Zarlock #15- An Art Unleashed collaboration? Options

[The Leader]

Hi guys,

Well a while back in one of the threads the idea was knocked around that it would be cool if everyone on the board could complete an issue of a book much in the way many of us contributed to the Hellgirl sketchbook.

Steve Lydic, man of a thousand ideas, contacted me and suggested I offer up one of my scripts as an idea for just that. Well I was prepping some other issues for some other artists that agreed to help me out, but that's pretty much done. I'm just finishing re-reading/proofing the script now and so I thought I would float it out there.... anyone interested in participating in the issue?

pasted below is that book's basic summary:

My book is called Zarlock. Zarlock is not a proper name so much as it is a noun. On the alien planet this book takes place on, a zarlock is a male infant who, in the process of childbirth, kills his mother. The zarlock is a feared and shunned individual on this planet. Through out history whenever there has been a zarlock of note he is noted for having killed a king. As such the kings aren't too happy to have zarlocks around. The latest Emperor of Shinar, after having a curse put upon him where he was told he would be killed by a zarlock, put into policy the Zarlock Repositioning Act. When a zarlock is born it is placed on a stripped down space ship and launched into space. The Emperor felt protected and the people sat by satisfied that while the infants were dying they weren't really faced with the actual horror of the act.

The Repositioning Act continued until one day a well known Senator became the father of a zarlock. His wife died in childbirth and his son was exiled to die. He became the voice of the zarlocks and brought attention to the deaths and the injustice. The Act was repealed on paper and it was only a short time before the repeal would become the law.

During this time the medical people and the workers at the Repositioning Center had an informal agreement. The medical staff would hide any zarlocks that were born and after the Repositioning Act was officially over turned the medical people would give the zarlocks new birthdays and slowly release them back into society. The babies had to be hidden because while the people of this planet have blue skin, zarlocks are all born red. Unfortunately for the medical people, the people in the Repositioning Center, and for the family another zarlock was born that could not be hidden.

The nation of Shinar was at war with their rival nation of the Grae. The woman who gave birth to this zarlock was the wife of the leader of a rebel group. They were Shinarians opposed to the war. Because of the woman's rebel status the government was already paying close attention to her. The medical staff was unable to hide the zarlock because of this attention and the boy was sent to the Repositioning Center. With the unspoken agreement with the medical people the workers at the Repositioning Center had already disassembled the crafts used for launching. They were forced to launch the zarlock in a regular long term space exploration craft. They disassembled the navigation device and life support systems and launched the child.

Unknown at the time was that the systems had been repaired by the ship and the child lived. He was five years old when the ship tried to access information and alerted the government to his presence. Years passed and when the government was able to deduce where the ship would eventually land and when they sent someone to kill the child. They sent an assassin through a portal that not only transported him to the location, but also through the time they learned of the landing would be. Years forward in time.

The assassin fails and during the fight the portal door is stuck open. The chronological controls went haywire. Not knowing this the zarlock went through the portal to get revenge on the Emperor that had destroyed his life. He walked through the portal and into the past.

The first ten issues is Zarlock's path through time being pulled closer and closer to his true time.

The themes of the book are the notion of fate versus free will and the idea of magic against science. Mostly though the theme of family will come up again and again. Zarlock has two sons back in time and loses both of their mothers to childbirth. The children will meet up with their father again in the "present", but he doesn't know this and mourns the loss of his sons. There are also issues of father and son the other way. Zarlock meets up with his father and they have their own problems.

This issue would be in the second story arc. Zarlock is back on his own world in his own time. We get to the “modern” world only it isn’t as modern as you might think. The world is green and pre-industrial revolution in most parts. Think Princess Bride (and if you haven’t seen it… go do that now!) It is a world of gods, monsters, and twisted fairy tales. However there are also scenes that involve super- science. Sagac the Emperor is a genius and has designed the futuristic machines in the story. He is a man out of time in his own right. He wants to make the world more modern and loathes the “backward” way of the world. His super science is seen in a backdrop of a stone old world castle. The main theme of this second arc is the notion of revenge and whether it is right or just.

Zarlock is my “Hulk”. He is a giant monster type that doesn’t quite fit in. His story is usually one of loss and rejection. Though he does turn things around for others of his ilk his life of isolation leads him to seek solitude.

