Every episode of Into the Storymaze = writing ideas or writing-in-progress; something creative I’m excited to share; a highlight from my comic book writing; and a quote that’s worth a think.
Please check out my new Kickstarter comic in prelaunch: tinyurl.com/axlesinfernal
Happy April 1 — aka April Fool’s Day. But no tricks here, just treats!
Continuing to share the pitch for RYSK, my new comic from Blackbox that’s coming out in late April. Check out the last Storymaze for Part 1 — The Player. Read/watch on for how hero Ruby Chance’s world first came to life:
The Bet
Ruby did more than just play the odds. She saw the angles — the numbers, the probabilities, the possibilities all came naturally to her. As did the potential for a bigger bet on her future, building on the math behind it all.
Using her own smarts and a combination of custom AI code development she’d outsourced in pieces across the internet, Ruby had arrived at a dynamic new risk assessment algorithm for plotting the odds and outcomes of high stakes situations. She calls it Rysk.
Rysk would be a killer app for big business seeking a competitive edge — and Ruby would be the one reaping profits from licensing her code. But while Ruby commands serious skills, she’s had a hard time getting anyone taking a “girl” just out of high school seriously. Her startup dreams are stalled at the financing stage.
With the odds stacked against her, Ruby decides to bet on herself. She takes the stake she's saved up over the years, and heads to the casino to use her bookie “insider knowledge” to secure her future. Bets placed, dressed to the nines, Ruby plans to celebrate taking it to the next level in style.
And that’s when the screaming starts.
Things get stranger and scary for Ruby (and her world) in next week’s installment: The Odds.
A grieving senior citizen and an octopus aquarium-imprisoned octopus team up to solve a long-unsolved missing person case. Yep, you read that right. Now go read this: it’s touching, clever, funny and deliciously original. (Although I will admit I am not well-versed in the cephalopod detective genre.)
Fair warning: you will immediately want to go to the nearest aquarium and break out their hyper-intelligent tentacled inmates.
When my dad passed away a number of years ago, I found a folder where he’d held onto all the press and articles related to things I was working on. All the feels? Oh yeah.
Sharing some of this time-capsule seemed timely, given the Kingpin/DD dance now on Disney+. I don’t remember this ad at all: but I dig it! This is one of the few times you’ll see a “Dan Chichester” credit. And in his final act of revenge, I’m pretty sure Wilson Fisk stole that red varnish cover from us!
"You cannot appease fascism by meeting it in the middle; you cannot beat racism by indulging or excusing it."
- Medhi Hasan
Amazing Times
I’m D.G. Chichester. If that looks pretentious, feel free to just call me “Dan.”
I earned my storytelling cred writing comic book titles like Daredevil, Terror Inc., Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, along with digital widgets in the world wide web of advertising. I like weird tales, so if things here bend that way — now you know why!
Folks seem to like the comic book adventures I’ve written, so if you haven’t checked one out — please do. Many are now available in fab collected editions.
For between newsletters…
Love the DD ad.
I don't even remember that one!