The Empyre

The Empyre goes to NYCC

2010-09-30T23:43:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. The New York Comic Con is almost upon us, and it's fast becoming one of the biggest in the US calendar devote completely to comics. Now that The Empyre is a free entity and completely owned by the creators again, we will be approaching publishers in the near future and as a starter for ten, Adam will be at NYCC this year, pages in hand showing off his portfolio of work including Empyre.

So fingers crossed it helps generate some interest in the book with some editors and publishers and I'll update with any news when I get it.

Empyre Interview

2010-08-31T23:43:00.000-07:00

I’ve reposted this interview here because I don’t know how much longer it will be on the Insomnia Blog as it could disappear any day. It’s an interview I did back in March that has been slightly edited down for length. There is some background on Adam and then a Q and A with me about the book.

If you remember, back around Christmas, we mentioned that an artist, Adam Bolton, had been signed on to draw our political thriller, Empyre, by Stephen Aryan, and now it's time you were properly introduced.

Adam is a Maths teacher by day, artist by night and after he graduated in Mathematics several years ago but after finishing his degree he returned to his main passion: comics. Like most people involved and interested in comics he has adored them since childhood, favouring some of the nastier and grittier books on the shelves.

After leaving university he began to concentrate on his skills with a brush and has since been commissioned to paint thousands of square feet of murals at various zoos and aquariums around the country. Whilst happy to dabble in murals, vehicle painting and anything else he can get his grubby hands on, illustration is his main passion and a career in that field is the ultimate goal.

In the Summer of 2009 he was lucky enough to be accepted onto the Comix talent scheme, run by Hi8us in Birmingham, and was tutored by the famous illustrators John McRea and Hunt Emerson. He’s been working full pelt since, his college work helping to keep him supplied in coffee and paints.

His role at Birmingham Metropolitan College is now Maths lecturer and specialist and he uses his artistic tendencies to help people with difficulties overcome their troubles with mathematics. As soon as the last student leaves the room he then crawls off to his studio in the Custard Factory, located in the culture quarter of Birmingham. He burns a good few gallons of midnight oil whilst hammering away at the pages for Empyre and various other publishers, dreaming of a day off and racing against almighty caffeine comedowns. And he’s loving it.

The first pages of art are flowing in now, and they are beautiful, so this week we have an interview with Stephen where you can find out more about him and the book, and some preview art, pages in progress and sketches from Adam.

Q: Right then, first things first. Tell the good people about the original concept for Empyre.

A: I always find it difficult to summarise the Empyre, but the elevator pitch is think of the TV show 24 combined with The West Wing, except it’s set in the UK and Downing Street. It’s about a secret unit that has existed for over 100 years within the government that get involved when others can’t, or when something needs to be sorted quickly and quietly. Also there’s a supernatural twist to the book that runs through everything. The Prime Minister is one of the main characters and he finds out about this secret unit on his first day in office. So there is a mix of action, but also some walk fast, talk fast political moments.

Q: There is a healthy dose of politics underlying the action. Are there any particular issues you will be exploring in the story?

A: One of the reasons it’s called the Empyre is in reference to the old British Empire, where at one time Britain controlled roughly one quarter of the world’s population. Nowadays we don’t have that many overseas colonies, as we’ve returned most of them to independence, and Britain is no longer a world leader in any particular industry. Part of this story is about a new secret technology that Britain has developed which is in high demand, so much so that it affects our status on the world stage and the leaders of other nations come knocking on Number 10 for our help. The Prime Minister must be mindful of how his decisions will not only affect the country during his term in office, but also beyond that for decades to come. It could literally shape the future of the nation.

So, basically a bit of everything, world politics, industry, technology, crime, culture and heritage. There are a lot of layers to the story, but it’s not all splattered on the page, otherwise it just becomes a story bogged down in exposition which is boring. So I’ve tried to find the right balance between politics and action.

Q: Tell us a bit about the main characters that we'll be meeting and following in the story.

