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by Patrick

Logistics and Expansion Teams in 2009

As I type this, we are less than two months away from WonderCon 2009. Are we ready? Not even close. A lot will need to be done between now and then to ensure that ourselves, our booth, our stuff to sell, our stuff to give away, etc all make it on time to the right place. You might have noticed a bit of a lull on the website lately. This is because the "news" is mostly behind-the-scenes stuff that probably wouldn't be interesting, even if I splashed it up with some clever prose. For example, I'm pricing different products for the booth and comparing it against our budget (which is razor-thin.) Since we haven't picked a final design yet, it is hard to talk about what the booth will look like. Maybe when we get close to the show, we can post pictures or 3D mock-ups of the booth for you to see. Until then, that's about all I can say on the topic.

We've already gotten our hotel rooms reserved, and are still finalizing details on the travel arrangements. (Since we had so much fun on the road trip to Utah for 8 hours each way, we thought making it 22 hours one way was more palatable.) In reality, it makes the most since for us in this case, since we'll need a vehicle while we're in San Francisco.

Another issue is inventory. How many comic books do we bring to WonderCon, just in case the crowds like what they see? We have thousands of copies of SUNSET Issue 01 we could bring, though I doubt we'll bring them all. On the heels of the comic books we are also bringing uncut sheets of the interior pages of the comic book. We'll have a plan for those, as well as a few other goodies we'll be bringing. All I can say is this: if Sunset takes off and becomes something, some of the things we will be giving away will be pretty cool to have. It might pay to swing by our booth more than once a day, or grab a booth schedule from us at the beginning of the show to see what we have in store for the weekend.

The final thing I'm spending a lot of time on (along with the other three guys as well) is developing an effective presence for our booth. Because of our prime location, we'll need to really stand out and go all out to secure our success at the show. WonderCon 09 is Sunset's nationwide debut, but it's also ours as well. If Prime Dimension Studios, and/or Sunset fails to make a presence in February, it will be a long road to our ultimate goal, which is twofold. One, we want to tell the entire story of Sunset, which includes 36 regular issues along with the movie script which will hopefully one day see some modicum of production. Second, we want to do this for a living. We are not the first guys (or gals) to try what we're trying, but it's like a boxer getting ready to fight the undefeated champ. Our mentality needs to be one of respect (for the industry and our veteran contemporaries), but also determination not to go down. We're here to win, and the champs are only undefeated because we've never fought them. Maybe that's a but much.

Let me say it this way: We are an expansion team in the Comic Book Publisher's League. This year our goal isn't to win the league's championship game, it's to having a winning record and survive long enough that the city doesn't move the team. If we survive this first critical year, and play smart with our limited roster and field presence, we can etch a few wins onto our record and get ready for the 2010's. This first decade of 2000 is almost gone, but I'm hoping our decade is the next one and beyond!

by Doug

20 Minutes A Day

Reading to our children is very important. They stress it at the schools, at the doctors office, at the library and ads all over our TV's and bus stops all over the nation. I hope you don't mind me throwing in my two cents as a publisher as to just how important this is.

I have seen first hand how reading to my child, everyday, can help improve more than just reading skill but also imagination, focus, listing skills, and vocabulary. My wife and I started reading to my daughter long before she could hold her own head up and we made sure it became a daily thing. At least 2 books before bed time every night. Now that she is in grade school she is reading above her grade level and has a genuine love for books of all kinds.

Experts say 20 minutes a day can help children develop a love for the written word. It also teaches many other skills we take for granted. It not only helps the child grow educationally but it bonds us with our children and as adults we may learn a thing or two just be reading out loud to them every day.

Now maybe some of you don't have children of your own so you think this doesn't apply but it's a good message. Maybe you know some parents that could use a push in the right direction or have nieces or nephews you can read to. When they get older they will thank you for it. Even a comic book with all its flash and color can be a great source of reading. You might just pass your passion for comics on to the next generation of readers and keep the beauty of comic books alive.

Thats all I have really. It will soon be the new year and hopefully if you know a child you can read to, you will make a resolution to do just that. Trust me, you'll thank yourself for it later.

by Patrick

A Picture is Worth...

As you can see below, there are a lot of pictures in this blog. I've wanted to post some of these for awhile, but SUNSET keeps me busy. So without further adieu...

This image is outside of my temporary office at Publication Printers. The Gee-Whiz factor is still high for me when it comes to this kind of thing.

The start of the print run. This paper comes off of rolls that start out large enough to crush you.

I like this one because you can see the paper racing from machine to machine.

This one with a flash to stop the action.

You can see a press plate in this picture, underneath the pages racing by. We were given the four plates for the cover plates (though the one in this picture has since been recycled and no longer exists.

A better shot of the press plates. This is as the press is switching between the two. The one bending into the machine is the one that hadn't been used yet.

A wide shot of the press that ran the interior pages (the covers were done on a press on the other side of the room.) Note the large baskets in the foreground. Before the end of the run, they were all full of thrown-out Sunset pages.

This is the basket's contents from the top. All those pages get recycled.

The pages come off the press folded and ready to go. These sheets are uncut, and unfold like a map.

This is a shot at the control center of the press. It is the uncut sheet next to the proof copy. (The proof copy is the four left-most images. The uncut sheet is the eight images to the right.)

Paul (the press operator) and Deb, our project manager from Publication Printers look at the uncut sheet.

This is the uncut sheet pallet where our pages wait folded and flattened for binding.

The press on the far side of the room was responsible for the covers being printed. These are uncut sheets as well, but look and feel more like posters.

The pile of comics delivered to PDS Receiving Dock 01 aka my garage.

Greg talking to a customer (off camera). Note the "NEW" title on the counter by the register.

Doug and Robert at Black Cat Comics. We were tired, as you can see.

The three of us at Black Cat Comics.

This was at Dr. Volts, our second stop on our Utah Meet & Greet Tour. Dave can be seen in the background helping a customer.

Doug and Patrick playing Killer Bunnies with Mark, one of Hastur Games & Hobbies' staff. Robert is taking the picture.

Doug and Robert at Dragon's Keep, amongst some nice looking comic books. ;)

Robert posing with Patrick...oops I mean The Incredible Hulk in the window at Dragon's Keep.

A close up of Doug's Fusion shirt. That is acceptable attire around the PDS offices, btw. :)

There you have it. What we've been up to, picture-wise, since November. See you on the other side.

by Patrick

Will Wonders Never Cease?

This is all new for me. Each step of the way, I am amazed and excited by the prospect of making Sunset successful. All of it somewhat hinges on our success or failure at WonderCon. As we ramp up production on Issue 02, I am taking a step in a different direction, waving to Brett and Robert as they stay on the production highway and I take the Convention Overpass in my way to San Francisco.

There are a few hurdles to jump before we get to the show. We have a lot of swag to produce, T-shirts to make, cars and hotels to get, etc etc. But here's the good news. In fact, this is the best news I've gotten in December. We have our booth. It's #745, and it's in a great location. We won't lack for foot traffic.

I know a time will come when we're veterans, when we've been to a dozen or more conventions and know how everything works. I've been to a convention before (GenCon) as part of a company who had a booth, so I'm familiar with set up day, etc. The key will be to let people see what we've got, and get to know them. So far this whole ride has shown me that we might be in the driver's seat, but we're really just chauffeurs for the fans, who want to be taken to a destination that has a great story, compelling art, and solid direction. I'm happy to wear the driving gloves.

One more thing: There is always something talk about. When we started the comic, I didn't realize how far away the destination was, or how much other traffic there would be on the road getting there. We aren't just a comic book team, we're a company. So we have to worry about budgets, deadlines, investors, brand awareness, strategic channels, synergies, paradigms, and all the other company buzzwords. In all seriousness, we are getting pretty good at handling everything in order. The four of us each handle what we need to handle, and like relay runners, we pass the baton to each other as needed.

