Rachel Smith Maybe I just said goodbye to this world legend of olympus and a weekly webcomic schedule, but the creators have just announced two new standalone graphic novels currently in development: Eleanor’s death bed and patient in darkness. In an exclusive interview metropolisSmythe said that while it’s still early days, the title and overall plot are in place, but no timeline for publication has been specified yet.
Official information about the two upcoming books:
“the first is Eleanor’s death bedis an original graphic novel that tells the story of a reclusive undertaker’s apprentice whose peaceful life is turned upside down when her unlikely friendship with Death becomes entangled in the politics of the gods.
“The second one will be patient in darknessIt tells the story of a grieving psychiatrist called home by her estranged family, old secrets and new patients who don’t belong in the field.
Although the first book will echo legend of olympus With fantasy elements and a romance genre, the second book will be relatively more grounded. But things are definitely still in the early stages:
“I’m in the process of world building right now, so it’s still early days. Especially for Eleanor’s death bed Being the first one, I’ve been trying to sit back and figure out what the theme is and what I want to express with it. It’s romance, but what else could it be? What can we do for people to engage them, to excite them, to make them feel seen? So that’s a very interesting prospect as well.
Apparently, the move towards a simpler graphic novel format was inspired by another critically acclaimed work from last year – Emily Carroll2023 graphic novels There is a guest at home:
“I’m reading There is a guest at home Written by Emily Carroll, a graphic novel of about 250 pages, and I was like, It’s about the size of a printed Legends of Olympus novel, and it’s a unique story. I tell myself that I have learned to simplify what I am doing. I’m honestly really excited to take what I’ve learned from the experience of making such a big story and fine-tune and apply it to make it really neat.
Smith’s feelings on transitioning from a weekly webcomic format to working on an entire graphic novel:
“…when I’m about to finish legend of olympus, my body feels like I can keep the momentum going. I don’t want to be such a person Oh gosh, I’m in my 30s and I’ll be 40 in a few years, because age is everything you make it. But I’m not bouncing back like I used to. When you work long hours, recovery takes longer.
The transformation of online comics and catering to audience expectations:
“…it’s really a very different animal in terms of production. I really wanted to explore the other side of the coin, which is, We want it all at once and here it is. I look forward to writing for this type of audience.
Still, work may be a long way off:
“I’m in the process of world building right now, so it’s still early days. Especially for Eleanor’s death bed Being the first one, I’ve been trying to sit back and figure out what the theme is and what I want to express with it. It’s romance, but what else could it be? What can we do for people to engage them, to excite them, to make them feel seen? So that’s a very interesting prospect as well.
In addition to these two new projects, Smythe is also involved in Inklore’s graphic novel project Rachel Smith presents… Aims to develop and publish new talent. Smythe announced in October 2023 that the program aims to
“…celebrates creators who are passionate about mythology and helps them bring their imaginations to life.”
legend of olympus The work that made Rachel Smythe famous – a gorgeous and engrossing reinterpretation of Greek mythology Persephone is kidnapped. It runs as a weekly webcomic series from March 2018 to June 2024. It won critical acclaim, won multiple Eisner, Harvey, and Ringo Awards, attracted a legion of fans, and became the champion of the vertical scrolling format for web comics. The series is reissued in hardcover print editions from 2021, first by Del Rey, a Penguin Random House imprint, and then by the company’s newly formed Inklore Books imprint – a company with a clear focus on publishing comics, comics and drawings Adult works in the field of fiction. Inklore officially launches this year.
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