A:The two main characters are David Solomon, the Prime Minister, and Alistair Donovan, the leader of this secret group within the government. Both are mature men, loyal patriots and, despite some rather obvious differences, over time they find they have a lot in common. They both want what is best for the country, first and foremost, which is what helps them get past what divides them. The Prime Minister has to come to terms with Donovan’s group, what it represents and what it can offer him, and Donovan quickly realises the new PM is a lot sharper than some of his predecessors. So there is an initial period of adjustment and building of trust between them. We see their friendship growing throughout the story, but it’s a bumpy ride as personal issues and politics affect both men.

The rest of the main characters are people out in the field on the action side of the book. They are a revolving cast of specialists who are selected by Donovan for certain jobs. All of them are unique, all highly skilled and each has particular strengths which he puts into play depending on the task. For example, one member of the unit is a former member of the SAS and highly decorated soldier, another is a police officer and expert investigator. We also meet other heads of state and hint at the big picture outside the UK with regards to the secret technology.

Q: No doubt, with the political content, readers will look for real life analogues in the story. Will there be any deliberate commentary on real world events?

A: The seeds of all of the main stories are based on real world events, but this is definitely not a political broadcast of any kind. I’ve been very careful not to mention any particular political party as I don’t want parallels drawn between characters and real world Ministers. Most of whom I wouldn’t trust to look after my toothbrush without getting into trouble. Every event in the comic that parallels a real world event is fed through a filter, because the two worlds are similar, but also very different in some fundamental ways. So, how an event is handled in the real world might not be possible or even necessary in the Empyre, because of some of the changes that I’ve introduced.

So the story is sort of set in a parallel world, again because of the supernatural element. As you might have guessed there’s something I’m not saying about the story, because I don’t want to spoil the surprise! I hate preaching and haven’t intended this to be a deliberate commentary and only hope that the story proves to be interesting and thought provoking.

Q: Adam has been working hard to bring your characters to life. Tell us a little bit about your work together.

A: When Adam came on board the script was already finished but I made it very clear that I was open to his ideas. I’m also very aware of my limitations, in terms of visual storytelling, and as an artist he has a much better eye than me. He knows what works on a page in terms of visual composition, whether we should take out or add in a panel, how to structure and lay out the pages to make them flow better from scene to scene, how to break up dialogue and captions to create beats and so on. I have an idea of how it will look in my head, but he is the one that really brings it to life on the page. And because there are just the two of us working on the book, it means Adam has complete control of the layout of the entire page, right down to where the word balloons sit.

Every time I receive a sketch or a page of art I’m really excited and very pleasantly surprised as he has managed to add something extra, something I never thought about or some detail that makes it much more alive. When we were designing the main characters I gave him a couple of famous names as a starting point and then left him to take it in his own direction. After that we went back and forth discussing and refining their look until we were both happy. It’s been a great experience and I can’t wait to see the finished product.

Q: What were your favourite parts of writing the script (if you can do this without major spoilers)

A: My favourite parts were writing the dialogue between the PM and Donovan. There is often a lot more going on than it first appears as each man is used to being in charge, or the smartest person in the room, and suddenly they’re facing someone who is their equal. It keeps them on their toes, it makes them test each other in a number of ways, sometimes petty, just to see how the other person will react. It’s a very complex relationship and their developing friendship is an important part of the story.

Good News!

2010-08-21T04:27:00.000-07:00

As has been reported elsewhere on the Internet, Insomnia Publications ceased trading on 30th June. Since then myself and other creators have been trying to find out where we stand with our contracts and how we could be released from them.

This has now happened, we have all been completely released from our contracts and The Empyre is back in the hands of its creators. So Adam and myself will be looking for a new home in the next few months and I will update the blog with any progress or news as it happens.

It's a shame that Insomnia went under because there was a huge talent pool of creators and some great ideas. With a bit of luck they will also find new homes for their projects so there could be a second British and European Invasion coming up! Watch this space.

