Reno
Reno is © Daniel J Thompson
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On a stormy winter night, a rugged big rig trucker, John Reno, gets dealt into a mysterious and deadly game of cat and mouse. At a service station off the highway, a young owner and her son were to be murdered, and Reno stopped it from happening. What he doesn't know at the time, the worst is yet to come! As the storm rages on, a mystery starts to unfold. Who is this outlaw? Can Reno stop him before he strikes again?
thanks everybody! It was fun to create 8 more pages, and who knows maybe if I ever get time I will do something else with Reno...Congrats to the winner...I really enjoyed Re-Evolution! take care friends!
Bullsh*t. 10th place is a slap in the face for such a strong comic!!! Don't let it bring you down, this is some great Chester Gould type stuff that deserves syndication. Certainly now you can pitch it to publishers....
I echo Mike's request!
Keep Reno going. Good luck, Dan, and stop competing against me...
:)
--Gabe
Some of my favorite comics have ended up in tenth spot. This will always be a favorite of mine. Please continue it somewhere and let us know where.
i love this comic! i'm so glad it made it into the invitational with the 8 new screens... i know 10th is rough but it is "the best of the ones that didn't win first" so there's no shame there. love the story and art!!
Good stuff! You certainly deserve more than 10th place, geez...
Wonderful comic all around. Very surprised this isn't in the top 3-4. Very tough month.
Dan, competition is tough, but Your title gets my vote man.
What I loved about Reno the first time out was that Dan was one of the first competitors who utilized the format to full effect. It's a fun read, and I enjoyed the evolution of the art in the new screens; makes me wonder where it will go if Dan gets the opportunity to do more.
Reviewed over at http://www.mpd57.blogspot.com - check out me checking it out.
I know this could be said about every comic not ranked number one this month, but there's no logical reason why this shouldn't ranked higher.
None.
Dear Zuda Competitors/Creators,
I recently started a Zuda fan blog, and I would love to interview all of this month’s creators. If you would be willing to answer 5-10 questions, to be posted on the Zudafan blog, please contact me at: zudafan@gmail.com (if you haven’t already) .
Feel free to check out the blog: zudafan.blogspot.com
Thanks!
I really like this comic. It really feels more like a movie than a comic. Very fast paced.
I love the new screens! The swirling snowstorm scenes are awesome simply in terms of color and action. Great job, Dan.
Got to screen 14 and can't tear myself away--been looking at it for several minutes. This page is incredibly sophisticated. Great use of limited palette and off-set color, clean layout.
Dan I'm not the type of person who thinks everyone needs to think alike. All I can do is try my best to reassure you that I've got a high level of respect for your creative talents. Very high. And there's probably about a million right ways to tell a story so it's not possible for any person let alone little old me tell you how things 'should be'.
but having said that I have to stand by my guns on one point. I expected something more out of that cliffhanger gunshot.
very fun read. good work!!!!!
Illness, true, the sister thing was dropped for two reasons...one people were saying they hated it, and two Reno and Maggie are starting to be more than friends...I actually had a line which I took out of the script where he started to say "sis—" and she stops him, but it didn't fit into the story. Regarding the Characters being shot, they were minor scrapes which I point out in the story...So, do I bandage them up? or just move on? I moved on because the story wasn't about them being shot...in the first version I wrote out, Maggie dies, and Reno escapes with the boy out the back, but I wasn't really feeling it,for the boy character and Reno interacting so I had him kidnapped to be taken out of the story...Maggie still might die, but i'm not sure. I agree with all your points but sometimes deadlines start to creep in,you're at a crossroads with how you're going to handle the story, and it needs to get done...you just hope you get the best you can do at the time out on time, and hope there aren't too many problems with it.
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Rob asked
3) Marketing;
There seems to be a general agreement here at Zuda of the importance of outside marketing to boost a comic's ranking. I've also spoken with a number of creators who, for different and equally valid reasons, don't really feel that's something they want to do themselves. I realize that successful marketing can be an edge in the competition and as such some creators don't want to say too much about they're own methods while the contest is running, but could you discuss your own approach to outside marketing? How much time have you devoted to it in this first week of the contest? Has your approach to it changed since your first time in a competition here at Zuda? Are you marketing the comic more, less or differently than you did the first time around?
