“It started with a song…”
“In 1995 I wrote a song called Oldsmobiles With Laser Guns…
The song inspired me to draw a few rough comics of some really stupid guys trapped in outer space… None of it really made any sense.
Early 1997 I recorded the song with my punk band, with an intentionally misspelled name, Undermind Authority.
Fast Forward to 2023, I was inspired and decided to finish what I started. The only thing really stopping me was who the characters were going to be… I needed my “couple of guys” and to be as close to the original concept and source material as possible. I realized the only guys I would be happy spending months flying around in outer space with would be my best friends and band mates, Nathan, and Bryce. Once I realized this, there was no doubt left, and I put pen to paper.
They were a couple of guys, on the prowl…
The first step was writing a script. I only had experience writing screenplays and long lengthy legal research papers. I chose to write it as a screenplay instead. In an early draft, the guys were just smugglers; their wasn’t much motivation or drive outside of making money. Reflecting on the original ideas the whole comic concept was a cat and mouse chase: get found by the space cops, escape the space cops, wash, rinse, repeat. It took some time trying to establish the motivation. When I wrote my logline it came out naturally, I realized they were more than just a bunch of guys in space out to make money; this was in fact a space opera, they were driven to get back home, and the connection with the Space Cops runs deeper than a game of tag.
As I began to draw a basic storyboard for the comic, I realized my script was waaaaaay too long! I broke it up into 4 issues, and moved onto drawing issue 1. While the story is action packed, there is still enough engagement, character development, and expanding story to keep you coming back for more! During their journey we will be introduced to new characters, new friends, and new (or possibly old?) love interests… Who knows, maybe you’ll find out what the Tell “Tell” is all about!”
-Mike