The Sleepless Phoenix Comics Anthology

2010-08-12T01:30:00.000-07:00

There have been a lot of rumours online about Insomnia Publications in the last few weeks. Suffice to say as I previously mentioned, it's not good news. However, something very good has come out of it and it is a new comics anthology where all proceeds are going to the Comic Book Alliance. They are a non profit organisation that is the UK equivalent of the Comic Book Legal Defence Fund who help comic book creators (writers and artists) in difficult situations.

Please take a moment to watch the following video and if you can help and would like to get involved with this small Kickstarter project then it would be greatly appreciated and would help both myself and a number of other comic book creators with ties to Insomnia Publications. Many thanks.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/910305588/the-sleepless-phoenix-comics-anthology

News and rumours

2010-07-18T04:38:00.000-07:00

There are a number of rumours floating around now that Insomnia Publications, who were going to be publishing The Empyre, has ceased trading. I know of at least six other books in production, one or two all done and dusted, ready to be published and were due at Bristol and nothing happened. There was a big no show from the top brass at Bristol and it was put down to bad timing and other pressing matters, but it didn't look good and what followed after was several people leaving Insomnia in a rush. All of this is still unconfirmed but the mounting amount of rumours and stories, sudden exits and other goings on points at something rotten.

So, where does that leave The Empyre? Well, if Insomnia does go under, I should be able to get the contract cancelled or whatever, thereby releasing me from the publisher. At that point me and Adam Bolton, the artist, will have a chat and most likely continuing working on the book together and then look for a new home elsewhere. That's the plan at the moment. I was about to start the hunt for a new artist on a new project, but sorting out the future of The Empyre is likely to be a priority.

Will update this blog as regularly as I can with any news about The Empyre and its future.

Brief update

2010-05-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say we haven't forgotten about this, it is still steaming ahead, but it does take a lot more time for Adam to draw it than for me to write it. Also he is handling the whole lot himself, so while he has complete control over the whole page, right down to where the speech bubbles go, it is a lot more work for one person. So, at the moment, he's busy cracking on with it and I'm biting my nails and eagerly awaiting new pages via email.

Steve

Interview with Steve about The Empyre

2010-03-08T07:48:00.000-08:00

As previously hinted at the other week, there is a bit more news about The Empyre. I was recently interviewed for the Insomnia Blog, The Red Eye, where I go into a fair bit of detail about the comic, my writing process, my favourite comics and writers, and there are also some preview pages of artwork, sketches and other goodies from Adam Bolton, the artist on the comic.

Click me for the Interview!

Almost....

2010-02-22T05:49:00.000-08:00

Very shortly, hmm, probably next week or the one after, there will be a bit of news about Empyre and some finished artwork to show for the first time.

Adam Bolton, the artist, has been very busy on Empyre and we have exchanged a lot of emails about it over the last couple of months. We're now starting to tune into each other's wavelength and I'm very pleased with how it's going.

So, with a bit of luck, next week there will an interview with me, and one or two pages of artwork. Very excited and pleased with it and I hope you will be too.

Artist announced for Empyre

2010-01-31T03:16:00.000-08:00

I'm very happy to announce that Adam Bolton is the artist on The Empyre. Towards the end of last year I was sent some of Adam's artwork to look at and I thought it was great. Since then he's been working on some character sketches and he signed up with Insomnia shortly after.

He is now busy beavering away on the first part of the story and since then I've seen the first couple of pages and am stunned. It's one thing to see someone bring your characters to life in a sketch, but it's a totally different experience when it's a finished page of artwork. Something you've only pictured in your head for years is suddenly out there in the real world and everyone can see it. It's very surreal and what was only a silent movie in my head will soon be a tangible object people can hold.

I am very excited about this and to whet the appetite, here is a character sketch of one of the main players, Alistair Donovan. When I'm allowed and we're all happy with the finished product, I'll post some finished pages of artwork.

