Long John

A reader asked, via Tumblr:

Just purchased Long John from Ben at Empire Vault…He recommended your book….I do like westerns but reading your blog you don’t consider Long John a western comic…will there be a third print book?? I will be following your website for add-ons…I like what you and Josh are doing with this book….I once lived near the Grand Canyon so this sparse landscape of Mono Lake seems familiar…

I guess I am being a bit hyperbolic by saying that Long John is not a western comic. If anything, I say that because I never sat down and said, “I want to make a western.” Instead, I had thought of this character and thought, “I want to tell this story.” In the course of making Long John, I have made choices that were right for the telling of that story instead of making the “right” choices because of what would make it “more western.” I am also hesitant to call it a western because the major stylistic influences on Long John are not any westerns in particular. Mostly, it’s Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo and noir fiction all put into a western setting.

Yes, indeed, there will be a third book as soon as it gets written and drawn! It’s plotted right now and I will be (with hope) writing/laying it out soon. There is much more story left to tell of Long John.

As I said recently on the website, I hope to work with Josh again to make another installment of Hellrider Jackie’s story. He has been very busy lately with moving and getting his art up in galleries where he lives in Oregon. He and I are also working on a new project that is still in its early stages, and I don’t want to wear the dude out.

I’ve been to the Grand Canyon a few times and it’s hard to relate its majesty to people. Even while standing there at the top of the canyon, it’s hard to comprehend the sheer scope of it. I haven’t been since they installed the “Skywalk,” but I really want to do that. I’m sure it enhances the experience quite a bit.

Thank you for reading Long John and spending the time to ask some questions, I really appreciate it. (And thanks to Ben Schwartz at Sacramento’s Empire’s Comics Vault––one of the best local comic shops.)