Justin has a lot to say about the process of creating The Wonder City's story, so I thought I'd balance it by introducing you to two of The Wonder City's pivotal characters, brother and sister, Owen and Lizzie (from page 7 of the book). Owen is curmudgeonly (I'll have to trust my instincts on the spelling of that word) and Lizzie is a typical little sister (I'm looking at you, Kirsten).

Actually, sometimes I feel like this panel embodies Justin and my relationship as we work on the book.

"T-squares are dumb."

"You're the dummy who made me draw these straight lines."

Owen's green thumb is an important ongoing theme throughout the story. Hint: keep an eye on anyone who can grow stuff!

FRONT MATTER

With our recent launch on Kickstarter I’ve been fielding the question: “What’s The Wonder City about?” This one almost always makes me panic. Not a good sign when you’ve been nursing an idea in your head for years. I should have a statement etched onto the underside of my skull. Something I can recite by rote that just blows people away. I don’t though. I turn red, I get nervous and I create a distraction to change the conversation. But now I feel it’s time to pony up.  It’s only fair that I explain what this project really is about and where it came from.

At the moment, there are few visual samples available and some may find that a little strange since it’s a graphic novel. But that’s intentional. Also, I’m not interested in giving too much away plot-wise. That would take all the excitement out of reading the graphic novel when it’s completed. So I thought I would give you some background into how and why this story came to be along with a couple of plot nuggets along the way. I hope this will serve to peak your interest not only in the project and the story, but in the meaning behind it.

Spending the last four years researching and creating this thing, I’ve had my fair share of crazy experiences. In traipsing around New York, I’ve had my ear chewed off by crazy librarians for what seemed like days, shoved down in dark tunnels for hours and been urban whale watching on Coney Island. But these research expeditions alone capture exactly what makes New York City one of the most unique spots on the planet: its history and its people.

So I present to you for the duration of our fundraising period (in digestible digital installments):

AND MAYHAM ENSUES: BUILDING THE WONDER CITY

Check back on a daily basis for updates (we hope).

NYC 400 and The Wonder City

A large piece of the mystery in The Wonder City centers around New York's Lenape origins and New Amsterdam's founding by the Dutch.  How fortunate that we launched our project during the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's discovery of the New York Harbor.

Here's a great documentary, Pam clued us in on:

http://www.thirteen.org/dutchny/

Plus a cool project which recreates an untouched Manhattan Island as Hudson would have seen it:

http://themannahattaproject.org/


Check back as we start nerding out with some history-based "funny stories" involving our research trips for the Wonder City.

Our New Post Card

Courtney designed our new postcard for the Kickstarter campaign. It's Velma's head. 

The Wonder City in a Nutshell

To commemorate the successful launching of our Wonder City fund raising efforts on Kickstarter, I've decided to start this blog in order to keep our backers and anyone else interested in what we are working up-to-date on the graphic novel.

Check out the project here:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/224129525/become-a-citizen-of-the-wonder-city

So here's a brief run-down of the story:
 

When the Dutch settled their fledgling island outpost of New Amsterdam in 1624, they were approached by an old Lenape man who called himself Kapsee. He entrusted to them a small, deformed pearl that he called the Parelzaad. Contained in it was the spirit of the island and the only defense against the mystifying dark times he prophesized would come. A few Dutch believers formed a secret society called the Light Keepers that swore to protect the charm. Yet through the turbulent early history of the city, the Parelzaad was lost.

Brooklyn, 1942: A young boy by the name of Owen Tulip lives an unremarkable life in a small two-room tenement with his mother and younger sister, Elizabeth. His life changes suddenly when a young woman approached his sister offering to buy a mysterious charm necklace she had inherited from her Dutch grandmother. Velma Graydon, on behalf of the Light Keepers, has traced the Parelzaad to the Tulip family**. Unfortunately,  the Parelzaad was lost again in a tragic accident. Velma believes that Owen is the only one who can help her find it and time is running out. The dark times prophesized by Kapsee will soon be upon them and New York’s fate is tied up in the lost charm.

 

The Wonder City is a graphic novel that traces the mythological origins of New York City through the adventures of its hero Owen Tulip. The novel, in it's entirety, spans his life and his quest to redeem the Parelzaad during which he also unlocks the history and spirit of the city itself.       

 **Read how Velma finds the charm here:  www.velmagraydon.blogspot.com

Velma's Journal--Back from the Void

As some of you may know, last December Mr. Fish was generous enough to assume blogging responsibilities seeing that I was bogged down in lettering the graphic novel. Not soon after both Mr. Fish and Velma disappeared for 8 months. No word from either of them. No one was returning phone calls and Mr. Fish stopped emailing and blogging.

I naturally assumed the worst.

Then this morning my phone rang (at a very early hour mind you).


JUSTIN: Hello.


VELMA (Very Loud): SWEETHEART!!


JUSTIN: Who is this?


VELMA: It's Velma, hon.


JUSTIN: Jesus, Velma, I thought you-


VELMA: Kicked it. Yeah. A couple of people thought so. No, Nicky and I were off for awhile.


JUSTIN: I'm assuming you can't say where?


VELMA: Of course not. It's not that interesting anyway.


JUSTIN: I'm starting to think you work for the government.


VELMA: I'm starting to think you don't work at all.


JUSTIN: Ouch.


VELMA: I mean, nothing. Not a single post since December.


JUSTIN: Nick told me he had it covered. Actually he told the readers. I didn't even get a head's-up.


VELMA: Ah, whatever. I know you and Courtney have been busy with the graphics novel.


JUSTIN: Graphic.


VELMA: WHAT? Oh. Right. Graphic.... Well, I've been thinking about some things.


JUSTIN: Oh yeah.


VELMA: I think we need to make some changes.


JUSTIN: To what?


VELMA: To this blog thing. We might've been going at it all wrong.


JUSTIN: I'm not sure there's a right or wrong way to do it, Velma.


VELMA: I do. Let's talk about it.


JUSTIN: Ok.


VELMA: Can you meet up with me tomorrow in my office?


JUSTIN: Actually I'm not in the city right now.


VELMA: Well where the hell are ya?


JUSTIN: Martha's Vineyard.


VELMA: Oh I see. Must be nice.


JUSTIN: It is.


VELMA: Well, when do you get back in?


JUSTIN: Can we meet the beginning of next week. Say Tuesday.


VELMA: GREAT!! Come over my way, noonish. Make ya a tuna sandwich.


JUSTIN: Yummy. See ya then.


VELMA: Right. Bye now.

I guess we're back in business.

Velma's Journal--May 6, 1932

A note was left in my campus post box stating that, in one week's time, I am to meet with Tobias Finch, Private Investigator at 8:15 PM under the far staircase of track 16 in Pennsylvania Station. The note said to tell no one and bring no one. It also said that I was in no danger and could be of great help to him in a very important investigation.

What does this all mean?