Issue #15 has Zarlock meeting the Cheshire Cat, who acts as a sort of a time traveling oracle. Sagac’s team of zarlock hunters being sent out on their first mission, and Zarlock being reunited with Herry, the troll friend he made in the past

Hope I did a decent job of trying to entice you and look forward to hearing your thoughts.

[johnson]

Sounds interesting. I am pretty busy with my crew's projects but I will get back to you. I'd like to help in some way ( pencil a couple pages or ink a couple) but I need to work out how much free time I'll have coming up.

[The Leader]

Well the good news is that the project is fairly open ended at this point. So if you're interested at all in helping out I'm sure we'll be able to find some way to fit you in.

[Kevin P. West]

I have the itch to try some more pages. You can count me in for a page when you get the script all ready. It sounds interesting....FREAK

[Kevin P. West]

Can you come up with a discription of Zarlock? I would like to know more about him so I can get a 'feel' for the character and possibly do some sketches. Or do you have him already designed? I would love to work on some monsters and twisted tales ....FREAK

[The Leader]

All the chracters are designed. Shortly after posting the script I'll put up the character designs.

Glad to know you're interested! I look forward to seeing how this thing will turn out.

[johnson]

Well the good news is that the project is fairly open ended at this point. So if you're interested at all in helping out I'm sure we'll be able to find some way to fit you in.

Well then count me in for part of it!

[grypesagon]

I want to play! (sets this thread as a bookmark... clicks refresh over and over)

[Mark Topolski]

Hope ya don't mind but I upgraded your post, so it would stand out more and I still have your issue, after John Wilson's twelve pager I am going to start on yours but I still have two years, right

[Casey Campbell]

Hmmm....I don't know what kind of time span you are going to set on this Leader...but I would be interested in contributing. I don't what part I would play, but I would be available to fill in the gaps so to speak, should be neat.

And Mark you have got to give us some teasers on what you and John have been working on in the near future...it would interesting to see what you guys have come up with.

Vermin

[The Leader]

Thanks Mark... I myself was a little surprised to find it up at the top!

Yes you do have two years still, but in the meantime if you wanted to kick in a page on 15 that would be fine too....

Sorry I haven't updated the info yet. I live in an ancient house and when I came home from work yesterday my power was out. The electric company needs to come to my house, unlock something, and basically flip a switch, but in the 5 1/2 hours from when I got home yesterday until... well I don't know as it is still off (checking in from my mom's house) they haven't managed to fit it into their "busy" schedule.

Man I love monopolies. Nothing like no competitors to make service better.

I will be sure to upload the script as soon as possible.

[Mark Topolski]

I can do a page or two for another issue, I just have a John Wilson story to finish first

[The Leader]

Ahoy hoy!

Well the power is back on and I'm stoked to proceed.

Here's the script... with the exception of a page or two involving the Cheshire Cat all the pages are available. Please PM me or e-mail me at drbrucebanner@aol.com if you're interested in helping out.

Hoping to hear from all of you!

http://www.viciouscirclecomics.com/zarlock15script.htm

Oh and the character sketches will be up here soon.

[Kevin P. West]

Sounds cool. I am looking forward to see the sketches. I want to know the CC looks like!....FREAK

[The Leader]

Sounds cool. I am looking forward to see the sketches. I want to know the CC looks like!....FREAK

Actually Cheshire Cat isn't one of the sketches. I kind of wanted to go with the classical Cheshire Cat look from the original book...

though I might be open to interpretations...

[ghosthillgh]

After the script is read do we need to put down what pages each one involved is doing? So there are not duplicates, etc.

[The Leader]

Once I hear from everyone that is interested I'll let everyone know which pages to do ahead of time... if you have specific requests you can PM and let me know. There are one or two instances where I'd prefer some pages to be handled by those willing to do two pages.

Thanks for asking Greg

[grypesagon]

I'll take one of the pairs!

I have a few other projects in tow so I don't want to over do it. Two pages sounds awesome. Dibs! Dibs?

[The Leader]

Glad to have you aboard.

Bear with me for a little while longer... you know how life gets in the way.

I'm also hoping that some more artists pop up... so far the collaboration is only four of us.

[Raya]

I'm interested in doing a few pages.