So what has 10 Worlds been up to? We are building our worlds, here are some projects we are currently working on.
Goryo Dog
Episodes 11-12
GD started as an online manga that we wanted to look like a genuine Shonen Jump scanlation. Then, we discovered the world of digital comics, and saw the possibilities thanks to Mark Waid’s Thrillbent.com. We created a format to display our “books” that works best for us. We want to take full advantage of how digital comics are displayed today on computers, smart phones, laptops, and tablets, breaking free (or as free as possible) from the panel-by-panel format of printed comic books.
We started looking at our projects, not as books, but television shows. Goryo Dog went from a manga to an anime.
Zahdian Arief Arizky, who took over the artistic reigns of Goryo Dog, saw what we want to do and made it a reality. Showing amazing versatility, Zahdian went from panel-by-panel pages to frame-by-frame story progression. Without having to find a way to squeeze five or six panels onto a page, Zahdian was able to EXPLODE.
Currently, we’re producing episode 11 and 12 to conclude our first season. Check out episodes 1-10 here.
Lazarus
When I wrote LAZARUS: Immortal Coils, it was always meant to be a pilot. Like the syndicated television shows of my youth, it was a 2-hour movie pilot to introduce the main character, villains, and conflicts in that world. When the book went to series, it would expand, so the miniseries only gave you a taste, and hinted at bigger things.
Back in the day, when I was young, you could only enjoy episodic productions on television, and there were only three stations with new programming every year, and the rest replayed old shows. Then came syndicated television, and if you liked a syndicated show, you followed it from channel to channel. Cable television stations started producing their own shows, and winning awards. People were watching more cable network television than anything else. Now, you can find episodic broadcasting on video on demand services like Netflix, Hulu, Youtube and Amazon. Not to mention the HBO Max and Disney +, streaming services have changed they way we consume media.
When I created LAZARUS, I wanted my “pilot” to be picked up by a publisher and go to series. When that didn’t happen, I published through print on demand, which is the equivalent of going to video – it’s there for people to rent or buy, but it doesn’t progress.
My studio partner, Juan Lasso, one day had the idea to continue LAZARUS as a web comic. I took the idea a step further, do it as a digital comic. That took me back to the original premise of what “Immortal Coils” was intended to be. I decided not to present the new series as a comic, but bring it into the future. If the miniseries was based on 80’s television, LAZARUS would adapt to today’s television – paid television programming standards.
LAZARUS: The Series isn’t just a continuation of “Immortal Coils.” It’s an expansion and a retelling. We changed our hero, so he looks more realistic, I think of it as recasting role with a new actor who is a better fit for the new direction.
That direction is DARK.
That direction is MATURE.
That direction is DRAMATIC.
That direction is SURREAL.
The series doesn’t take place in an imagined metropolis, but in Los Angeles, California. Lazarus travels through real streets, goes to real places. He isn’t chased by secret police, but is hunted by the LAPD.
Ahasverus isn’t a covert fixer, but a homicide detective named Isaac Marraine.
The Speaker isn’t just Pontius Pilatus, but is now… Well, I won’t spoil that part.
Honestly, when I wrote “Immortal Coils,” I used a made up city because it was easier for me to write about demons owning and operating a fake city than a real one. I had four issues, and every issue had to have equal parts story and action.
Those restraints are gone, so Lazarus remains a demon hunter, but who the demons are, why they’re here, and how Lazarus fights them, and with whom, will be a richer mental, emotional, and visual experience.
A large part of that is the artwork of Fernando Zamora. Fernando read the first script, knew what was needed, and took the next step forward using photo references, and Google mapping locations. I visualized and wrote LAZARUS as a FX cable series, and Fernando’s work proves that was the right direction.
We’re currently producing episode two of the 12 episode first season. You can catch the first season exclusively at www.lazarustheseries.com.
Finally, rounding out our projects (and keeping with our variable themes) is “Los Cubanos” by my other studio partner, Alex Lugo. If Goryo Dog is an anime, and Lazarus is paid television programming, then “The Cubans” is the sitcom of the group. It is the semi-autobiographical story of Alex’s childhood, growing up as part of the small Cuban community of Portland, Oregon in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Think of it as All in the Family meets King of the Hill. The strip follows the life of his Cuban immigrant family and how they cope with culture shock and homesickness in a town as far as possible from the home that they know. I know that this is only a teaser for now, but Alex will have more news on the Cubans (including images) in our next installment of this ongoing blog.
Now that you know what we’re doing, you’re probably (hopefully) asking when you’ll see it.
We’re doing everything we can to launch sometime THIS YEAR. Inconsistency will KILL any small comic publisher, no matter if it’s print or digital.
My role model is Kurt Sutter. If you don’t know, Kurt Sutter is the creator, writer, and showrunner for the FX series SONS OF ANARCHY. What I love about Kurt Sutter is consistency. He launches a new season of SOA every September. He writes through the summer, gets into (approx) half a season of stories before filming. He films about half the season (approx) before launch, and runs each season with no interruptions. The episodes get longer as the story becomes more complex, but he still runs it with no breaks, no hiatus. You can count on getting you SOA fix uninterrupted.
Kurt Sutter is my role model for what we’re doing at 10 Worlds Studio. When we launch, we want to do it uninterrupted. That takes time. We are working hard to make it happen because we want you to love us. Seriously, we really, really do.
Remember, if we’re too quiet, it’s because we’re working!
The Experience is Everything!
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