I don't know how it will go at WonderCon, or whether or not we'll be invited to attend WonderCon's supersized sibling, Comic-Con. Either way, we are learning as we go, and if you are reading this, then you are along for the ride. Just remember, we like to talk, so please don't raise the partition.

by Doug

All I Want For Christmas Is To Sell A Ton OF Comics

It's that time of year again. While the nation is a buzz with marketing through door buster sales and pre-Christmas bargains we here at PDS are more looking forward to what lies beyond the holidays. Now I'm not saying we're not in the Christmas spirit around here, our families would not let us just go and skip the holiday but we know that after the boxes are emptied and the wrapping paper has settled the excitement for us will continue on.

In 2009 we hang our product out for the world to see and hope that the world will love it as much as we do. From our meet and greets planned in January to WonderCon in February and even rounding to whatever we do for Free Comic Book Day 2009 we know we will be a busy bunch!

On top of all that we still have deadlines on the new Issue to meet. We are focused and have a system down that we believe will get it done. Due out in April '09 we have the time and I can't wait for it to be done.

Until then we continue to update you on our progress right here on the blog and through our podcast which we do every other week. It's a lot of fun and hopefully you enjoy reading/ listening to them as much as we enjoy putting them out.

by Patrick

To Get to the Other Side

We waited a long time to finish Issue 01. It felt like it was never going to happen. And yet here we are, not even a full month later, and the cylinders on the Mayan calendar continue to turn. We are working hard on Issue 02, trying to get the word out on Issue 01, and working on other nefarious SUNSET-related plans. (Insert mad scientist laugh here).

This time in any project is always the weirdest part for me. I tend to focus so much on the goal that I get tunnel vision and reaching the goal only makes me realize it wasn't a goal at all - just a checkpoint. I get trapped into the thought "the issue will be done and that's that! Pow! Happily ever etcetera." This isn't a bad thing, but it is a lot like going back to school. Building Issue 01 was a comfort zone for me. We had a method. An assembly line.

Now we've evolved a bit, making ourselves more versatile and hopefully more time-efficient. We'll have challenges with Issue 02, and on and on, but as long as I look to each completed issue, or each convention, or each Meet & Greet as the immediate goal, I think I'll be alright. I'm like the chicken that crossed the road, only to realize that there were 35 other roads to cross.

I look forward to crossing those roads, and already have my blinders on for several immediate checkpoints to get to. If I get lucky we will get to the other side.

by Robert

Back to the Drawing Board

No, we are not starting over, but it sure feels like it. Patrick has finished the first draft of Issue 02's script and I have already started inking the cover. When we started working on Issue 01 we were eager to see what we could do, but with Issue 02 it's a whole new feeling. There is excitement in the air. We talk for hours about where the story will take us and plan out pages that will inspire us to draw images that will captivate the readers.

With my focus back on drawing I have been spending more time in front of my computer again. I'll be putting the final touches on the cover this week and then it's back to the grind on page one. That may be the toughest part of working on a series, after the extreme high of completing Issue 01 it feels like I'm starting all over again. The excitement is still there, but the concept of page one seams wrong. Maybe I'll call it page 35. Then I can look forward to drawing the last page of the series as page 874. Holy Crap! 874 pages. What the heck was I thinking I'm going to have arthritis before this story is done.

Seriously though, I'm having the best time working on SUNSET. Issue 02 is going to introduce more villains from Crossfade and Fusion's past, set up future story plots and even hint at some details about the characters that you may not know about. There is a lot of story for us to tell, a lot of pages for us to draw and very little time for us to work on it. Ah, there's the pressure I've been missing for the last few weeks. Guess it's back to work for me. Talk to you all after Issue 02 is done.

by Patrick

Welcome Aboard the PDS Battleship SUNSET

As I write this, SUNSET Issue 01 is set to go for its advanced release and on our website in just over 24 hours. Sitting in what we like to call Prime Dimension Studios World Headquarters, surrounded by 49 cases (100 each) of the issues, surrounded by SUNSET posters, uncut sheets, uncut covers, original press plates, and other sacred goodies, I am struck by just how far we've come.

Doug mentioned on this week's podcast (Episode 005 if you're keeping score) that I said our best day as a company was the day I went to Publication Printers and watched our press run. I was right at the time. But now I think it was today.

The reason is that for only the second time ever (that I can recall), all four PDS members were in one place. Robert drove down from Loveland (a healthy drive of over an hour and a half one way) to pick up a few boxes for the PDS Loveland Satellite Office, since he is the official supplier of our advanced retailers in his neck of the woods.

Since he was down, I gave Doug and Brett a call, and they agreed to show up. So one by one, PDS World HQ welcomed its champions home. I can't tell you how it felt to have the four of us together again. We talked, joked, and signed a few copies of the comic book in silver Sharpie.

I hope people don't think I'm being arrogant. It's not that I think we are all that special. But there was electricity in the air; a positive charge that this comic book we had all worked on so hard for so long was set for greatness. It felt like we were christening what would become our first and best battleship for the fledgling PDS Navy. As she slid off the dry dock rails into the waiting arms of the harbor, we stood rapt by the quality of the build. Some vessels (and comic books) just have that look to them. I don't know what the future holds for SUNSET (and PDS), but I'm feeling pretty good just hours before our flagship's maiden voyage.

With all this in mind I want to say publicly to my colleges (and friends) Robert, Doug, and Brett that I am so proud of you for what you've been able to accomplish. To take my humble script and turn it into the comic book it is just blows me away. Thanks for sticking with me, and sharing a vision the four of us made into reality.

Now let's set sail, man the cannons and see what's out there.

by Doug

There's no "I" in team

This project has pushed each us to new limits on a personal level. We have all done things that we never thought we would do. I think going into this project we assumed it would be a hard road but none of us expected to do as much with this as we have. Our personal time has become "company time". All of us are sacrificing to complete the comic and yet we still find time to add new features and side projects. All aimed at informing people about what's new and how things are coming along.

So how do four guys with full time jobs and families make time for it all? Teamwork. When Robert, Patrick and I started this company we had a basic plan that we would discuss every decision and make sure we were all on board. We laid out ground rules for making decisions that we could not all agree on and that plan has worked extremely well.

Based on that business model we adapted a "united we stand, divided we fall" attitude and even through frustrations and hard times we never fail to jump in and help a fellow PDS'er out.

When we met Brett and saw what he could do with coloring we knew he would fit into the style of SUNSET. We could tell he was a good person from the moment we first talked to him. we knew 100% that he was on board was when we met to go over the pages for Issue 01 and he added great suggestions for layouts and was flexible to accept other ideas as well. So now the four of us are ready to tackle the completion of Issue 01 and move forward to Issue 02 as a team.

Could I do the website and podcast without the other guys? Nope, not at all. In the same way one of them doing the complete comic from sketch to finishing highlights would have taken more than twice as long. And without the online presence the book may be unknown to most of you reading this right now.

Andrew Carnegie said, "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

Looking at what we have accomplished I am proud to be a part of this team. We haven't scored the winning touchdown just yet but we are ahead of the game compared to many others that have come before us. When we look back years from now, whether we succeed or fail, we will be proud of what we have accomplished because we did it together.

by Patrick

IT'S ALIVE!!! ALIVE!!!!!!

Issue 01 of the SUNSET comic book has been completed. It took us a long time, and we are only 1/36th of the way finished with telling the story of the city.

That said, what can you expect? All I can give you is a murky glimpse into my head for how I imagined this book was going to turn out versus how it did turn out. I pictured something that "had a long way to go" before it could be considered competitive with the other shiny new models on the dealership floor. Like a car that had a lot of heart, just not a lot of horsepower.

What we ended up with, in my opinion, exceeds every expectation I had. It's like our car, to continue the analogy, ended up being fast because we left out the air conditioning. Too much of a stretch? How about this: We focused on what we could focus on, with our time constraints, and our budget limits. The big companies that make comic books for a living do it at a scale and a pace that we could never match. They have manufacturing plants and assembly lines. Millions of issues glide off their presses every week.

That's not to say they don't inject quality and care into each one, but for us, we practically hand crafted this issue, and will need to do so 35 more times. And honestly, being able to publish multiple titles a month would be great, and is a goal of ours, but for now, our hand made race car will need to run the race alone.

