Taking Flight!

Face to Face at last!

2010-07-31T13:20:00.000-07:00

Sandra Khoo was able to dovetail a trip to Austin into her USA Vacation, and I am happy to finally meet her! She had a great time in California, and a very relaxing time here. We've already put our heads together and have come up with some new plans and an exciting new direction!

Can't wait to get back to work!

-B

Retrofits, Rewrites, and Rethinks

2009-08-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since this blog updated, but we've had some progress, although nothing I'd want to jinx just yet.

FCH will be rewritten into a standard format comic with Sandy still gracing us with her awesome artwork. She's extremely motivated and is gobbling up as many reference books on period air craft she can find.

I've reoutlined the story, tightening up some parts, and going off in a new direction for others. The script has been a chore, but I'm sure that's because I'm really putting a lot of pressure on myself. I want to turn in the best script I can, taking what I previously wrote and just going above and beyond in quality and depth.

The progress and feed back we've gotten on the project has been extremely encouraging, and I am excited to get it rolling again.

A Temporary Setback

2009-05-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

The long wait ended.

Flight Captain Hurricane was rejected by Zuda.

And admittedly, the wait didn't end in the way that that the team and I wanted, but it's a temporary setback at best. I believe very strongly in the Flight Captain in Hurricane concept, and the team and I will retool, rearm, and retake to the skies.

In the meantime, here's a very recent sketch by Sandy starring the leads from FCH!

Find FCH on FB and MySpace!

2009-02-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

The Official Facebook and MySpace Pages for Flight Captain Hurricane are now online and can be found here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Flight-Captain-Hurricane/53467968364

http://www.myspace.com/flightcaptainhurricane

Become a fan today!

An Early Review!

2009-02-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

Jeff Stolarcyk at http://conditionalaxe.com talks FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE!

Thanks for the extremely kind words, Jeff!

Why ZUDA?

2009-02-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

I suppose you're wondering why ZUDA?

Zuda has a lot of advantages. There are ten new comics every month! There's the Zuda Community of creators and readers, there's the format, and just a little thing like... it's the only branch of Time Warner Inc. I know of that takes OPEN SUBMISSIONS.

How awesome is that?

TIME WARNER. Open Submissions.

Those are two phrases you don't see in conjunction often, if ever, and it was something I knew I had to try.

After all that, you get this great vibe from the creators and staff of Zuda. They are excited every week, every month, and every convention to bring the world some some really good comics.

And hopefully, FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE will be counted among them.

An Exciting Day at the New York Comic Con!

2009-02-07T19:07:00.000-08:00

Today I thought I'd sit in a few panels.

Well, that didn't happen.

Today I talked a lot about Zuda to a lot of people, and had exciting conversations about promotions, possibilities, and rediscovered that the comics community is exactly that... a true community. I can't say enough good things about the Zuda teams, from the editorial staff, to the teams of the individual comics.

They are all wonderful people and my hat is certainly off to them.

And for the love of Pete! Go to ZUDA! Read. Vote. Create.

The Journey Begins...

2009-02-06T02:35:00.000-08:00

...Well, as Bob has already said, FCH is on its way. Personally I can't wait to see where this thing goes, it's an interesting idea, very well written (good work Bob), exceptionally well drawn (good work Sandra), and who knows what the future may hold...

Fingers crossed.

Until next time Wing Commanders,
Look to the Skies
-=-=-

The BIG Step!

2009-02-05T12:31:00.001-08:00

FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE has been submitted to ZUDA! Wish us luck as we enter the next stage of this exciting process.

I'd like to thank Tim Love for introducing me to Scott Fisher. That got the whole ball rolling, and of course, a HUGE thank you to Sandra Khoo. Sandy's art has been PERFECT and I trust her eye implicitly.

Thanks to you, Scott and Sandy!

The Quest For Accuracy!

2009-01-27T12:44:00.000-08:00

World War 2.

Just the very words invoke imagery of frenetic battles across the deserts of North Africa, the forests of France, or the islands of the Pacific.
We almost instinctively know what a M-4 Sherman Tank looks like, or the unique helmet of the German Army, or the Rising Sun of the Japanese Battle Ensign. And in that comes the hardest part for the production of any series dealing with the War.... accuracy.

From my standpoint, I had to research the units and equipment of the combatants in the area: The Dutch East Indies. What did the RAF and the Japanese fly? What tactics? What was the flow of the strategy?

For Sandy, it's even more exacting. The Oscars must look like Oscars. The Hurricanes can't look like Spitfires. Uniforms have to be true. Even the cockpit layout has to be right.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Sandra Khoo is a perfectionist. The research that has gone into the first eight pages has been exhaustive and exhausting. We've poured over hundreds of websites to get the colors of the airplanes, the interiors, the placement of the instruments, even the parachutes, as accurate as we can.

The best part of the results is simple. It feels right.

In this panel, you can see the results of later research. Sandy's tightening up the cockpit and readjusting the control panel. Has it delayed our launch time? A little. But we do have the benefit of time and getting it right so our reader gets the maximum enjoyment out of our story.

The Half Way Point

2008-11-03T20:09:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I've reached the half way point in the script for FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE, and although the finished art for this segment is still several months away, I can already see Sandy's beautiful designs for it.

We're moving closer and closer to submitting FCH to Zuda, and my confidence is growing more and more with each passing day.

And then there was.... a LOGO!

