coming soon: ch. 5 of the daily mobster

And we finally completed Chapter 5 of The Daily Mobster: cinematic graphic novel. It only took us almost seven months to finish this chapter, but we can finally say it is done. Both digital and print will be available on August 1st, as well as the Print version of Chapter 4.

So what’s new in this chapter, well quite a lot!

First, this is a pivotal chapter of our main characters, the tides are truly starting to turn. Second, this chapter takes place mostly in the rain and in order to give it that realistic downpour effect, Jack painted so many frames. But, we think the rain came out out great and really gives the scene a character and tone of its own. Then, there are quite a few new characters....

Sue Spence and Senor Suspendador are on the look out for their next bank to target.

First we have the bank-robbing duo Sue Spence and Senor Suspendador. These two are not doing so well at the moment, however they are about to get their big break. We hope we can explore the Circus performer past and the trouble they are desperately trying to avoid. If you read our paper articles, you will see that the bones of that storyline are already set up. Apparently, it all started in Europe with The Great Trambolini.

We also introduce their arch nemesis, The Invisible Man. This is one of our favorite and original characters, in fact he was one of the seven that got his maquette 3D-printed. Discovering his storyline and his wants and needs was a little tricky, because technically he could do almost anything and get away with it. But I think making his personality be his flaw was the right call. 

This is also the first time you see Leo Black’s hideout. As a mobster with not much more to his name, then a single bullet and a few containers of stale paprika, you really get to see just how far he has fallen. Nonetheless, he is disciplined, everything is clean, and with two pots of goulash on the stove and a cup of coffee in his hand, he is enjoying his quiet afternoon. 

This sequence in particular really came together in a very unexpected way, because the first initial blocking stages told a very different story. There were quite a few characters around Leo and it felt a lot more alive; it really took away from Leo’s solitude.This version really captures that and you can focus on Leo as a character.

Finally we introduce Judge Atticus, who was the original Judge and Luther “Legs” Lavine, his super tall, mute personal assistant. He is another one of these strangely drawn characters, where you only see his shoes, socks and pants - nothing else. Judge Atticus was our most difficult character to define, because he is so pivotal to the plot of the story. Nailing his story and truly understanding his dilemma is something that took almost a year of writing, re-writing, discussions with Liz and Jack, it really did take a long time to figure out his proper place. However, I think we did.

I hope you enjoy Chapter 5 of The Daily Mobster.