Hopefully you enjoy taking SUNSET Issue 01 for a drive as much as we did.

by Doug

So close yet so far away.

I'm not an artist. I know I've said that before. I even proved it once (see sketch # 20) so sometimes I feel like a bench warmer in the process of creating Sunset. Sure, I suppose updating the web site and researching new ways to showcase our comic online is important but what these three guys I work with can do with pixels is pure magic.

While we are finishing the preparation for Issue 01 we are already brainstorming on Issue 02. What new techniques can we use? What scenes do we really want to see? What can we do to make the story come to life for our readers? These are the kinds of things a small press comic book company thinks because we understand we are not the big guys and we have to do everything in our power to make this book our best. We feel a connection to our readers in a way that I don't think the big companies can. If I could be there for every sale to shake that customer's hand and thank them for taking a chance on Sunset I would.

In the end the most important thing to us is that we completed this book and hopefully people will enjoy it as much as we do. We may never become rich and famous from it. To tell the truth if becoming rich and famous is your goal I imagine a comic book is not the way to go. When we go to WonderCon in February and go to our retailers in the next few months for book signings we understand that Sunset will be the real star and we're just fine being the supporting crew.

by Brett

The Beginning of the End

As we come upon the completion of Issue 01, I have to sit back in awe of the work we've accomplished. I often think of this entire issue's creative process as a journey. This would be the part where we look behind us and see our starting point in the far off distance. Only to turn around and face forward, seeing that we're simply minutes away from our destination.

Flatting these pages means that I spend a lot of time staring at a computer monitor. I do that at work, and then come home to do it some more. Some nights it's for a couple of hours, and then other nights it's as if it's another 10 hours of work. That's when I find out how much I really like my iTunes library or when I realize that the late night cartoons are much better than the stuff they play on primetime. Sheesh, I love my Adult Swim.

First of all, I'd like to comment on Patrick's story. In my opinion, the pacing for Issue 1 started off awfully slow, but once I started getting more of the pages and the story was unfolding in front of me I finally understood. It was starting to speed up and that's when I realized that it was just the beginning of a story full of intrigue. And I cannot wait to read what happens next.

Secondly, as the second person to see Robert's final pages (there's another hat that Patrick wears called the "Editor's Cap"); I'm noticing that the written words of the script are starting to explode into visual form. The pages are captivating and full of detail. They remind me a lot of some of the early work from comic greats like Marc Silvestri and Jim Lee. Yet they carry their own personal touch and weight that only Robert can do. Plus, the guy is digitally inking his own work. That alone can take many many many hours. And I cannot wait to see where his pages take us next.

Doug's busy online doing the things that need to be done for the website. Marketing is essential in this day and age because technology has completely changed how people view products and entertainment. There's a massive ocean of things that are claiming our attention and cash so it's extremely important to provide an online source that people can enjoy and utilize. Nothing will replace having an actual book in your paws to read, but having an engaging website with the features people want can help skyrocket a comic book. Doug's doing the things needed to ensure this for Sunset.

I know that everyone involved with the creation of the book is busy busting theirs to make it stellar. And as we reach the final destination for Issue 01, I have to look back at where we came from. But I also have look to forward and take pride in the accomplishments. Many people start on something of this magnitude, only to stop half-way or even sooner. Everyone working on Sunset have chosen to make the commitment necessary to see this issue through to completion. And they deserve the right to take pride in it.

As this first leg of the journey starts to wind down, I have to thank Patrick, Robert, and Doug for the chance to work with such dedicated individuals. Madd props to guys for sticking to something of such monumental proportions of work. Here's hoping that the dedication and FUN will continue as we embark into new territory! ---Brett

by Patrick

Yippie Ki Yea Mother$#%@&!

Sorry for the crude opening to this blog. It was somewhat neccessary to illustrate a point. As we've done this comic book, we've evolved a company philosophy. It goes by many names and phrases, most of which you've heard before.

"Go big or go home."

"Balls to the wall."

And of course the title of this blog entry. This way of doing things wasn't there at the beginning. When we formed Prime Dimension Studios in 2006, we didn't have an outlook, just a goal. Then we started to have our monthly meetings, and things would come up on the fly that we had to reconcile. So over time we have what we have.

When we started, we had a lot of people advising us against what we were attempting. They were pointing out how difficult it was to break in. How hard it was to join the club. Well here we are, standing at the door with a date on our arm and an invitation. It has been a challenge, and much more hard work that I had previously guessed. Each page gets roughly 8 hours of effort at each point during it's development. That's about 32 hours of work per page on a 32 page book. Not counting finalizing pages, the business stuff, etc.

The best part so far has been how much we have learned about this side of the business. And how quickly. We are armed to the nines and sailing into an unknown harbor. We've already navigated (or shot our way) through some initial threats, and now the guns and flags of the fort are right there in front of us. We'll raise our colors and show we that we belong here.

One more comment before I get back to finishing production on this book. We are not arrogant about our title. I don't think any of us are expecting immediate success. But we are all united and supremely confident that our title, if it reaches enough people, will be a success. In just a short few weeks you will begin to see things showing up on the website that will let you know what we've seen in SUNSET. That's when the previews of Issue 01 will start rolling in, which of course we'll post here. Hopefully most of them will be positive, and we can hit November hard for the lead up to WonderCon.

by Doug

Marketing In the Modern World

When I think Marketing I first picture Herb Tarlek from "WKRP In Cincinnati". You know the type; say anything for a sale, lots of sales trips and schmoozing with the big guy. I was too young in the Seventies to know if that was truly how sales guys were but even if that was a gross exaggeration of what a sales guy was we have come a long way from those days.

While there is still a need in most industry for the human interaction that the sales and marketing team provide, the tools with which we communicate have evolved considerably. Email, cell phones and instant messaging have been around for years now and are a business standard at most corporations. With the addition of social networks like Myspace and Facebook you have ways of reaching more people that you would with a TV or radio ad spot. In addition to reaching those people you can give them instant access to a world of information about your product in a single click.

This is an area that we all agreed was important when we started this project. We wanted a website that would be informative and fun that would bring people back and hopefully bring them in as not just viewers but as an extended part of the PDS family. We can look at web numbers all day long but what really tells us we are on the right track is the people that have taken time to email us or join us on our forums to not only get some sneak peaks of our work but to have a little fun with us as well.

Podcasts are a new favorite hobby of mine. I listen to many of them and they inspired us to do one of our own. This is something that we hope to do on a more regular basis. I have to admit it's fun recording a podcast and putting it out there for the world to hear.

In today's market you have to stay on your toes. Thankfully those toes don't have to be inside a pair of white patent leather shoes (with matching belt)

by Patrick

Meeting Meltzer

I took a much needed break from the comic book construction business to drive down south to Tattered Cover Bookstore. Brad Meltzer, well-known novelist and comic book writer, was going to be appearing to do a book signing that evening. I arrived about two hours early, to avoid most of the rush hour traffic and to get a good seat on the front row.

I sat and waited, reading the trade I brought of his, IDENTITY CRISIS, which is a well-written DC story. I had purchased his new novel, BOOK OF LIES when I walked in, but don't plan on reading it until we get SUNSET Issue 01 finished.

Soon after, Jason and Charles of Fanboy Face-Off fame showed up with their multitude of items to sign. Some of the other fans joked with Jason, saying he was being "That Guy" by bringing a long box filled with hard cover novels, paperbacks, single issue comics, and graphic novels. By now the room was filling in nicely, and before it was over, I have to guess about 100 people showed up.

Brad Meltzer was introduced and we all clapped. He looked a lot like the picture in his novel, but that might be because he was wearing the exact same clothes, a fact he joked about from the get go. He started by telling us about the book and what had led to it's creation. He talked about connecting the two concepts he had into one story, which is the supposition that Cain might not have been the badguy when he killed Abel, and that Jerry Siegel, who created Superman, made a bullet-proof crime fighter after his father was gunned down during a robbery.

