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Hey guys – thanks for hanging with us. We haven’t put up new pages in a while, but work continues on GUARDIAN OF THE GATES. Scripts are written and art is underway – our plan is to start publishing again when we can commit to a regular schedule again.
We do have something big to share with you, though. When we created GUARDIAN, we envisioned it as a kickass animated series or movie – and over the last few months, we’ve taken another step towards that goal.
We wrote a Pilot script. Here it is. Check it out.
We’ve shared a lot of our process with you guys, but there is one part we’ve kept to ourselves – that we’ve had occasional nibbles from producers and managers and animation houses, interested in GUARDIAN’s potential as a movie or TV show. There was always one hitch – the funds needed to hire a writer for a script.
Now we’ve, hopefully, removed a big hitch. Here it is – the beginning of what we know can and will be an awesome adventure, with limitless potential.
If you like our comic, read the Pilot. And if you like the Pilot, spread the word – we’re here and we’re ready to do this thing.
Guard on, pals.
All the best
Walt & Mike
Hi guys – Walt and Mike here. It’s been a while, we know. And it sucks. And here’s why.
Since launching GUARDIAN OF THE GATES three years (and 100+ pages) ago, we’ve been able to maintain a pretty regular publishing schedule – a few gaps here and there, sure, plus breathers between chapters, but a page a week was largely the rule and, realistically, the most we could do given… well, life.
We wrapped Chapter Four this summer, with a cliffhanger that had been in the works for years and which we couldn’t have been more excited about. We couldn’t wait to get Chapter Five in front of your faces as soon as possible, and then…
Life.
We’re not making excuses here. Yes, the dayjobs got more hectic and demanding, as did the families/kids/etc. But that’s not your concern, nor should it be. You used to have a new page of GUARDIAN to read. Now you don’t. Simple as that.
We want to change that, and are working to change that. Work on Chapter Five continues, pages are finished and ready to go, but given that we can’t commit to a regular publishing schedule at this point, we’re holding on to them for a bit. Chapter Five is our best, most kickass chapter yet, and it hurts us to keep it under wraps, but we also don’t want to release a page here and there, without a long-term plan – our story deserves better, as do you.
It’s Thanksgiving, and we have tons to be thankful for. As we’ve said before, GUARDIAN OF THE GATES is a labor of love. Nick, March and Verrigo are members of our family, have been for years now, and we’re supremely grateful that you’ve gotten to know them too. Hang with us – their adventure’s not over yet. Not by a long damn shot.
An awesome holiday to you guys – and thank you,
Walt & Mike
Hey guys! We don’t blog as often as we should, but today we felt the need for a couple of reasons:
First and foremost – thank you for reading GUARDIAN OF THE GATES. If you’re new to our story, welcome, and hope you stay! And if you’ve been reading us for a while, man, you have no idea how that makes us feel. Warm and awesome and gooey, deep down inside. Thank you. Which brings us to…
Second – if you’re a newbie, the grizzled vets can attest: if you’re looking for a linear, easy-to-follow-on-autopilot story requiring little back-reading… well, GOTG isn’t it. The story we wrote and love is layered and rich, and that’s the story we want to bring you.
We knew, given our online publication schedule, that this could bite us. We would lose some people. But we counted on more folks finding GOTG and liking it enough to go with our twists and turns, and read back to get the full experience.
Today’s page is a great example: Kay’s journey – and the message he carries – is the result of the gruesome Attack of the Black Blades back in Chapter 1.
See? You want to read back already.
Because GOTG isn’t just about Nick’s adventures alongside March and Verrigo. It’s also about Kay’s education and self-discovery. And Victor and Helena’s love and sacrifice. And the Council’s duty. And, yeah – even Lucan and Orwain’s knack for being in exactly the wrong place at exactly the wrong time.
That being said, we’re not oblivious to the challenges of reading a story like ours in the way we’re putting it out, and we’ll do our best to help bridge the gaps. But if something ever seems out of left field, it’s a good bet the missing piece is in a previous chapter, waiting to be discovered.
Believe us – if we could post more pages more often, we would. That’s the dream, and a constant source of angst for your humble creators. Until then, we’re grateful for the time you spend with our little burgeoning weekly epic – it’s only the beginning, and we promise you great things to come!
Thanks,
Walt & Mike
Culver City, CA & Franklin, NC
Hi guys and gals,
First of all, thanks. If you’re reading this, odds are you’re one of the many folks who’ve let GUARDIAN OF THE GATES into your lives, and that means a whole hell of a lot to us.
It’s crazy to think that we’ve been working on GUARDIAN for more than two years now – the time has flown, probably because we’ve been having so much fun. Sure, there have been long nights and tight deadlines, technical difficulties and bouts of writer’s block, learning curves and growing pains. But after looking back at these first three issues, at more than 70 pages of work, we’ve never been more excited about our story and all the awesomeness yet to come.
Fun fact: GUARDIAN actually started off as a pitch for an animated series. We wrote character bios, drew up designs, plotted out a few seasons’ worth of story and began exploring ways to get our ideas in front of the right people. We quickly realized that we had like a 1% chance of getting a meeting with a Nickelodeon or Disney exec; but we also realized there was a 100% chance that we could get our story out there, on our terms, exactly like we wanted.
And so GUARDIAN OF THE GATES, the comic, was born. We introduced the world to Nick Finch, a kid who never backs down from a fight, especially those he can’t possibly win; James March, a mysterious stranger who protects Nick for reasons he hasn’t yet made clear, maybe even to himself; and Verrigo, a seasoned swindler whose moral compass is guided by gut and gold, to varying degrees.
Their paths are now joined, for better or for worse; their journey treacherous, with no guarantee of safe return. As the architects of their adventures, we’re on board to the end –as their readers, we hope you will be too.
Thanks again, and watch this space – we plan to be a lot better at staying in touch with you guys, both here and on Twitter, FB, etc. And we definitely welcome your thoughts and feedback – feel free to hit us up here or there.
Onward and upwards,
Walt and Mike
Culver City, CA & Franklin, NC
You’ve read GUARDIAN OF THE GATES. You’ve liked GUARDIAN OF THE GATES. So why not BE in GUARDIAN OF THE GATES?
As a holiday thank-you to you guys and gals, we’re giving you a chance to get in on the action – one lucky reader will be drawn into an upcoming panel by Mike Pellicone himself! You even get to choose what kind of ghoul or goblin you want to be.
All you have to do is write on our wall and tell us who your favorite character is and why you like him/her so darn much. Is it Nick? March? Helena? Are you a Kay man? Or a Verrigo chick? Time to decide! Let us know on our blog, or on our Facebook page.
Make sure to tell us if you want to be drawn as plain old you or if you want horns on your head or fangs in your nose or something. We’ll randomly choose a winner from all the folks who respond.
So what are you waiting for? Thanks again for reading, and happy holidays from the GOTG team!