The Story Behind the Story

Creating Mud Freestone: The Mad Dog

Think of your favorite movie and the genre it falls in. Is it a romantic comedy? A period piece? A thriller? I may not know your favorite movie, but if it’s a rom-com I know the two childhood friends who bump into each other at the local coffee shop are probably getting married. Even if one of them is currently engaged to their perfectly lovely but “just doesn’t truly get me” fiancé.

Nothing’s wrong with consistent plot lines that don’t deviate from a basic formula… that is unless you’re trying to do something unique. For something to be remarkable and memorable, the storyteller needs to add something fresh. The trouble is that producers are drawn to things that they know will be a success. You can’t blame them with the mounting production costs. However, comic books can give an artist like me the ability to dream big and truly test, explore, and create a beautifully unique story.

My favorite comic book of all time is Frank Miller's Batman. The gritty style and familiar superhero sitting so close to reality both captivate my imagination to this day. To think of adding something new to classic heroes like Batman excites me – what can I create to do my part in elevating the medium as a whole? 

Enter, Mud Freestone: The Mad Dog.

This story started as a screenplay – a sci-fi action thriller centered around the complex relationship between the main character and the dynamic character. This complexity would take a significant studio budget to produce, a daunting task for a no-name writer.

Eight revisions later, my gem of a producer pal suggested I adapt the story into a comic book. Another friend suggested I make it a five-part limited comic book series. These awesome suggestions showed me that my story could still come to life, I just had to get creative. Traditionally a comic book grows in popularity and is adapted into an animated or live-action show or film (like Marvel). I flipped this upside down, moving backward from screenplay to comic script.

I knew then that I needed to assemble my own team of superheroes.

First came Bobby Chrisafis. Bobby’s creative enthusiasm for comics and Frank Miller's style stood out to me. Talk about bringing the words to life with striking images. He connects to Frank Miller's style like few can but adds his personal twist. 

Then came Ombeline as the colorist and letterist. Her passion for elevating the art and her ability to connect to the masculine and feminine sides of her work drew me in. Her passion for the medium and the graphic novel she was currently working on sold me.

With Ombeline’s layers on top of Bobby’s lines, my story is now a five-part limited series. The first edition of issue number one is complete.  I hope you enjoy Mud Freestone’s story as much as we are enjoying creating it.