As I listened to him speak, I realized a couple of things. First, that my reason to be there was misplaced. Second, that I was going to be very glad I had gotten the chance to meet Meltzer. I was hoping to meet a fellow writer. One who was more skilled and more accomplished than me. I have met a lot of other writers. Some of them are friendly and affable. Some of them will spend time talking to you. Some of them won't. Brad Meltzer made it clear, even as spoke about his book and his life, that he was an open book (if you'll pardon the pun.) He was telling us very personal things. And it was clear that most of the 100 people in the room had been here before. Most of them had returned for each and every book signing that Brad had done at Tattered Cover. He recognized them and told them how much they meant to him.

Brad read Chapter 2 of BOOK OF LIES to us. I love hearing an author read his own book out loud, because he knows how it should flow, and how the dialog should sound. I had read chapter 1 on his website and was was glad to hear the next chapter, which is a good one and ends in a cliff hanger. We all clapped again, and he opened it up for questions. I'm not the kind of guy who asks a question in a public forum just to hear myself speak, so I kept quiet and listened to the other questions.

Finally, Brad said he would sign the books. He said he was willing to sign any and everything we had, as long as we limited it to ten items per trip through the line. Because of where I sat, I was second in line to talk to him. As I said, I met numerous writers. People like Orson Scott Card, Terry Brooks, Robert Bakker. I don't get star-struck. I was just looking forward to meeting him becuase after roughly 40 minutes of hearing him speak, I felt like I knew the guy. Not in the "Gee that's kind of creepy" way, but in the "Wow this is the kind of person I tend to be friends with" way.

I handed him my book and we talked about what he'd discussed. He signed the two things I brought, and I gave him a post card for SUNSET and a business card. Then I thanked him for his time and shook his hand.

Later on, when I was standing by Jason, who by then was going through the line for the 34th time (just kidding), I took a look at what Brad had written.

It was then that it really sunk in how glad I was to be there.

I hope that this blog doesn't create a "yeah but what did he write?" thought in your head. What he wrote isn't important to this blog. The important thing is why he wrote what he did.

After talking to me (a faceless fan in a room full of them, one of one hundred) for probably four minutes, he was able to connect with me. He wrote in the book what I needed to read. I have to believe that he was able to do that with everyone, and in the end, that is why these people return year after year, novel after novel, to see this guy. Because for him, we aren't just the teeming masses, coming to pay homage to our hero or archtype. For Brad Meltzer, we aren't just fans. We are HIS fans.

Is that true? I can't speak for him. I can only offer my own shaky observations. But even those observations have taught me something.

If SUNSET does take off, and we do have diehard fans that come two hours early bringing a long box full of my hard work (including even my early published work that is mostly unknown), then my goal is to make those fans my own. To make them understand that they really are what makes SUNSET a success or failure. And that their support is the most important part of what I do.

Special thanks to Brad Meltzer for taking the time to teach me this.

If you want to meet Meltzer, and trust me - you do - then look at the list below for the rest of his tour dates. I stole this list from the Fanboy Face-Off's forum (thanks Jason and Charles!)

DALLAS, TX ....................................................................................................... Monday, September 15 - 7:00pm .............................................................................. Borders Books & Music, Preston Road ...................................................................... 10720 Preston Road

HOUSTON, TX ................................................................................................... Tuesday, September 16 - 6:30pm ............................................................................ Murder By the Book ................................................................................................. 2342 Bissonnet Street

PHILADELPHIA, PA .......................................................................................... Wednesday, September 17 - 7:00pm ..................................................................... Chester County Book Company .................................................................................. 975 Paoli Pike

ATLANTA, GA ........................................................................................................ Friday, September 19 - 7:15pm .............................................................................. Georgia Center for the Book/Decatur Library ............................................................... 215 Sycamore Street

STERLING, VA ...................................................................................................... Saturday, September 20 - 1:00pm ........................................................................ Wegman's ............................................................................................................. 45131 Columbia Place

BOSTON, MA ...................................................................................................... Monday, September 22 -7:00 pm ....................................................................... Brookline Booksmith .................................................................................................. 279 Harvard Street

PASADENA, CA ................................................................................................. Tuesday, September 23 -7:00 pm ........................................................................ Vroman's .................................................................................................................. 695 East Colorado Boulevard

LOS ANGELES, CA ............................................................................................ Wednesday, September 24 -7:30 pm ..................................................................... Barnes & Noble, Encino .......................................................................................... 16461 Ventura Boulevard

CORTE MADERA, CA .............................................................................................. Thursday, September 24 - 7:00 pm .......................................................................... Book Passage ............................................................................................................. 51 Tamal Vista Boulevard

by Patrick

Crossing the Divide

In many ways, what we're trying to do here at PDS is very similar to what Ian and friends were trying to do at OHDI. They were working to cross into another dimension, to tear a hole between realities and explore new and interesting worlds.

They got very close to success.

For us, we are trying to break into the comic book industry. This has shown to be an interesting challenge. Like Ian O'Malley's volumes of mathematical algorithms, we've done a lot of research into how to make it.

The first step is the most obvious, but easier said than done: make a comic book people love. It's not enough that people like our comic book. We will need to earn (and be favored with) loyal fans who appreciate the vastness of the story and its possibilities. This will be accomplished in many ways, including my storytelling prose, Robert's "pencils" and "inks" (which are really just tablet and pen tool), Brett's colors, and Doug's ability to get everyone online to see it all. Have we succeeded in this first and most critical step? Only time will tell, but I can say that we are getting better at this part of it. The first 5 pages online are arguably the roughest pages we've done. I'm still happy with them, but our later pages are better, of that I have no doubt.

The next step to cross the Comic Book Industry Divide is to choose a good publishing house and maintain the quality that comic book fans have come to expect. Gone are the days of flat colors, weak plotlines, and newsprint paper. These days almost every comic book on the stands are works of art in their own right. We've chosen a local printer here in Colorado to do the work for us. That means our books are made in a place within driving distance if anything goes wrong. It also means we have taken the "Indie" label seriously. As four guys who are working out of their homes (and their wallets) to make this happen, it doesn't get much more indie than that.

Finally, we need to market our title. We are still working on securing most of the advertising for the book, getting a handful of new locations (like Bosco's in Anchorage, who just came on board today!) Our convention schedule is being ironed out, and we're working on courting the best of best in podcasts to spread the word. Guys like Jason and Charles over at Fanboy Face-Off will be invaluable to us in that respect.

We need to find the right balance between the idea to "go big or go home" with the concept of learning as we go. Since we are new to this side of the industry, there is a lot we don't know. But we've worked hard to get to this point, and have had so many different jobs (some good, most bad) to pay the bills in the meantime that just getting the chance to do this for a living makes it worth it.

When it is all said and done, and the proofreading has fixed the errors, the hair and special effects are colored onto the pages, and our book's files are turned over to the printers, when there is nothing for us to do from a production standpoint except marketing, I will sit back and look at what we've created.

Like Ian O'Malley standing in front of his portal and beginning to see what is on the Other Side, I too will stare into that looking glass and wonder if we can survive the environments of the alien world. For Ian, the experiment went wrong - he had miscalculated and there was a hefty dose of betrayal and espionage to boot. Hopefully for us we can suit up and step through without major pitfalls, and learn to live in a world where we get paid to make comic books and create stories like SUNSET.

I am so proud of this book, and hope the experiment will be a success.

by Doug

It's All In How You Play the Game

Labor Day is a time of celebrating workers by taking time off to BBQ and spend the weekend getting as sunburned as possible. Not us at Prime Dimension Studios, we were hard at work completing the book for its upcoming release.

OK, I should be honest and say that Patrick and Robert were much busier that I was working on the book but at least I made time to write this blog. Truth be told I spent much of my weekend up in the Rocky Mountains putting my Jeep through a series of moderate to difficult trails to view some awesome ghost towns that most people will never get to see.

Fact is all of us have hobbies and they differ from one to the next. There are a few we share, for instance Patrick and I are both aquarists and no I don't mean we were born in the same month. Robert and I both share a love for the rock group Kiss and Robert and Patrick both love to draw (which as you can see from the sketchbook last week, I do not).

