New Ideas, New Projects

Today I started tackling a great genre, HIGH FANTASY. I've always been attracted to this genre, and it's perfect for comics. It's got action, adventure, maybe a dash of romance, and great epic scale.

I've already got the first story outlined, and the scripting is flowing well. Now I have to find another artist...

The Half Way Point

Well folks, I've reached the half way point in the script for FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE, and although the finished art for this segment is still several months away, I can already see Sandy's beautiful designs for it.

We're moving closer and closer to submitting FCH to Zuda, and my confidence is growing more and more with each passing day.

And then... a LOGO!

Chapter 1 down... 3 Chapters to go

Just finished the draft of FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE Chapter 1. We follow the adventures of John Whitney into the unknown, and now the danger deepens!

This has been a great project to work on for me. The pacing has been such a challenge and that's based completely on the way FCH will be presented.

Anyway, back to work!

Twilight Preview on MySpace!

Hey everyone!

I just posted a Seven page preview of TWILIGHT: Voices of the Dead, by Bob Francis and Robert Saunders on my MySpace page!

Check it out!

I'm on MySpace!

Howdy everyone!

You can find me on MySpace now too!

http://www.myspace.com/bobfranciscomics

ORIGINAL SIN Preview on Facebook!

Drop by and see this 12 page preview of ORIGINAL SIN by Bob Francis and Kelly Porteous!

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20460983043

New Designs by Sandra Khoo!

See the new designs at the FCH Blog!

A little help goes a long way.

I'd like to thank the Royal Air Force Museum and Chris Yeoman for their assistance in researching FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE. For a story set in World War 2, I needed to be as accurate as possible in descriptions of planes, squadrons, colors, and well, just about everything.

Chris supplied me with images of the exact model of Whitney's Hurri, and the RAF supplied more details about the squadron markers. Thanks to all!

My son asked me early on in the research why I was being so detail oriented. My answer was simple: "It's World War 2, and it's one of the most researched and studied conflicts ever! If I say there are Hawker Hurricanes in the South Pacific, there'd BETTER be Hurri's in the South Pacific! People will know!"

FCH First Look!

Online at the Official FCH Blog!

Sandra's designs of John Whitney!

Taking Flight! The Official Blog of FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE

Here's the link to the Official FCH Blog:

http://flightcaptainhurricane.blogspot.com/

Follow the adventures of Bob Francis, Scott Fisher, and now Sandra Khoo, as we try to bring the adventures of John Whitney to Zuda!

CHARLIE GOLD Update!

The first screen of The Sonata of Charlie Gold is online! Find it here!
http://charliegold.blogspot.com/

Thank you Elisita for your great work!

Teaching Myself to Letter

With "Charlie Gold" I'm taking the opportunity to learn to letter comics with Photoshop. It's been a lot of trial and error, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. We'll see when something more complex comes across my desktop, but "Charlie Gold" is a great way to start.

"CHARLIE GOLD" Now Online!

Well... almost.

The Sonata of Charlie Gold to be published here:

http://charliegold.blogspot.com/

I'm very excited about this webcomic! It's a new challenge in terms of pacing, and Elisita Gayle's work is fresh, youthful, and very eye appealing! Updates on the process of "Charlie Gold" will, of course, continue to be published here but the final product will be on the new site.

Great things are coming!

When Details Change Everything

Before Elisita Gayle turned in the title screen of THE SONATA OF CHARLIE GOLD, I had a very different backstory in mind for the teenager. I figured she'd want to assert her independence by dying her hair some wild shades, or wear lots of blacks, or something.

Then I saw in the design that this girl had eyebrow, nose, and even lip piercings. I liked the look, and it didn't start to bother me until the realization of Charlie's age set in.

Charlie is 16! 99% of all the jewelry places won't pierce minors without a guardian's permission. That started a whole ball rolling, all centered on this question: Who paid for/approved Charlie's piercings?

I answered that question, and in doing so, came up with a totally different backstory than I had originally intended. Charlie's still a teenager asserting her independence, but now the hows and whys of Charlie's young life are different than when I first conceptualized the character. It's just an example of how a detail as small as a pierced eyebrow changes everything you had planned about a character.

ORIGINAL SIN Preview!

Here are the first three pages of ORIGINAL SIN, written by me with art by Kelly Porteous!
Just as a reminder you can check out more samples, production art, character bios, and even fan art at Kelly's ORIGINAL SIN site: http://www.lunajile-studios.com/originalsin/main.html

TWILIGHT: Voices of the Dead Preview!

Here's a couple of preview pages of Robert Saunders' and my comic TWILIGHT: Voices of the Dead. I've really enjoyed writing this series. It's been an exciting ride for me, and I hope it will be for the readers as well.

THE SONATA OF CHARLIE GOLD

Coming Soon to the Internet!

THE SONATA OF CHARLIE GOLD is the story of a young violinist as she goes on the most mirthful, perilous, and heartfelt journey of her life: being a teenager.

Written by Bob Francis and drawn by Elisita Gayle in her first serious comics effort.

"Charlie Gold" is an ongoing webcomic, planned to have a bi-weekly update schedule.

ORIGINAL SIN Art Site up and running!

Kelly Porteous added an entire section dedicated to our series, ORIGINAL SIN, on her studio site. http://www.lunajile-studios.com/originalsin/

Check the site for character bios, sample pages, and yes! Even fan art!

Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo

The Calgary Expo is this weekend, and Kelly Porteous, the artist for Original Sin, has an exhibition table there! I'm absolutely excited for her and wish her the best of luck!

Fortunately for her, she doesn't have to travel!

TWILIGHT and ORIGINAL SIN Mock Covers

These are the submissions covers for my projects TWILIGHT: Voices of the Dead and ORIGINAL SIN. The artists are, respectively, Robert Saunders and Kelly Porteous. The two projects have presented unique pacing and writing challenges, and the artists have been producing fantastic work.

Searching for FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE

Scott Fisher, a British author, and I dreamed up this concept last year and started to flesh it out as a mini, but the concept has been retooled as a webcomic. Twenty screens are outlined, but now the exhaustive search for an artist has begun.

This is where I ask the tough questions, mainly dealing with the pure look of the series. Most of the time I have a firm idea of what I'm looking for, visually. And FLIGHT CAPTAIN HURRICANE isn't any different.

I just have to find the right artist.

New York Comic Con 2008

I had the great opportunity to come to New York for the show, and it was truly worth every effort getting here. I met some great people; the list is much, much too long to do anyone justice, and I learned a great deal about the medium and the industry.

Thanks to everyone in New York.

Good things are coming.

Welcome to the Show!

Let me introduce myself.

I am Bob Francis.

I write Comics.

In the following days, weeks, months, and years, I'll be posting comics I've written and let you know when and where to see them. I have the great fortune to be working on a pair of excellent projects, ORIGINAL SIN and TWILIGHT: VOICES OF THE DEAD, with two fantastic talents, Kelly Porteous and Robert Saunders, respectively.

Keep your eyes open, good things are coming.