CHOLER 10-1 : POOR RECEPTION

Wow…

Choler issue 1, everyone! It’s been in the works for a bit, both in terms of developing the art and the story, and it feels so so good to finally get this out there after all that time! Considering my last project, Mindgames, had its first issue released late into 2023, I’d say it’s about damn time I put something out there again!

Now, before I move on to the nitty gritty details of this last year spent working on this issue and future issues and various other works in progress, I want to thank Choler’s illustrator Reed_The_Deer for putting in so many late nights into this project. Considering he has a full-time job, a channel he writes, illustrates, and voices for, on top of working on numerous personal projects, it is anyone’s guess as to how he found enough time to work on Choler, art and advertising and countless story discussions and all. Once we inevitably meet up for a convention, I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out I was working with a cyborg whose sole directive was to illustrate, armed with cutting-edge paintbrush fingers and a brain linked directly to Krita.

It’s likely most of you first-comers are coming from his youtube announcement(s), but for any of the future-comers and uninitiated, I’ll be the first to direct you to the snarky deer fella’s channel if you want to see more of his cartoonishly gritty glory, along with some pointed advice and scathing criticisms regarding all things creative (and his 301 series is there too, I guess).

YOUTUBE: REED_THE_DEER

Now, I’m sure most of you are ready to tab out. You got your comic, you’re hitting that daily reading count, your favorite artist got his well-deserved kudos, and the long-lost writer guy returns with an action-kaboom type story that promises limitless potential, but I’ve got more to say, the nitty gritty I was referring to.

This last year, year and a half or however long was a long, silent period, as we all know. Mindgames fizzled out due to a lack of awareness (which will always be on me for not giving it more love on initial release), and the same happened to Under Rage before that (which was due to numerous factors outside of my control). I was ready to call it for the time being on comic making due to the cost of making them and how little drive I had for pushing them after they were finished. The dark horse that put the fire back in me turned out to be a deer who approached me about continuing Under Rage, having previously supported the project when it was on kickstarter. Given the stark change in style between the two projects, it only felt appropriate that we change the name of the series along with the overall story, which follows similar beats to the original Under Rage script. What you’ll get for these first seven issues is an extended sequence of what was originally a three-part issue I had planned later on in the Under Rage storyline.

Anyways, during that tumultuous time of figuring out if I really wanted to continue doing comics (for the time being), I had started looking into short stories. I lacked experience in novel writing but the fast-paced format had captured my interest, stumbling on a few contests and reading the pieces they put out while I was thinking of what to do next. It seemed the most cost-effective method of getting my writing out there, at the time, so I set out constructing my own, reading and researching as I improved that craft, hoping to submit somewhere eventually. That passion for short story writing, however, turned into a desire to write a loosely interconnected collection of short stories titled ‘Material Good,’ which focuses on the lives of working men and women in an alternate, distant future. Up until recently, I’d been hard at work on that, reading up on the classics, a few contemporary pieces, and the latest sci-fi short stories I could find on a multitude of websites. Right now, I’m on my second draft for the entire collection, which includes a few short stories needing to be more or less rewritten. I’m excited to reveal more on that once everything currently related to Choler settles.

If you’re interested in beta reading for Material Good, I’d love to send you some of my work along with a questionnaire for you to fill out once you’re done reading! Just email me at henrywilliams788@zohomail.com!

Also, just mentioning this briefly because it isn’t a fully realized story yet, I had another idea for a novel during this time that I outlined at length for a future project. The working title for that is ‘Lost In The Skies,’ which is along the lines of a survivalist narrative that takes place in the middle of a warzone, where engagements can only be taken high above the ground via blimps! It follows the story of a mysterious technician named Eue, a young woman with a troubled past, trying to flee the initial chaos once it arrives at her ship.

And finally, recently, I’ve been working on the rest of the possible issues and arcs for Choler. As of right now, we are currently waiting to see the direction the story takes before deciding on any official length for the series. Certain elements will be downsized or outright removed before final print, but the overall story, beginning to end, will be fully realized before issue 2 is released.

So, there you have it. Updates have come and projects have gone, but the work is always there, behind the scenes. Hopefully, these holes in the curtains shed some light on what’s been going on in my world for a while. I plan to update more frequently on these various projects as we go from here, but knowing me, we’ll just have to wait and see if it’ll ever work out that way! If it doesn’t, prepare for more info dumps like this! Regardless, in the meantime, enjoy issue 1 of Choler! Check out Reed’s youtube channel! Sub to my insta and Reeds for updates! Prepare for issue 2( titled ‘Does Not Conform to Rules or Regulations’)!

And of course, as always, stay tuned…