What does this have to do with the comic you ask? Well just everything! One hobby that we all share is the love of role playing games. In fact it was the three of us playing RPG's in Patrick's basement that brought us all together in the first place. When you play a pen and paper RPG with someone you really get to know them. When the three of us got together we had great times and we were great at putting stories together. In fact I can't think of a group of role players that I had a better time with in my life and I had been playing for 25 years.

From those gaming sessions friendships and trust were built and when the idea for doing the animation that led eventually to the comic came along I could not think of anyone I would rather have been in business with.

So next time you are playing games with people, whether it's online, in person or even a good round of golf, remember that anything can happen. You never know who you may be in business with from that encounter and more importantly that people will know you by how you play the game.

by Patrick

Right Around the Corner

There's a light at the end of the tunnel. And despite what Metallica says, it isn't a freight train this time. Reading Doug's retrospective the other week was cool for me because my memory of that fateful day isn't the restaurant, it's the three of us being in my basement, with me and Robert shedding light on our idea to Doug. I also remember driving across town to Robert's to get the paperwork turned in to the state and federal offices. (Robert likes to live as far away from the rest of us as possible, though back then he hadn't realized he could move even farther away.)

My memories of the last two years - and another six months beyond that - are fading now. Those memories are being replaced by "To Do" lists, deadlines that loom like thunderstorms, and the pride of seeing new pages peeling off the monitor's screen that exceed our expectations. We have worked for so long, keeping our heads down and feet running, that it's still surprising to look up and see the finish line for Issue 01 just ahead of us.

I am so excited to finish this book and move on to Issue 02. It will be a lot of fun to travel to our advanced retailers for book signings, to start going to the conventions,and most important, to see what the fans think of Sunset Issue 01. I know that as busy as we are now, we will be seeing newer and more pressing deadlines, more fan interaction, and of course, more of the story that we've wanted to tell since early 2005.

This is a short blog, since I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but stay tuned. VERY soon we will have Issue 01 available, and when it is here, I hope you will see why we have been so excited. Because when all is said and done, "the juice is worth the squeeze."

by Robert

Digital Inking

With all of roughs and page layouts done I have moved onto the next production stage for Issue 01. Digital Inks. I'm sure this term has been used before, but there is just no other way to describe it. The artwork for Sunset is being created directly in the computer so there is literally no pencil art to ink. I go straight from the digital roughs to the finished page. It takes a bit of work, but I think it's worth it to take advantage of working in a digital environment.

Every page for Sunset starts out with a rough layout to help me set the scene. The roughs are then used as a guide for my final inks. I always set the roughs on the lowest layer of my Photoshop file and then draw the cleaned up version of the page on separate layers placed above the roughs. Most often I will have a layer for the characters, a layer for the backgrounds and a layer for special effects like Fusions energy blasts.

In a way, this stage of production is like doing the pencil art and the inks at the same time. If you're thinking this sounds like it would save us a lot of time you're only half right. Drawing on the computer, even with an expensive tablet is very hard. It's almost like learning to draw all over again. It can take me two or three tries before I like the way a character comes out. I am getting better at it and every page I draw seams to be better then the last, but in the end the only thing that matters is a great looking book that is done on time.

I have learned a few things that will help when I start working on Issue 02. First, always save your original roughs. I used to clean up the original roughs by drawing on the roughs layer. This meant I would spend most of my time erasing lines I no longer needed and redrawing them to make them look right. Now I have developed the layering system described above. Second, and this is a biggie, the better your roughs are the faster the inking stage will go. Make sure the characters in your panels are more then simple stick figures. And if a panel needs a background always rough in some detailed reference shapes so you don't have to come up with it on the fly while inking.

My goal on the artwork for Sunset is to give it the look of a traditionally drawn comic book while making use of the powerful tools the digital world provides me. My hope is by free-handing as much as I can with my drawing tablet, and only using the drawing tools of Photoshop on backgrounds I will be able to achieve the quality of work I have admired from some of my favorite artists.

by Doug

I'll See Your Two Years and Raise You...

Two yeas ago three guys and their wives sat at a local Italian restaurant about to take on a project that would push them to their very limits. Prime Dimension Studios was born that day and no one at that restaurant had any idea what would happen over the next couple years.

I distinctly remember I arrived last and after some well deserving teasing over my uncharacteristic tardiness we toasted in a new era of our lives that became the project titled Sunset. Had someone at that table told me we would be doing something completely different with Sunset two years later I would never have believed it.

We have told the story many times about how it all started and how we went from an animation studio to a small press comic studio so I wont retell it here but I will take a few moments to tell of the finer points of our first two years.

The first time I saw Robert's rendition of how I described Fusion I was floored. Thats when it felt real to me. I created more than a character in a story, I had created a person. His personality showed in the drawing. I knew after also reviewing the sketches of Crossfade and the other characters that we really had something. I think it was at that moment I thought, and might have even said out loud, that if nothing else we could always do a comic.

That was not the turning point though. None of us had put a serious thought to a comic because we were in fast forward animation mode. Well... we were in forward mode anyway.

Our business meetings were taken seriously but we still had a laugh here and there because we were all friends first, business associates second. Every time we got together it was like putting a fresh set of batteries in. I felt energized. After a years worth though I think we all had realized that we were running out of fresh batteries.

We met at Patrick's house one day and we laid it all out. We were not moving as fast as we had hoped. The animation was definitely not moving fast enough to be completed this decade and we all knew that was true. So what do we do? We all believed in our product. We had build a personal relationship with the characters and the idea of scrapping it was hard to imagine.

Then it came out. What about that comic idea we had a while back? The room was silent for a second or two but I think everyone knew that we were about to change everything we were doing and start the journey with Crossfade and Fusion all over again.

Since that moment we have not looked back. The idea of an animated film is not off the books yet but for now we would be focused on doing a comic book. The focus has definitely paid off. We have not only written a great story for the book but the characters are looking better than ever. Not to mention the fans that have come to our site. It's more than I ever expected. We are all very thankful your visits and hope to continue to give you something worth coming back for.

What will our next two years hold? Who knows. I enjoy not knowing in a way. The mystery has carried us this far I trust it has great things in store for us in the future.

by Patrick

The Prodigal Sons Return, and Other Stories

There are so many things I wish I could fit into this week's blog, I don't even know where to begin. So let me preface this entry with a short disclaimer: If you like single-topic blogs, avoid this week's. I'll get to the train station of my thoughts by the end, but not before switching tracks several times (and maybe derailing as well).

First of all, I have to let you all in on a little secret: The guys that make up Prime Dimension Studios want to be a part of the Comic Book Industry.

Very Badly.

Probably obvious, I know, but what else can be said to really get the point across? It is why we've spent the last two years with our heads down working. It's why we are investing time, money, and resources to make SUNSET a reality. If you're reading this, then that means we're succeeding, at least in part. Because we are counting, collecting, and cherishing every SUNSET reader we can find. And while the numbers in the metaphorical Sunset Army (and the distinguished and more literal Sunset Citizen's Brigade) swell beyond our fondest imaginings, we still hold each one as valuable, as a person who will need to be won over by the story, the characters, and the art. So thanks to you all that have spent time on our website, who have emailed us questions, thoughts, comments, well wishes. Thank you to all who have purchased (and even wear!) a SUNSET t-shirt, in all it's t-shirty glory.

I've started reading comic books again. Honestly, I've been out of it for awhile; working on the company, and then the film, and now the comic book. Here's what's on my list of titles I've either read or have in the queue...

THE DARK TOWER: LONG ROAD HOME - The first 7 issue series was well done, and Jae Lee's unique imagery resonates in King's world that has "moved on."

SECRET INVASION: DIRECTOR'S CUT #1 - I've been keeping tabs on this story arc, but do not have the time or currency to buy every crossover. This will have to suffice. (If there are any issues you think I can't live without, let me know.)

NEW AVENGERS (trade volume 1) - Suggested to me by Tim at Collectormania, I'll be reading it this week.

