How it All Began
The first ever published Brute story
So far, I’ve shared on the creative origins for the two main characters in Brute (or two of the three depending on if we count Vanguard as a main character - he certainly would).
This week I’ll discuss how the series began and share our first ever published work of Brute.
April 2017, I purchased some new writing software, which I wanted to try out. I decided to give another kick of the can to that elusive enigma that I was determined to solve but had never figured out - how to write a great Brute story.
Except this time, I did something different. Instead of starting with Brute, I told the story from Rose’s point of view, and something amazing happened. The story just started to write itself. It just flowed out. First one issue, then two, three… eight!
I had finally struck creative gold! Trust me, it was such a joy for me to finally be able to tell these stories that had been rattling around in my head for decades.
Then out of the blue, my childhood BFF calls me up and wants to meet. Knowing he was an artist and as kids, we’d often talked about creating comics together, not only did I immediately agree (although you never know when this is just some set-up for a multi-level marketing pitch) but I brought my Brute scripts with me.
Turns out Owen did have an agenda - he wanted me to help him write his comic he was currently working on. A delightful story aimed at kids and pet owners - and who knows, maybe that’ll happen one day. I said yes, we could do that, but here’s something I was working on, and I pulled out my finished Brute scripts.
Owen immediately loved them and couldn’t wait to start working on them. Amazing! Destiny in action.
However, we didn’t start with any of those scripts. Owen suggested, wisely, we submit to a fan magazine, YEET!, and see what the reaction to Brute was. Since YEET! was an anthology with 3-4 stories per book, I needed to create a bit-sized story that introduced Brute and Rose, their dynamic, and appeal. Challenge accepted.
Fortunately, I had worked on the Captain Canuck newspaper strip in the 90’s. So I was used to having to cram a lot of story into very little space.
For simiplicity, I decided not to start at the beginning, but rather, to pick them up mid-journey when they’ve already been together a while. Although this could be a stand-alone story, it does slot in chronologically into the ongoing series around issue #20.
Now this was our first story, and Owen’s first published art work, and written for a fan magazine, so it’s a little less polished, but I think it was a very effective, concise, and engaging introduction to these characters.
Let me know what you think in the comments!
For paying subscribers, you’ll find the full color version, and it’s two sequels, are now available to read.