The next graphic novel...

Patriot-1 is on track to be released next year. I'm pumped, it's my passion project and the story I've been trying to tell for years. I won't lie, it's like an origin story, but it's also all about the character and what he becomes that makes it kind of great.

But for the next graphic novel, I'm doing something a little different. Patriot-1 is a straight up military/espionage thriller. It's heavily inspired by Tom Clancy - who is the most influential author to me. For the project I commandeered a public domain character and I'm exploring a period of time not often touch on in comics.

When considering the Golden Age of comics, it always begins with Action Comics #1. Of course it does, it's the first appearance of Superman and the catalyst for the abundance of superheroes that followed - everyone trying to catch lightning in a bottle.

World War II is done a lot in comics. Maybe overdone. The Cold War isn't touched upon so much anymore, but the influences still remain. But what intrigued me, especially with the character I commandeered, is the period of time BETWEEN the end of World War II and the rampant McCarthyism and the real rise of the Cold War during the 1950s.

The character I've picked up was created in 1946 and only ever made one appearance. It was a post-World War II world, but the Cold War had yet to really become what is was. Where did a character like this fit?

It wasn't really the Golden Age and it wasn't the Silver Age. I see it referred to as the Atomic Age, but it's all so short-lived.

Publishers created characters like him all the time - a mad dash to make a quick buck - and that's why so many are now in the public domain. What would a superhero in the immediate aftermath of World War II do? And with this character in particular, why did he never appear after his first issue? These are all questions I'm aiming to explore when this book gets going early next year.

So I found this to be a really intriguing part of history and comic history. It's a bit pulpy, a bit spy stuff and a lot superhero. It's also going to tie into a superhero universe I'm crafting. More on that soon too!