The Wild Nature finish line

Making comics, living life, watching The Last of Us

I have so much to talk about, but first: welcome to my first-ever Substack post.

In case you’ve forgotten, I’m David Taylor, the comics creator behind DECADES, Wild Nature, HER and The Grave. Lovely to see you.

Let’s talk comics! I’m hard at work on Wild Nature 3, the final part of the epic Running Man-meets-Hunger Games thriller I started in 2019.

I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done, and I’m excited to show you some of the new art-in-progress (including the cover for the collected edition).

I’ve got mixed feelings about finishing the book. I’m happy it’ll be over, because it’s been a huge undertaking - over 250 pages in colour. But I’m going to miss these crazy, slightly unhinged characters.

There are around 25 pages left to go and then it’s off to Kickstarter, where I met so many of you. And of course, I’ll be at a few comic conventions, where I met a lot of the rest of you.

In my next email, I’m going to share some of the process of making the book, so get ready for messy pencil work and terrible handwriting.

And naturally, what’s next?

What better thing to do after an exhausting epic of a book series?

Start something new!

First up is the remaster of my second graphic novel, The Grave.

It’s a neo-noir revenge thriller set in the Texas desert in the 1980s, with a big Frank Miller, James M Cain vibe.

The new edition will be a full-size hardback with refreshed lettering and loads of making-of material. I’m planning that for early 2024.

Next up, HER HARDBOILED HEART. It’s a twisty, paranoid espionage noir about a femme fatale operating in a world of terrible men who hurt women.

My long-standing fans will remember the two short HER stories I released. This is taking their blueprint and doing something much more ambitious with the ideas in them.

If you love Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, Darwyn Cooke, John Le Carre and other spy-style books, you’ll love this. It’s probably going to be 2024 before it’s ready, but it’s going to be great.

And finally, when I’ve got time to fit it in, a short horror story set in Scotland, Night Moves.

I don’t want to say too much about it, cause it’s a long way off. But I thought you’d like the concept art.

And that’s me for now. If you want to buy any of my current books (and get a 10% discount), head to my store and enter the code: SUBSTACK-BONUS.

Have a great week.

David