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I'm in Freakin Tenth Place,Man! HAHA so, no, not much has changed since the first time but my ranking getting lower haha.... Some people no matter what you do, just have more voters...I work from home as a freelancer, so I don't have certain luxuries to network outside of emailing friends, and hitting forums I frequent...I'm sure there are really original ways to get your comics seen, but to get strangers to vote...it's a huge chore, and something I just don't have time for. Walt Disney once said "when you're on the bottom, the only place to go is up." So, I'll keep trying to rise from the bottom.
Okay, now that we're past the first ranking, it's time for the next question.
3) Marketing;
There seems to be a general agreement here at Zuda of the importance of outside marketing to boost a comic's ranking. I've also spoken with a number of creators who, for different and equally valid reasons, don't really feel that's something they want to do themselves. I realize that successful marketing can be an edge in the competition and as such some creators don't want to say too much about they're own methods while the contest is running, but could you discuss your own approach to outside marketing? How much time have you devoted to it in this first week of the contest? Has your approach to it changed since your first time in a competition here at Zuda? Are you marketing the comic more, less or differently than you did the first time around?
-Rob
Second impression:
I'm a big Reno fan.
I know you got a lot of crap from the readership for calling Maggie 'sister' over and over again but I don't think it's in your best interests to drop the word entirely. The first thing I noticed was that the word sister didn't come up.
I know this is a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' kind of situation for you but I think it would've been easier for the Reno fans to think of Reno as having an annoying personality quirk than to explain why his, basically his personality changed.
I also think you let a great set-up go to waste. Two bullet hits result in no damage to Maggie and her son. What a let-down. And there's a more serious consequence in that now I'm wondering if the characters are invincible to bullets? Then Reno was released from his bonds for no reason... pulled a gun out of nowhere...
I don't think the plotting holds up all that well.
But on the other hand I still love Reno.
I've got in my hands the latest issue of Astonishing X-Men which is penciled by Simone Bianchi. Every page has a bleed panel, sometimes more than one, and he seems oddly obsessed with breaks and oddly shaped panels. I like circles and ovals when there's a point to it but this 'comic' seems to me to be nothing more than a design exercise set to dialog. It's pretty but I didn't enjoy reading it.
I brought this up because I think that Reno goes a long way toward proving the 'less is more' philosophy. Based on the first 8 pages of Reno I'd rather read Reno than the other.
But I don't know what to think about the new pages.
2)Format
Zuda's "monitor-friendly" 4X3 format is something new to most of us since it premiered last year. It does create some unique differences in how the page is composed and i think artists and readers alike don't really fully appreciate that until they experiment with it a bit. Contestants this month have been working with that format for awhile longer and had some time to reconsider it since their first eight page submission. Can you talk about some of the challenges of the format?
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I never really felt it was challenging...I've never really worked in the comic book format for very long, I've always worked in the comic strip format, and this reminds me a lot of the sunday comics...it's actually bigger than the sunday comics, so I felt I had lots of room to play with.
Okay, next question;
2)Format
Zuda's "monitor-friendly" 4X3 format is something new to most of us since it premiered last year. It does create some unique differences in how the page is composed and i think artists and readers alike don't really fully appreciate that until they experiment with it a bit. Contestants this month have been working with that format for awhile longer and had some time to reconsider it since their first eight page submission. Can you talk about some of the challenges of the format?
-Rob
This is entertaining and the art is great. As a hedonist, I read and look at these solely for entertainment and this gets the job done.
Thanks Everybody for the comments.
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Scott O Brown, Thanks man, Scott and I worked on a comic book together for Platinum Studios called "Super Larry" written by Andy Mangels...It just came out in May...so if anybody likes Reno...you'll really love "Super Larry"
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Robberry237 wrote:1)Update and production schedule;
Dan, if you win a contract this month, what sort of update schedule do you see RENO having? How many pages per month and at what intervals?
