Hi, Bill Barry here,I'm a storyteller.
I have been a published comic book artist and graphic designer for many years. Later I decided to only illustrate my own work. Taking scripts from writers and turning them into sell able works of art was good for a while. I sort of lost interest in that way being in the comic book business. Oh yes , the pay was bad! I decided I was pro illustrator working for peanuts. I was then hired by Disney and that was more fun and useful use of my creative talents. But my love has always been with comic books and comic strip (aka, Steve Canyon by Milton Caniff) My style I'm told is that of Milton Caniff, creator of Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon. The creative process can take years to cook. This project sat for several years in my computer. Many cartoonists to sit their basement studios and have a short sighted view of the world. This story was created on one my trips to Hong Kong and living in the real world of globe trotting adventures. I was sitting in a hotel lobby in Cebu ,Philippines and reading the newspaper how locals were digging up the town for some sort of world war II treasure called the Golden Buddha. Hmm! that sounded like good story material. But how to make in the back story between good guys and the bad guys. My hero had to have some special skills to deal in a world of danger and greed. What better than to make my hero a Navy Seal. well trained in warfare. I later learned that ex-Seals have been hired as bodyguards by treasure hunters. The pot of stew was beginning the cook. But who are the bad guys? Japanese? During the world war II the Japanese had looted gold from all the nearby Asian counties that they invaded. The legend goes that they buried tons of gold in the Philippines but the Americans made it difficult to get the gold back to Tokyo. The legend is now 65 years old. The dictator Marcos of the Philippines is believed to have grabbed a Golden Buddha and jailed a farmer. I talked to a helicopter pilot who flew gold bars for Marcos from Manila to Leyte. So again the story stew is cooking. Now you need some bad guys with special interest in the Golden Buddha treasure...since Yamagata was the general (tiger of Malaysia ) and was blamed for the looting. thus the name Yamashita's Gold. Who better than Japanese gangsters with a vested interest in the lost treasure. Now my hero had some real bad guys to confront. One finial ingredient I found. that will be reveled in my story. This is my big hook or surprise that I have for the reader. Don't give it away your big surprise in the story, a dramatic conclusion. when you write your story you can have many twists and turns as long as you know how it will end. Remember your hero or heroes must win the day. You need a strong ending to your story A big hook to surprise the readers. They must be happy with their time reading your Graphic Novel. and wait
for your hero's next adventure. Sell it!