Christmas update

2009-12-24T10:47:00.000-08:00

This will be properly announced in the new year via the Insomnia Red Eye blog with a bit more pomp and ceremony, but an artist has now been sorted for Empyre. I have seen his portfolio of other work and was very impressed so we approached him and he has now done some initial character sketches and they look great. So, his contract is currently winging its way to him through the snow and the christmas post, and from Jan 2010 it will be full steam ahead to publication! Very excited, glad to see it is picking up some steam and I hope that it will be out next year. More info as I have it.

Merry Christmas.

Steve

New Horizons

2009-10-25T05:23:00.000-07:00

BICS seems like it was only yesterday but it's been a couple of weeks already. Since then a few big things have happened that will affect me, most directly is that Sony are going to be distributing comics via the PSP to its customers and Insomnia is on board. The Digital Comics Store on the PlayStation Network starts in December 2009. So with a bit of luck, this time next year Empyre will be available to all those with PSP's.

Insomnia Publications’ graphic novels will be presented in the store as single-issue length chapters, following the publication of the book. The first chapter of every book will be offered free to readers as a “taster” of the story. So, to kick us all of people will be able to get a taster of Cancertown, Burke and Hare and Cages.

Other bit of more personal news, I've started in a new job, and so far it seems to be going well, but it is keeping me very busy and is tiring. Thankfully Empyre is already fully written apart from any tweaks I feel are necessary as I stare at the scripts. All it means is I probably won't get to start on the research for my next graphic novel until the New Year. Story is all there, title, characters, structure, but I need to iron out some creases before I put pen to paper, or rather finger to keyboard.

Finding an artist is also moving along with Empyre. I've seen a few portfolios and we've got the feelers out, so we'll see what happens. More news when I have it.

Less than two weeks to BICS

2009-09-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

It's only a few days now until the British International Comic Show at Birmingham, and once again this year it is being held at the Think Tank Museum, not far from the Bullring. The floor space used has massively grown since the first year and this event is continuing to evolve. I will be in attendence on both days and it will also allow me to meet some of my fellow Insomniacs for the first time in person. As ever there are lots of great guests on hand for talks and sketches, and these include some big names from abroad. So while there's still time book a ticket if you're in the neighbourhood or you could take your chances and buy a ticket on the door this October 3-4th.

Small update on Empyre, my pilot for a cunning plan has been given the thumbs up, so I can now start working on that soon. As soon as I know who the artist is going to be I will announce it on here and other places on the Internet. See you at Brum if you're going.

Quick Update

2009-08-28T02:44:00.001-07:00

Just a short update before the bank holiday weekend. Still searching for an artist with Insomnia, but also working on some marketing ideas to build some interest that will utilise the power of the Internet. If I get the thumbs up from Insomnia for the "pilot" I put together, the real ones will require some audience participation. So I may be calling on those who are happy to have their mugshots out there to take part. More info as soon as possible, at which point I will stop being so cryptic.

A new beginning

2009-07-22T12:27:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to the blog for The Empyre, a forthcoming graphic novel from Insomnia Publications. On this blog I will post regular updates on the progress of the book, including any news, art samples from the artist (yet to be chosen) and generally keep you up to date on when and where it will be available, and, of course, how you can order it.

Once the book comes out, I will use this space to post any reviews and list forthcoming appearances by the creative team.

So, what is The Empyre all about? Here's the short pitch.

On his first day in office, the Prime Minister meets a member of his Cabinet he didn’t elect - Alistair Donovan, the Secretary of State for Nocturnal Affairs. Donovan runs a secret government department that has existed for over a hundred years. In extreme circumstances, when a swift resolution is needed, the Prime Minister calls on Donovan and his team of hand-picked specialists.

The Empyre mixes fast-paced action with politics and drama, charting how the UK starts to become a world leader in a secret technology, and the effects it has on international politics.

The Empyre will appeal to a mature audience and fans 24 and The West Wing TV shows as well as comics including Ex-Machina and Queen and Country.