Titles I'm looking forward to reading...

WALKING DEAD - I'm behind on this one, it looks great.

THE STAND - Stephen King is one of America's great story tellers. Please don't ever let anyone tell you different. If you are in doubt, read and analyze THE DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER, NEEDFUL THINGS, and CELL.

SUNSET #1 - You didn't think I would leave out my own title did you?

I am a "quotes" guy. I like hearing clever, witty, or profound statements by people. One problem is I rarely remember who said/wrote them. Here is a good one.

"Forgiveness is releasing the prisoner only to discover that the prisoner was you."

But I don't remember who said that. Or how about this one?

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will lead you there."

That's the Cheshire Cat, from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll.

So what's the deal with the quotes? I have one of my own. Here it is:

"Never be afraid to learn from the people you disrespect."

And don't worry, that's not about anyone in particular. Just a rule of life I've only recently figured out (I'm slow that way.)

Finally, I wanted to mention our Sunset Forums. According to our web numbers, the forums are by far the most visited pages on the site (followed by the index page, then the sketch page, then everything else.) The odd thing is that the Forums are slow. This week they were almost post-apocalyptic-zombies-in-the-streets-so-don't-come-out-of-hiding slow.

I bring this up because I want to mention that this is a great opportunity for you to make a presence there. All four of the PDS worker bees are checking the forums often (some check it every day). Have questions, we'll reply. Have concerns, we'll reply. Have cake? The cake is a lie.

So join the forums if you like. Some exclusive content, like the development from sketch, to inks, to flats, to final version of Page 11 can only be found on the forums. See you there.

by Doug

Blogging Is Not Easy

I admire the people that can write daily blogs that inform and entertain millions of us (including me). Just creating a weekly blog has been tough and there are four of us working on it.

Lately we have been pretty busy. Our deadline is looming ever closer and we are determined to have our product done early so we can have enough time to clean up and review the books before we pass it along to the consumers. With that going on it gets harder and harder to do the weekly updates. Hard but not impossible.

So what is the thing that drives us week in and week out to do these updates in addition to our other duties? Is it the numbers of unique visits to our site? Is it the people that have registered on our forums and have given us great input and suggestions? Is it the people that have taken time to email us with their thoughts?

Well it's all of that of course. That was probably predictable but it's true. When we see the numbers we see people that have taken their time to see what we are all about. When we gain new users on our forums or receive emails we know they are just a sampling of the people that visit us and we take the input we receive, bad OR good, very seriously.

So thanks for taking the time to read this and see the rest of the site. I promise next week we will have a more informative blog. If you have ideas of something we can write about in our blog don't hesitate to email or join us on the forums.

by Patrick

The Recipe for 36 Issues of Sunset

The entire story arc of 36 issues for the Sunset comic book have been on my mind a lot lately. This includes several important factors I think about that I'll briefly touch on below. What I see as my biggest challenge in bringing all this together is writing a cohesive and compelling story in what kind of resembles chapters.

One challenge is that each "chapter" must stand on its own. Each issue of Sunset must be interesting enough to be picked up without the benefit of the previous issues. When I first started reading and collecting comic books (which was *mumble mumble* years ago), I came across a pencils-only cover of a Jademan title (Blood Sword #11, if you're curious.) The cover was so incredible to my young mind that I was going to buy it whether the story was good or not. In retrospect, it was probably your run of the mill kung fu genre comic book. But I loved it. So I started buying back issues, 1 and 2, then 3-6, etc. Once I had caught up to the current issue, I bought every new one that came out. In other words, the issue stood on its own, and was even good enough to warrant me buying back issues to be filled in.

Another thing I spend a lot of energy on when writing the Sunset story is uniformity. Usually that is a bad word when it comes to creative expressions - like saying something is bland. In this instance, what I really mean is that each and every issue has to feel like Sunset. Another title I've been a fan of is Spider-Man 2099. Don't laugh, when it first came out, I was smitten. To this day it remains one of my favorites, and it is mostly due to the uniformity of the title (Marvel did even better, making every 2099 title fit with each other.)

The biggest thing I concentrate on when I write Sunset issues is the development of the characters. They all will change through the course of the story; some more than others. More important than that, however, is why they change. The heroes and villains might get more powerful or new powers, but I'm really talking about how they change as people. What their motivations are. How they handle what has been thrown at them. It is very rewarding when the characters to things I wasn't anticipating. (In the movie script, Caravelli evolved into a much better character than the ancillary role I had planned for him.)

Finally, everything needs to be tied together at the end - at least as far as the major points go. "And they lived happily blah blah blah" doesn't cut it in modern storytelling, and with good reason. This is a challenge because as I delve deeper into the story, traveling further into each issue, I have to remember all of the markers and signs I've left behind for the reader to follow. This can be challenging while writing a novel or screenplay, but is (to me) especially difficult here.

When I write a script for one of the issues, I proof it and send it to Robert and Doug for analysis. They read it over, and we have a meeting to discuss whether or not the script lived up to our expectations. It has to be well-written of course, and carry the story forward the in correct amount of plot development, but it also has to have that quality that makes it a good read. Once it is accepted, Robert then begins drawing roughs. This is where the story changes into something else entirely.

Now that it is has imagery associated with the words I wrote, I read it a different way. I experience it the way the reader does. So when I'm ready to write the next issue, I have to read both the original script and the comic book it grew up to be, so that I can glean what is important from both sources.

In the end, only time will tell if Sunset is great or merely good. So far, I'm hoping that the readers will enjoy it as much as I do when I read it. Then one day, while someone is in a comic book store and comes across a random issue of Sunset, it speaks to them through the cover, artwork, and story the way Blood Sword #11 did to me all those years ago.

by Doug

The People Behind The People Behind Sunset

I thought this week we should take a step back and give a huge thank you to our biggest supporters, our biggest fans, and the people that have had to sacrifice the most so we could do this project. Those people of course are our wives.

I can’t count the number of times I have set something in front of my wife and asked what she thought of it. Sometimes I will get her opinion before I even run it by the rest of the guys. Considering how my wife has no interest in comic books, she is very patient and gives me awesome input that often helps sculpt my final piece.

Our wives keep us sane and grounded. If we were all single I imagine we would put all our time into this comic book ignoring need for sleep and food. Well maybe that’s a bit extreme but it’s nice to know there’s someone there to make us take a break when we are stressing over this project and we can take the time to clear our heads.

Even this week I am writing this blog from the Flathead Lake area of Montana. We took a much needed vacation and it’s been wonderful. I expect to return next week rested and ready to put my head down and help push this project toward completion. At the same time, I passed the hard work of the weekly web update to Patrick this week so I could focus on making sure my family has a great time on vacation (Thanks Patrick!). [You're Welcome! - PK]

So here’s to our biggest fans, Emily, Liz, Trish and Brit. We definitely could not do this without you.

by Brett

Memory Lane: Michael Turner

What up yall? I'm sure most of you have heard the news. Michael Turner (Fathom, Soulfire, Witchblade) passed away this past weekend ending his battle with cancer. If you need more details go here: http://news.deviantart.com/article/51575/?offset=100

I have one instance of actually meeting and speaking with Michael. A couple of years ago, I attended Wizard World Chicago. On a whim, I decided to slip into the Aspen Comic seminar. They were talking about the new projects at the time and speaking on how Michael was continuing to do the mind-blowing covers for the "Big 2" as well. At the end of the seminar, they opened the floor to questions. Many were asked, and I had hoped to get my question in but it didn't happen. I waited until Michael and the Aspen entourage made their way out of the room, and proceeded to be the annoying fanboy and asked if I could ask him a question. Michael kindly took the time to respond and then listened to my question. "Does Aspen stick strictly to a house style or is the company open to different styles of art?" Michael proceeded to tell me that he was open to any and all art styles. He then told me to swing by the Aspen booth later and that he'd get someone to check out my portfolio. He then politely thanked me and excused himself heading towards the main floor. And a half an hour later, I headed over to the Aspen booth and got my portfolio review. It was a nice example of how much of a consumate professional he was.

