I’ve always liked older music and to quote Thin Lizzy, the boys are back in town.
Or more specifically, the Sunnyville crew is back in town!
Sometime in 2021, either June or September (still to be determined), I will be running another Kickstarter to fund a print run of Sunnyville Stories: Beginnings. So what can we expect from this new book?
First, this will be replacing Sunnyville Stories Volume 1 and 2 (the latter to a lesser extent; more on that in a moment). As I’ve discussed, the original trade paperbacks are being retired; from now through next year, I’ll be liquidating that stock.
Second, the specifications of the book are still being determined. It will be black & white and printed in a digest size (8.5 x 5.5 inches). This is a portable size and it is more economical. It will have a new ISBN and a new cover.
Third, the content is still under revision. The plan is to have the first four issues (Beginnings, Multiball Madness, the Train Robbers and Don’t Answer Me) collected. To entice existing fans and also make any customer feel like they are getting their money’s worth, there will be NEW content! I will do a few short stories from 2-5 pages of Rusty and Sam together or Rusty interacting with the rest of the Sunnyville crew.
Fourth, the artwork is going to be both retouched and redone. There will not be a massive overhaul in the form of redrawing everything and having my work look radically different. However, some of the art is showing its age; the early stories have drawing that look off-model. These were done when I was just starting out and my technical ability was much weaker. What I will be doing is retouching some elements like removing superfluous parts and redoing some of the lines; some partial pages and whole panels will be redone, using Photoshop to paste them in digitally over the older work; and some pages will be completely redrawn. As a disclaimer, the redrawing of whole pages will be used sparingly; not only is it time-consuming but new pages with new art contrasting with older, weaker art can be jarring. It’s similar to the criticisms against George Lucas with his Star Wars Special Edition.
Fifth and finally, the projected print run will be anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000. In spite of having more fans now, it is best to keep a conservative number for the printing.
If all goes according to plan, I aim to print more Sunnyville volumes. Things are different now. I have more fans than previously, my skills are much better and I’ve gotten the hang of crowdfunding. I know this is a tall order but it’s one I’m up to.
So watch soon for the new Sunnyville Stories books and stay tuned to this blog for more updates.