2008-10-20T13:13:00.001-07:00

Full of Page-turning Goodness

2008-10-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

I know he's too modest to say it himself, but having just read the whole of Flight Captain Hurricane Chapter One, I can safely say that our Bob here certainly knows how to spin a good yarn and no mistake. Good work, my friend, good work indeed.

I know it feels like all I do is come here and tease you all with a few "oooh's" and "aaaah's" but honestly, once you all start seeing the finished work, I'm sure you'll agree it was worth the wait.

Finally, I'd like to shout out a big thank you to the guy who left a comment on my first blog entry, and follow that up with a very quick apology...sorry I didn't reply, I've only just now started figuring out all the in's and out's of this strange new thing called Blogging... new to me, at least.

Until next time, Wing Commanders
Keep Watching the Sky

Chapter 1 down, 3 Chapters to go!

2008-10-08T11:03:00.001-07:00

Just finished the draft of FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE Chapter 1. We follow the adventures of John Whitney into the unknown, and now the danger deepens!

This has been a great project to work on for me. The pacing has been such a challenge and that's based completely on the way FCH will be presented.

Anyway, back to work!

New Character Design!

2008-10-03T05:40:00.001-07:00

Courtesy of my younger son, Calvin. We were talking about an upcoming character that I had a basic idea for. I told him that Sandra was busy working on the pages (which I can honestly and unbiasedly say are AMAZING) and hadn't drawn him yet.

"Well I'll do it!" was his response.

SO, without further ado, here's Calvin's design of.... "Character X"

Suh-weeeeet!

2008-09-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. Double-you-OH-double-YOU! Wow.

Yup, I've seen the pages too, and my word do they ever ROCK! Sandra, please accept my most humble thanks for the effort and skill you've applied - the line art is just breathtaking. Awesome, in the truest sense of the word, you've seriously created some awe.

Now, if that doesn't get people interested, then I don't know what will... aside from seeing the pages yourselves, that is ;-)

Sorry to tease and run, Wing Commanders, but that's my job.

Until next time,
keep looking to the skies

Getting Closer and Closer....

2008-08-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

Sandra showed me the line art for the Submission, and Oh Nelly! They are gorgeous. Her research into the uniforms and equipment made for a rich environment, and I am amazed by pages 7 and 8!

ZUDA... we're comin' for ya!

clears throat... Is this thing on?

2008-07-12T23:14:00.001-07:00

Hello, good morning, and welcome... or something like that. How're you doing? Everything going well? Good.... wait a second, what do you mean who am I? Ah that's right, you'll have no clue about me up to now... well, I guess I'd better start with a little introduction:

I'm Scott, and along with the other two members of the Flight Crew listed over there, I have had a hand in this whole Flight Captain Hurricane stuff - a very small hand, Some would say infantile in its size (but I think that's just rude, and so I don't tend to speak to those Some anymore, nasty, wicked people that they are).

Um... where was I?

Oh yes, I have had a hand in creating the world (or Universe, or whatever you want to call it) of Flight Captain Hurricane, fleshing out general themes, ideas, basic characters, etc... consider me more like a silent partner... which sounds like it means I don't do or say a lot. I can't argue with that, it's probably true.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself, say hello, good morning, and welcome... then let you go on about your business. Enjoy the awesome production diary that this blog is, and marvel at the beeeeeeeeeautiful sketches.

Catchya later, wing commanders.
-=-=-
Scott

Zed Flight!

2008-06-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

Here are the other pilots of Zed Flight: Flight Sergeants Hopkirk, St. John, and Lt. Smythe:

And here are some great head shots by Sandra Khoo

And some quick color sketches of a Japanese Ki-21 "Sally" Bomber and a Mark II Hurricane!

Some quick Thank yous.

2008-06-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'd like to thank the Royal Air Force Museum and Chris Yeoman for their assistance in researching FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE. For a story set in World War 2, I needed to be as accurate as possible in descriptions of planes, squadrons, colors, and well, just about everything.

Chris supplied me with images of the exact model of Whitney's Hurri, and the RAF supplied more details about the squadron markers. Thanks to all!

My son asked me early on in the research why I was being so detail oriented. My answer was simple: "It's World War 2, and it's one of the most researched and studied conflicts ever! If I say there are Hawker Hurricanes in the South Pacific, there'd BETTER be Hurri's in the South Pacific! People will know!"

Who is Captain Whitney?

2008-06-18T06:29:00.000-07:00

John C. Whitney is a young, handsome New Zealander flying with the RAF. He’s seen action during the Battle of Britain and is now flying with the No. 226 Group based in Palembang, Sumatra. Whitney has an adventurous spirit under a cautious exterior. At the start of the War, Whitney was studying Engineering at Oxford, but quickly joined the RAF and entered Pilot’s Training.

During the fabled Battle of Britain, Whitney flew a Hawker Hurricane (dubbed Lucky Lady) and scored three victories.

FCH First Look!

2008-06-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

Here are Sandra Khoo's designs for the hero of FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE, John Whitney!!

Welcome to the Team!

2008-05-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

I am thrilled to introduce Sandra Khoo as the newest member of the FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE Team. She is a terrific artist in Malaysia, bringing a truly world wide flavor to this epic story.

Thanks Sandy and welcome aboard!

Cleared for Take Off!

2008-05-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the production blog for FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE! It's an exciting and action packed homage to Sunday Comics, Republic Serials, and ol' fashioned pulp adventures.

Follow the adventures of Captain John Whitney as he struggles for survival after being shot down by the Japanese in early 1942!

FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE is created by Bob Francis and Scott Fisher.