My prayers go out to the Turner family, the Aspen comics family, and all the comics fans that will truly miss this awesome artist. Thanks for the (and in this case, quite personal) memories. You'll definitely be missed without a doubt!

Word.

by Patrick

First Contact: Or How A Premiere Podcast Group Found Us

In our efforts to branch out and reach some quality retailers in Colorado, Free Time Comics came aboard. After leaving some postcards (or flyers) on their counter, we were contacted by Fanboy Face-Off, a Colorado-based blog/podcast group that has their finger on the pulse of the comic book scene in Denver.

Jason sent us an email introducing himself and subsequently invited us to Fanboy Face-Off's 1 Year Anniversary party, which Robert and I attended. It was great to meet Jason and Charles, the Fanboy ringleaders, as well as their many friends and confidants.

But the thing I was really impressed with was their professionalism and skill. Here's why: I watched them through the night interview people in their "studio" (don't laugh, it's three nice dynamic mics with pop filters, headphones all around, a mixing board, and some nice audio software.) More than that was how they controlled the flow of the conversations they had with people who called in to the show, as well as the interviews they did at the party.

When they interviewed Robert and I, we didn't know what to expect, having just met these guys. They kept the interview moving, kept us at ease, and threw us some interesting questions to answer along the way. When we were done, I knew Fanboy Face-Off was going to be around for a long time.

If you haven't checked out their website, you should take a moment to do so. In a year's time they've had 28 podcast episodes, a healthy forum, and an active website. Prime Dimension Studios supports what they are doing, and we will no doubt "leak" exclusive info about what we're doing to Fanboy Face-Off from time to time.

So happy anniversary, Fanboy Face-Off. Keep'em coming!

by Patrick

I am serious; and don't call me Shirley.

What to write for this week's blog? It's interesting, because so many things happen in between my blog entries that you would think I would scarcely have room to contain it all. However, because of how those things occur - it takes time for them to ferment. To age.

For example, the podcast is complete. So why isn't it in this week's update? Because yours truly is fighting the background noise. I can take care of it, and will - at least to a certain extend - but it will still be there, like grain on an old photograph. But it's coming.

Another "thing" in the works is our first possible advertiser for the book and the website. We can't say who it is yet for obvious reasons, but rest assured we are only pursuing the advertisers that sell a quality product - which is what we aspire to do.

Not enough? How about our meeting a great group of local guys that run a blog/podcast about comics right here in Colorado? We'll be discussing them (and them us) no doubt in the near future.

Still more? Okay. I am going to try to branch out our retail locations to another state this week. Will it work? There is a lot of low hanging fruit out there, the trick is to find the trees. Check next week's update for more developments in this area?

Or how about this: the forum is done. In fact, as you are reading this, it is probably up and running right now. So click on the forum link under community and see for yourself. It might be slow at first (or not), but Doug, Brett, and myself will be there frequently answering questions, rhetorical, hypothetical, or otherwise. Robert will even make an appearance from time to time when we give him his 30 minutes a week away from his drawing desk for sunshine and fresh air.

There is so much more I could tell you - I would love to tell you, but alas. It will all have to wait awhile, but stick with us, and surely you will eventually know all that we know and more.

by Brett

Did Somebody Say Color?

"It's not tracing. Alright, I add depth and shading to give the image more definition. Only then does the drawing truly take shape." --Banky Edwards

How y'all doin'? The newest member of the PDS crew here to drop a bit of knowledge about creating comics in "GLORIOUS EXTRA COLOR." So grab a frosty beverage and a snack if need be..

I'm sure that some of you are wondering where the heck the opening quote comes from. Those savvy to the theatrical stylings of Kevin Smith will recognize it from the now-classic film Chasing Amy. How does that quote come into play when I'm not an inker, but a colorist? Let's talk about that shall we?

In my opinion, when someone thinks about coloring they tend to overlook it. I don't know if it's because most people take colors for granted because they see in color or what. But much like an inker, the colorist is a vital part to the comic's art. There are very few comics that roll off the assembly line that don't feature color art. And then there are even fewer successful comics that don't feature color. And because it's such a vital part, it can be easily messed up.

So besides inking and writing, what else do you think can accelerate or deviate the art of a comic? We've been talking about it for roughly three paragraphs-it's color. So why do I think that it's an important part of the comic book experience? I'd have to say that color is something that everyone can relate to somehow or another. We've all done it, be it coloring with our 64 pack of Crayolas or doodling extensively with a Highlighter marker while sitting on hold during an important phone call. And yes, we've probably all tried our hand at some time fiddling around with our PC's painting program or digging in with the likes of an Adobe program.

There are things that color can accomplish. Utilizing color in a comic story can greatly enhance the mood of a story. Look at something like Frank Miller's Sin City. That comic is essential a film noir story with a single splash of color here and there. And yet, because of that tiny splash the mood of the story can flex and bend much like a full-color graphic novel. This approach makes telling the story even better because it flows to convey the message in a way that registers with the reader. Take the likes of a Superman story-the color in that book is almost a character unto itself. How many times have you opened up and seen the bright and limitless possibilities of Metropolis? On the other side of the spectrum, another city becomes a character of its own-what would Gotham City be without the dark and brooding hues that make it up? Color has the power to invoke emotions. The menacing and fearful tones of Swamp Thing are a vital portion of the experience. They bring forth the fear of that supernatural terror. Color simply carries emotion with it.

Hopefully, y'all will begin to see what I'm saying. A colorist has an important role to fill in regards to coloring a comic. I'm hoping that I can continue this lesson with each and every page that I work on in Sunset. I'm more than willing to continue this discussion with the visitors of the site via email (and in the future the fresh new Sunset Forum). My role is to bring those emotions that everyone can relate to and provide the mood that best fits that critical moment of storytelling. Along the way, hopefully it adds depth to the image and after that then we can say that the image is complete. Right Banky?

by Patrick

If You're Here, Then Who's Flying the Plane?

We've been discussing what type of content we should put on our website. Some things - like the forum - are a little more challenging to pull together, and other ideas just need to be implemented. For example, Robert brought up the idea of putting up a blurb about who we are and why we are doing this. I agree, and while we haven't utilized the idea yet, it is in the works.

One of our biggest challenges for the Sunset comic book is keeping Issue 01 fresh while we toil in the festering slag pits of Prime Dimension Studios headquarters (and its handful of satellite "offices") to get it completed. Because it is the first one, and because it is 32 pages, it is taking awhile. Meanwhile the wouldbe readers wait patiently to see some progress.

One of the big goals I had was to get the Sunset Store up and running. It finally is, though the PayPal code is fighting me, but that should be reconciled by this weekend. The white version of the Sunset Debut T-Shirt should arrive in the mail very soon, and if it passes inspection, we'll start allowing their sale in store. Robert's one of kind (literally) sketch is already for sale, at the rock bottom price of $20.00. The two alternate cover issues of the Sunset comic book are also up, with the correct "on sale in November" tagline.

I just want to thank all of you who are with us on this. Every hit this webpage gets, every sale out of the Sunset Store, and every friend you tell about this title brings us one step closer to making this a reality. We couldn't do this without your support.

by Doug

I love it when a plan comes together.

I am seriously blown away at the pace that we are moving on this project. The roughs are complete, the inking and coloring is moving along smoothly with the addition of Brett to our company, and we are already working out the details of issue two so we can transition smoothly once issue one is complete. Sometimes I wonder why we just didn�t do a comic to start with.

At free comic book day a few weeks ago we met some great people and they gave us some great feed back. We are thankful to Collectormania and Mile High Comics for letting us take part in it. The momentum from that day alone is enough to carry us through the completion of the book. Not that we won�t have more events as we get closer to the release date.

I have become a bit of a podcast junkie lately. I listen to several every week and when I brought up the idea to the guys of doing our own podcast they were all for it. I will be working on a rough �script� (the show itself will be fairly unscripted but having direction is important for a quality product) and hopefully we will know when the first one will be taped soon. Check back frequently for news and information. Forward any questions you might like to hear us address on the show to feedback@primedimensionstudios.com.