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Great question...If the long shot of all long shots were to happen, and I won the contract... My update schedule would be what ever amount per month Zuda was willing to pay me for Reno...Reno will get distracted and go off into other stories while he is searching for the Highwayman. So, in my mind there is a ton of fun stuff to give the fans of the comic on a daily,weekly, monthly basis...short answer: what ever Zuda tells me I can do, I'll do.
Dan
So last month's general Q&A seemed to work pretty well for opening a dialogue about each creator's plans for their comics and I thought I'd try it again this month. I'm going to try to ask five general questions for each competitor first and see where those answers take us.
1)Update and production schedule;
Dan, if you win a contract this month, what sort of update schedule do you see RENO having? How many pages per month and at what intervals?
-Rob
"That'll be the day!" What a great line. All in all, still pretty fun and rediculous. I hope Reno punches the Highwayman right in the goddamn face for all this trouble...
Hi Dan great Job :D I love the classic style and the colours of this comic.
Another one I voted for. Like I said before, a great old school style comic.It moves swift and the art sets the perfect tone. What a great month!!!!
This is pretty good. The art is better than before. I'll give you a fav and 4/5 stars. The only problem I had with Reno this time around is not seeing an injury on her shoulder in page 9. Unless it's there and I just didn't notice it.
Again, not my cup o'tea, but I can easily see the talent.
'Like the artstyle. Simple. Thin to thick lines. Classy. I enjoy the 1940s to 1950s line art. Big fan of Raymond, Caniff, Eisner, Robbins, Davis, Orlando, Frazetta, and Wood etc,. The minor change to the 'look' is actually improves the mood. The only thing I'd adjust is probably the coloring needs to be knocked back by 15%. Good luck, Dan.
I do miss him calling Maggie "sister."
I still enjoy this comic! Fun, frenetic, with just enough pulp camp to make me smile.
Great seeing Reno again! (good to see Maggie was ok...) Good luck to you too!
Reno is the man! Great stuff, Dan. Reminds me of a 50's pulp novel. Love the art and color, and the story barrels ahead like a runaway big rig. Good luck!
Hello Creator of Reno. Good t see Reno back on Zuda.
I have not read any of the titles yet, but reno is my fave from the month
of its debut on Zuda. Good luck buddy.
Man, I love this comic. Best of luck in the competition, Dan!
I'll have more to say later but for now- I liked the art in the first 8 better too, love your use of color still awesome, and Reno didn't call her 'sister' not once, cool and thanks for that Dan.
"That'll be the day" I've always loved that john wayne line from the searchers.
Hey Dan! Nice work! The thicker inks give it a stronger sense of style than the first 8, and your use of color is wonderfully moody. Great job! You are required to win.
Nice Work! I really like the heavier inks and bolder colors in these new pages. Good luck in the competition!
Gabriel Hardman
Glad you made it back in! I felt bad after I voted because I meant to put you on my list and COMPLETELY FORGOT! honest! I did the same thing to Joe Comics! I'm glad you guys didn't need me! It's good to see some February Competitors! best of luck.
-steve
Still give me that Dick Tracy vibe and that's a good thing.
ahhhh, i needed some more Reno. this is a treat! good luck!
Eight new pages of unrelenting action! Good work. It's great to read more Reno.
Dig the dialogue and the art, very reminsicent of old B&W crime dramas for me...anyone hearing Cagney? ;)
The inks are a little thicker too. Honestly I perfered your art int he first 8 pages... The story is still tops though, it reads really urgently!
First one I read this month. I do enjoy the new 8 pages, but you can see a shift in the art from the previous 8. Heavier line weight and a slight color palette shift? It was a tad jarring.
But still---Good Stuff!!!
Good luck!
I am beside myself with anticipation. Literally beside myself. Not at all metaphorically. Quite literally beside myself with anticipation. I might quite possibly lose all control over my bodily functions upon seeing a new set of pages from this incredible strip. I'm also in danger of losing the power to sentences coherant form ... good it's that! It's a mess to going real be here over! Nuurrgh!
Cool bro, what this story lacks in art polish it makes up in energy, great dialogue and pacing. Lookin' forward to the next 8 and good luck!
Dan, RENO is awesome. It's gonna be fun to read more! Especially after that cliff hanger ending!