with the critical response Tonoharu has received thus far. Most of the reviews I’ve seen have been quite positive, and I’m glad that I managed to communicate something successfully with Tonoharu. Thanks to all the reviewers & reporters for taking the time to read and evaluate it.

This entry is pretty short, but I tell ya, this month was exhausting with all the preparations for this trip, the book release party, the book marketing… I’m beat. So I think I’ll end it here. Hope to see you tomorrow at the party, otherwise, sayonara!

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Actually, one more quick note: I figure for my first few weeks in Japan, I probably won’t want to have to worry about updating this blog, so I’ve prepared six blog entries to autopost for the next six Fridays. So continue to stop on by for those, (the first two of which will include shocking revelations that I dared not admit while still on American soil). And to read about my new life in Japan, check back on May 16 when I’ll post an entry about that.

I just wanted to quick mention that there’s an article about Tonoharu in today’s (Friday May 16th) print edition of The Wall Street Journal. I can’t seem to find a link to it online, but if you happen to subscribe to or have access to the paper itself, look out for it!

Also, thanks to WSJ reporter Jamin Brophy-Warren who was kind enough to cover my book and interview me, despite having to navigate the irritating eleven hour time difference.

*UPDATE*: Here’s a link to it: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121089762572397267.html
The part about Tonoharu is about halfway down the page.

There’s a paragraph-long review of Tonoharu: Part One in this week’s EW (the magazine with the GROSSEST initials in the publishing world). May 23 cover date, page 126. As always, I can’t seem to find a weblink to it…

They gave me a “B”. That’s pretty good, right? I wouldn’t even want an “A”, because then it’s like I’m the teacher’s pet or something.

Anyway, check it out. The same issue also features a cover story about Sex and the City, all the more reason to take a look at EW this week…

Thanks to EW reviewer Sean Howe for the writeup, and to Lemel Williams for letting me know about the review.

*UPDATE*:  I just found a link to the review online:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20200850,00.html

Pictured: Adjusting the levels of the artwork. What fun! 

This is the ninth post in a series describing the creative process behind my graphic novel Tonoharu. This installment offers an account of all the computer related stuff I do once the artwork has been inked. I’ll try my best to avoid technical jargon, but to explain this in a totally layperson-friendly manner would make this entry way too long, so I’ll occasionally use the technical terms (with wikipedia links for those that actually want to know more about some of the technical stuff) and hope that the accompanying pictures make what I’m talking about at least somewhat clear. Note: all artwork shown is from the work in progress, Tonoharu: Part Two.

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Pictured: Tonoharu’s protagonist, before and after graphical edits

This is the tenth (and final) entry in a series of posts describing my process for creating my graphic novel Tonoharu. This post deals with the “post-production” edits (for lack of a better term).

I’ve been drawing comics since I was in junior high. I’ve experimented with all sorts of formats & sizes, drawing styles & materials. Most of these experiments were dead ends, but little by little (by the process of elimination if nothing else) they helped me to realize what sort of comics I wanted to make. By the time I started working on Tonoharu in 2003, I had a fairly strong sense of what direction I wanted to go in, not only for Tonoharu, but (presumably) for the works that will follow it.

But that isn’t to say that I had all the fine details ironed out. Daydreaming and theorizing about the comics I wanted to draw only took me so far; only by committing something to paper was I able to see what worked and what didn’t in practice. For the things that didn’t work out, I did my best to make them right after the fact, via graphical and textual edits. (more…)

I just received word from my distribution partner Top Shelf Productions that the first printing of Tonoharu: Part One is almost sold out!

A second printing is in the works, but due to the time it takes to produce a hardcover book, Tonoharu: Part One may be unavailable in stores for a couple/few weeks. So those who want a copy in the very near future (or those who want a first edition) should get it from their favorite retailer now!

 Or if you can’t find it anywhere else, you can always buy a copy directly from me.

A big thanks to all those who helped to make the first printing of Tonoharu: Part One a success: the folks at the Xeric Foundation, Chris, Brett and Leigh from Top Shelf, the blogs and publications that give it coverage, my friends and family, and especially to the people that bought a copy! Whether my foolhardy dream of eking out a living as a cartoonist will pan out over the long haul still remains to be seen, but I’ve off a good start, and can’t begin to express my thanks to those who helped me get to where I am today.

This is a short entry, but since I’m busy prepping the second printing, I’ll leave it at this. Tune in next Friday for a new web comic.

For some time now I’ve been meaning to write about my progress on Tonoharu: Part Two. Just this week I finished the artwork for the first quarter of the book, so I figured now would be a good time to devote a blog entry to how things are going.

Out of Tonoharu’s four parts, Part Two is looking to be the longest of the bunch. It’s a good 40% longer than Part One, and is filled t0 the brim with hard-to-draw crowd & city scenes. *Sob*…

Just to clarify, when I say the artwork is 25% done, I mean that I’m 1/4 of the way through the drawing, inking, and computer stuff for the actual comic itself. I have not yet so much as even started any of the final edits/tweaks, nor have I started the dust jacket artwork, nor any of the incidental design work. And even once the book is 100% finished, I’ll still need to deal with production and promotion issues, which will tack on another couple-few months on to Tonoharu: Part Two’s release date.

So the million dollar question is: when will Tonoharu: Part Two be done, printed, and available for sale? The honest (but unhelpful) answer is: I don’t know. It’s still too early to say with any confidence. I’m shooting for a release in the second half of 2009 , and if I’m able to stay on schedule, that could/should be possible. But an accident I suffered earlier this year reminded me in no uncertain terms that things don’t always go according to plan, so for the time being, I’m not going to commit to anything more concrete than maybe 2009.

My apologies to those who would prefer for the book to come out sooner, or to have a firmer release date. Trust me when I say that no one wants to see Tonoharu: Part Two come out in a timely manner more than myself, as my dream of making a living as a cartoonist is contingent on me, y’know, actually having comics available for sale. Rest assured that I work on this comic seven days a week, and make a little progress everyday…

I should hopefully have a slightly clearer sense of the release date with the next progress report, which I’ll write when the artwork is half done. If I’m able to stay on schedule, that update should occur in three to four months. We’ll see…