We're happy to announce that Unleashed Wake Magazine featured the first 12 pages of Shake The Lake Volume 1 in this months September issue. You can check out the digital version here. STL is making the rounds just in time for Surf Expo - Orlando. We'll be including 6 double page spreads each month so Unleashed's readers can follow along. Of course we'll eventually be overtaken and there'll be a necessary break in the story but readers can expect the first 60 pages to show up

Ladies and Gentlemen, There's a big milestone we've just passed and that's getting Shake The Lake - Vol. 1 up on Comixology. A task that has taken over 6 months to complete is finished and our comic is up on the major digital marketplace for our medium. I'm very proud and I'd love to ask you to visit the link here and grab yourself a digital copy off Comixology. #bestgraphicnovels2017 #bestcomicbooks2017 #howtomakecomicbooks #comicbookmarketing #wakeskating #wakeboarding #wak

As I sit here in jury duty selection, I find a few precious minutes to write a much needed blog update. First, a quick catch up. Shake The Lake Volume 1 has been out for roughly 3 months and has appeared on Amazon.com in a kindle version and very recently, a hard copy print via Createspace and aside from being available on our website www.shakethelakecomic.com, you can now get a digital version on iTunes. So that's fun! What we're lacking in sales, we're making up for in plat

This has to be the hurdle that broke the camel's back. Tasting that sweet, sweet victory of finishing volume 1 of STL and then getting gut punched by Mike Tyson as an advertising necessity. So we've got to spread the word about the work. Lesson #1 as a creator - Just because you build it... doesn't mean they'll come. Get out your pen and paper and start writing out the ways you can push your work, and get ready because it's a battle all the way. Nobody wants to have to sling

I actually had a lot of trouble with this and wish Amazon would make a significant update to the Kindle Comic Creator software. It wasn't very intuitive and I crashed the application many times before successfully creating a useable file for Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). If you're here, you've probably already pulled out some hair so chill and read on soldier... First - The Kindle screen size must be 800 pixels by 1280 pixels because the comics creator won't let you increas

After a significant absence, we're back with the official release of STL V1.... one second... Yeah! It feels good. Limited edition hardcopy prints are in (and going out), the Kindle edition is up on Amazon and the digital version is available right here at www.northairentertainment.com We've got some terrific reviews from action sports companies and comic blogs. I enjoyed this one from Drifting Thru. We're also looking at creating some special STL content solely for review pu

Shake The Lake Graphic Novel takes place in two very different worlds. Our crew starts their adventure in Shasta, a fictional mid-west lake town. Shasta is a small, suburban haven for middle class American families. There's not much for culture here but it's a great place to grow up. Everyone's friendly and accomodating and family values run deep. Deals are sealed with a handshake and Callun and his friends pretty much rule the roost. If this were Texas, these boys had better

Why make a graphic novel? Because it's a lot of fun (as in taking snorkel beer bongs from dancing ladies at a house party fun). It also requires a lot of work, time and effort from very talented people. Obviously, the illustrators are going to carry the majority of the weight bringing a story to life in comic form. Below you can see Diego and Andrea putting an extraordinary amounts of detail into their frames. As I've mentioned in previous posts, the more detailed you can get

There is a huge amount of risk in hiring a freelancer to illustrate your graphic novel. First and foremost, drawing, coloring and lettering more than 100 pages is going to take someone a LONG time. As the producer, you're going to have to keep your team motivated (and fed) for the duration of the project. Then, there's the unofficial but common creative gene that seems to haunt all but the most professional of creative freelancers that says "Schedule? What Schedule? Never Hea

Those of you subscribed (enter your email address on any page at www.northairentertainment.com) will get an extra special announcement in your inbox. Before we begin, let me just say "Thank You! to everyone who is following along on this journey with us. Thanks for your support, feedback, curiousity and excitement. We can't wait to deliver the coolest non-superhero graphic novel of the decade. So, how to revise artwork for your designers. This might be the first real meaty po

We've gotten pretty in-depth on the production design of our settings in STL. While outlining our "Fidgie Burger" I pieced a 1950's style diner with a modern fast food joint. In a later post, I'll explain in detail how to compile and organize all this info. For now, just know that there's anywhere from 2-10 references that are pulled, vetted and approved for each frame that ends up getting drawn. By adding these pieces and taking the time to build your scene, you end up not o

It's a captivating thing bringing characters to life. They're an abstraction in your mind's eye as an idea and when put down on paper in words they begin to grow and take form. Furthermore, drawing them out, a process that starts with character descriptions and maybe some reference images, further enhances not just "what" but "who" the character will be. They probalby won't come out as you pictured them. It's like taking a closer look at a girl after you've been dating awhil