So far it�s been a great ride and big thanks to everyone that checks back here for updates. We appreciate your support!

by Patrick

Welcome aboard Sunset Express Rapid Transit (SERT)!

[The image above dates back to 2005, and is one of the first models we built for the city's environment. These trains are designed to sway when going around a bend, and originally had seating inside to hold 93 passengers per car. - PK]

Of the most interesting aspects of this project for me is the momentum that seems to be injecting itself into everything we do. As previously mentioned, this started as a movie script, which took about three months for me to write and another month to edit down with Robert and Doug. Then for the next two years...nothing happened.

That's right. We worked hard; spent a lot of time modeling characters, painting texture maps, rigging bipeds, and modeling scenes and props. In all that time, we never produced a single second of finished animation. We realized we simply lacked the resources, time and money to keep moving forward.

Now fast forward to May 2008. We are two pages away from finishing the roughs on SUNSET Issue 01 (which I am already proud of), we are picking up store locations, Free Comic Book Day was a success, and if all goes well, we might even have our newest member of the team.

The web traffic is increasing at a steady pace, about a 20% increase every week, and we are starting to deal with the challenges involved in producing the book. Everything is just moving faster and faster.

The coming months can't get here fast enough, but they are also racing towards us in a blur. Can we get the first issue out in time? How will November's debut go? How will WonderCon go in February? Time will tell. In the meantime, I am enjoying the speed at which things are happening now for us, especially compared to the first two years of Prime Dimension Studios. It's the difference between waiting on the deck for the SERT train to arrive, and zooming off towards your destination.

We hope to see you aboard!

by Doug

"I Love Deadlines."

As we move forward with Sunset I thought I would take a moment to give some background to the where why and how Prime Dimension Studios got its start.

What most people don't know is we never had intentions of making a comic book. Our original project was a feature length 3D animation featuring Crossfade and Fusion. The script takes Ian and Nick from their pre-superpower days and really tells how they came to be Crossfade and Fusion.

The problem of doing a movie in your spare time is you never have enough of it. We all have families and making time to work on the project was hard, so in two years we did not see enough forward motion to justify continuing the project. We haven't scrapped the idea all together but it was apparent we would not be able to complete it in what we considered a reasonable amount of time.

Once we decided to do the comic instead things just seemed to click. We have a process and it is moving along nicely. Our November release date may seem far away to people that want to read our comic but to us it will be here all too soon. We have a reasonable amount of time to complete our project; we just need to keep on top of things.

Douglas Adams once said, "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing noise they make as they fly by." Funny but true. We are hoping we never have to hear that "whooshing" sound again. Working on the comic has been great because we can see progress.
Come November we will be able to look back and see it was all worth it.

by Robert

Roughing It

I have been drawing comic book characters for many years now, but this is only my second attempt at drawing a complete comic book. I have had many critiques of my work and studied the workflow of many different artists. So far one of the best techniques I have found to help me design great looking pages is drawing a rough for every page.

Drawing a rough can be as simple as drawing some stick figures or bubble people in a frame to see your panel layout before you work on a full scale image or as complex as drawing a sloppy version of everything that is important in the panel, like facial expression and backgrounds in perspective. I have always been one of those artists that tend to go for the final image with out much under structure, so my roughs tend to be on the more completed side.

I usually draw some small thumbnail images of the individual panels on paper or a thumbnail image of the entire page if I already have an idea for the page layout. From there I go to my computer to draw a full-scale version of the rough in Photoshop. I use an old tablet I got years ago. The larger roughs will have much more detail in them and usually backgrounds with accurate perspective. I use these large roughs for the final pages by cleaning them up and placing the dialog bubbles over the images.

There is one disadvantage to drawing my pages directly in Photoshop, I do not end up with hard copy drawings of our pages like other comic book artist do. As a collector this bums me out a bit. I've always wanted to buy one of Jim Lee's original pages, but never had the money for it. If more artists start working with digital originals we will see fewer opportunities to buy their original works.

by Patrick

Coloring Inside the Lines

This is a labor of love. Sure we want it to be successful, because that would mean we could do all 36 issues in the story arc. That said, I am starting to understand why people who do things like this always talk about how all the "hard work paid off" and why they thank their loved ones for their patience and support. Because we spend a lot of time on this project, our loved ones all see us less. This becomes more true as our deadlines loom.

We all do many things within the company to support the project. I am the writer, the concept guy, and more recently, the colorist. Am I qualified to be the colorist? I hope so - I have a BA in Media Arts & Animation and have been doing this kind of thing as a hobby practically my entire life. Truth be told, I don't really want to be the colorist. But Robert doesn't have the time (his coloring is arguably superior to mine - see the covers to get my point).

So to keep SUNSET on time and in the black I took up the mantle as primary colorist. Page 1 is Robert's work, and Page 2 is me trying to match Robert. Pages 3-5 is me finally getting a feel for things. Because of our clearly defined roles within the company, Robert is the Overlord of Art, so to speak. He is responsible for adding final effects if he doesn't like mine (Fusion's Energy blasts on Pages 4 & 5 are his 3rd version, after we voted down my first 3 versions and his first 2.) If you didn't notice, then I did my job.

We are working on being able to bring on extra help, and a colorist tops my list. Because then I could go back to working on Issue 02, getting the business stuff done, and making sure we have the money to survive until we have something to sell. If I end up ultimately doing all 32 pages of Issue 01, that will be okay too, as long as Issue 02 finds itself a different colorist.

by Patrick

Fade Into You - The Story Behind Crossfade

Crossfade started out as an idea I had bouncing around my head for a superhero with atypical powers. Nearly everything has been done before, so the challenge was to come up with something fresh and interesting, without losing the character's development or story along the way.

Crossfade has several powers that make him a formidible opponent, all of which are based on his hyperdimensional phasing abilities. At this stage in his development (he will continue to hone his skills after all), he is capable of flight through intangible phasing, which means he displaces half of his molecules to another dimension, which allows him to navigate in a ghost like transparent state. Crossfade can also create dimensional holes, which he calls "shards", and utilize them as weapons, shields, and to remove obstacles in his way. His best weapon is his defense, where he has an ability he himself still doesn't understand. If he is injured in a fight, the damage he sustains transfers to the attacker. This ability has limits, but is already powerful enough to prevent bullets from hurting him.

Crossfade's most important power is his ability to control the dimensional gateways. He hasn't perfected the utilization just yet, but can send hyperdimensional Intruders back to their own dimension with this power.

It should also be noted that Crossfade's stripes are actually hyperdimensional bands that attach themselves to him, roughly 1/4 inch off of his uniform. They fade in as he uses his powers and fade out when he is finished. (That's why his stripes aren't visible all the time.)

To learn what drives Crossfade personally, you'll have to wait until I write a blog entry about Ian O'Malley.

by Doug

Fusion’s Breakdown (or “The Fission of Fusion”)

When I first started creating the character Fusion I knew I wanted a strong personality for the person behind the powers. It seems in the comic world only the weaklings with super intelligence become the good guys. Perhaps that’s a nod to the stereotypical comic book fan but I personally think that’s an insult to the reader. Strong people in life can fight for justice given superpowers; you just have to give him the right background.

Originally Fusion was very strong offensively with his "heat ray" as well as control of heat to be able to fly but his obvious weakness was his defense. In adding his ability to control light I gave him some stealth in the ability to bend the light around him to make him invisible and the Robert came up with the idea of a heat shield he could use to protect himself. At that point I knew I had a good well rounded character.

The idea that both Crossfade and Fusion would gain their powers from a bomb blast led to his background. I took him from a bomb squad officer and worked him back to a military background prior to Joining Sunset’s finest. Fusion is no dumb lug. He may not have nearly the intelligence of Crossfade but when put in a pressure situation he thinks fast on his feet.

Fusion may have anger issues but he’s a good guy through and through and a sworn protector of his city. Strong and resourceful he’s the perfect teammate for Crossfade.