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Changing Careers: The Birth Of A Sci-Fi Epic

The Immortal – the sci-fi epic of the last human in the galaxy, an intergalactic bounty hunter named Z. If Star Wars was a comic about Boba Fett, written by Frank Miller and drawn by Moebius, it might look a little something like this.

by Darryl Knickrehm

The possibilities are endless.

That's what I thought when I first stepped on the plane to Japan. That was 13 years ago. Somewhere along the way, that thought got lost.

But how?

Well, it all began that first day out of film school. I wanted to see the world. I wanted to be a part of it. I also wanted to be a professional storyteller. So being young, idealistic, and not limited by failure, I set out to mix all these dreams. I went to Japan to make indie films.

The first few years were great, like any adventure. I was in a foreign land where everything was new and exciting, even the dull things we take for granted. Things like using the toilet (get ready for squatting), bathing (here comes public nudity), and even eating (prepare for major slurping). I met faces from all over the world, people just like me except from Canada, Australia, England, and believe it or not, Japan. Everyday I was challenged. Everyday I was part of a world were I learned new ways to live. The possibilities were endless.

And film making was so exciting. I was on my own, so there were no rules. I was completely free to create. I made one film after another. My films started getting into small festivals, then bigger ones. Then they started getting nominated for awards. Eventually I setup an entire film festival for the Osaka prefectural government. Things were really taking off. Next stop was the film industry and who knows where. The possibilities were endless.

Then the inevitable happened.

Reality set in.

All that newness wore off. All those exciting Japanese things simply became everyday life. Those friends from other countries returned home. My role in Japanese society became clear. Language was a barrier. Jobs were not available. My life was severely limited.

And just as I thought my film making career was going to the next step, it stepped backwards. Those indie films I sunk a lot of money and effort into yielded very little back. People didn't buy short films. They were only seen at film festivals. And even though I wrote a number of feature film scripts, I couldn't gather the resources to make them myself. My career was severely limited.

I needed a change.

I decided to try a new type of storytelling.

I started writing short stories. Then I did a book. I also found opportunities to illustrate. I even entered a few contests. It was a time of exploration, a time I realized that I could complete projects on a smaller scale, stories that didn't require money or a crew to make. It was also the dawn of the digital revolution of media. It became possible for a book by little old anyone to sit on the digital shelves along with the mega-stars. Opportunity was out there. It looked like possibility was once again on the horizon. Unfortunately, there was one problem spoiling the view.

There is another side of art: business. If you want a career, you have to make something for sale. And if you want to make something, it costs money. To create physical books, to promote, to build a website, to create a product on par to the mega-stars doesn't happen for free. Unfortunately, holding your hand out on a crowded street rarely brings in adequate funds (at least in my experience). Lucky for me, that was about the time Kickstarter was born.

So I tried it. In our efforts to learn the craft of writing, a buddy and I started an online magazine of short fiction and films called Waylines. We thought Kickstarter would be the perfect place to fund the first year, so we made a campaign. Guess what happened? It was a success.

A thought then struck me.

This Kickstarter really had potential.

Instantly I realized it was time. It was time to put writing and drawing and film making together. It was time to see what Kickstarter could really do. It was time to make a graphic novel. What I needed first, however, was an idea. So I started on a script. I churned out concept sketches. It wasn't long before The Immortal was born. And boy was I excited. This comic would be part hard-boiled mystery and part sci-fi manga. It would be the epic tale of Z, the last human in the galaxy and the mystery of his past. It would be the perfect debut as a comic creator. I just had to sit down and actually make it.

Now The Immortal is ready. The Kickstarter campaign to fund the print release of The Immortal has begun. But it is just the tip of the iceberg. Because this is the start of a new hero. It's the launch of a worthwhile story. It's the beginning of (hopefully) a new career. Most importantly, however, despite starting this path so long ago, I can once again say: The possibilities are endless.

For you awesome Bleeding Cool readers:

The Kickstarter campaign runs from August 15 to September 13. But if you act now, you can get a free Tipped-In Plate (a limited print) of the concept painting for The Immortal with any pledge that includes the Trade Paperback Vol 1. All you have to do is Contact Me after your pledge with this code: BLEEDING COOL. Oh, and you have to act now. This limited time offer is only good for one week, until August 21. So go pledge now!

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