Posted at

(Edit: Urgh, I got a typo on the title, brilliant start, right?  Please do your best to ignore that..)
About Me:
     I'm neither a verified professional writer, nor a completely amateur to the field. I write for a theatre company and have done a few pieces for community magazines. I've also co-written a novel but have been re-writing and edited in preparation for sending to a literary agent. Not all that important, but I thought it's useful to know as an artist considering this that I didn't just pick up a pen yesterday. =)
I do have an art background, but I'm more of a 3D modeller than an illustrator, and as a result were I to undertake the art myself, actually preparing the models would take months. As a result I'm hoping to find someone willing to collaborate.

About the Story:
      That story, under the working title 'Arcadia' is a fantasy/mystery story with a rather dark tone to it, set in the city known as Arcadia…
"It had been several centuries since the Magical Revolution. That was
what they referred to it as, the day when the magic users, and the
beings of magical descent rose up against the human population whom they
claimed repressed them so terribly.

Initially, things had looked
quite grim for the magical types. While their power allowed them a
distinct advantage, they were small in number, spread out and
disordered, their species' squabbling and mistrustful of one another.
Their small groups became easily surrounded and wiped out by the
superior organization of the mortal ranks.

It was at that point
that the Fae stepped in. They offered vast amount of magical power and
influence….but they also offered something more terrifying than any of
their kind. They organized a summoning ritual, calling upon the dark
and ancient beasts that slept within the earth.

They summoned dragons.
When
the dragons came, their smoke blotted out the sun and their fire
scorched the earth. Human cities were reduced to charred bones and
cinders. Thousands were turned to ash.

The armies of humanity bowed before the creatures. Magic had won.

Many
years have passed since that dark and distressing period of history.
The world supposedly became a much more civilized place in that time,
under the leadership of the magical folk. Attitudes were wholly
different to how they had once been. Strangeness and abilities were
prized, humanity was regarded as the lowest of the low, treated with
anything ranging from disdain to open hostility.


Arcadia, one of the largest cities of
the
new society, was heralded as a great example of how the new world
functioned better than the old world had…and how all the mythical
species could live and work together in harmony.

Certainly, Arcadia was nothing like a human city.
Bathed
in a constant, magical twilight, Arcadia was built around enormous
trees and spires of rock, streets perching on huge branches and up
nearly impossible slopes. There was no particular plan to it, making it
easy to get lost….especially as whole streets would often change
places overnight. It was populated by all sorts of magical beings,
living alongside one another and having comparatively normal lives. One
could buy fruit from a goblin, or stay in an establishment owned by a
personable manticore.

Humans existed in Arcadia, though the
majority were trapped in jobs none of the other residents would wish to
do. Most exist as slaves, merely a commodity to be traded between their
'betters'.

Arcadia was certainly a sight to see….but all wasn't
well there. Upon the peak on the northern edge stood two structures,
the course of the conflict. One was the twisted palace of branches that
made up the Seelie, the court of the Fae and Elvish folks. On the other
side stood the jagged stone tower of the Wizards. Those two made up the
greatest authorities in Arcadia…and they had been engaged in a power
struggle for years.

The natural, instinctive magic of the Fae,
and the carefully calculated study of the Mages had never matched well
together…and things flared into a new level of hostility when
Finneaus, one of the leading wizards of the tower, was discovered
face-down in his seeing pool. A Fae plot was suspected, and the two
establishment seem ready to fight…but a few suspect something else is
afoot. As the city approaches the great Festival of Unity, with many
dignitaries visiting, the Lanterners, the city's law enforcement
struggle to try and find the culprit…before the city tears itself
apart from within."

The story focuses on the characters of a male human dock worker, Branwen, a female changeling working for one of the Fae Lords, Sable,  a manticore who works for the city's police force, and Glom, a troll who buys and sells memories amid the Goblin Market.
When Branwen pays the dock worker to carry some goods for her to a location in the market, both stumble across the murdered body of Old Greyback, a manticore trader and father of Sable. They are arrested on suspicion of the murder, and begin to try and investigate what is behind the killings in Arcadia to try and clear their names…but discover all sorts of shady dealings benaeth the surface of the magical city.
Essentially it's a fantasy, though with a sort of Film Noir leaning to it. Rather than focusing on quests and saving the world it focuses on the idea that magical creatures are not fundamentally less corrupt by virtue of being magical, and that under the surface even a fairytale city can have just as unpleasant an underworld.
About What I Have in Mind:
     To clarify, while I've written 'Arcadia' up to this point, I don't want to be anyone's 'boss'. If someone wished to collaborate then they'd be welcome to have a weigh in on creative decisions if they wanted to have them (though they're also welcome not to if that's their preference). Any revenue generated from the comic in the future would be split equally.

About the (Prospective) Artist:
     Ideally the artist would be someone with a good grasp of anatomy who is not limited as to what they can draw, though style-wise I'm not terribly fussy so long as it's consistent. The project involves characters from numerous different species so would certainly be variable and interesting.  Some scenery will also be required.   Colouring skills would be awesome too, but are not a deal-breaker, as I think I can do reasonable colouring work if needed.
Consistency and availability is also important. While I don't expect someone to have nothing better to do than work on a comic with me, people who start these things and then disappear forever makes for sad times. Slow is fine, so long as it happens eventually and with some manner of regularity. Life tends to get in the way and that's understandable, just don't abandon the project is all I ask.

So, if by some suprising twist of fate you happen to be interested in my venture, then by all means send me a private message! If not, have a great day anyway.
Cheers,
       Vit.