‎NOV/15/24

before i jump into the update, i just wanna say thank you to Buggy, uGuy, T4KNO, and Skar’Go who all have been leaving me encouraging comments on post updates and iSSUE 1, it REALLY means a LOT to me. it seriously makes my day, and gives me the motivation to continue this project! :^] (also thank you to everyone behind the scenes who have helped me with feedback, laughs, and who have stuck around as my friends over the years, y’all know who you are :^D ).

anyways i finished the beginning sketches for iSSUE 2, surprisingly fast. while a lot can still change, i plan on keeping the script and panels consistent thru the production. i think i’m happy with where it’s going, the scene introduces the characters decently and sets up their interactions and chemistry better than the last version. is it great? i dunno yet, but i’ll find out soon enough once i get have the time to sit with it for awhile and digest it better. it isn’t pretty, but it’ll do.

for iSSUE 1, there were a lot of revisions that needed to happen from the beginning sketches to final pages in order for the iSSUE to work and make sense, enough that it doubled the production time. that’s why it took me almost 2 years to reboot the series to be honest. the 2024 rebooted iSSUE 1 is quite literally 4 times longer than the original “ACT 1” and the illusive unreleased reboot from 2023. however, i want to have a lil fun for once and get into what the JSRX reboot almost was in 2023, and what it would’ve looked like. if i didn’t, this would be a lackluster update :^P

first, i need to be transparent and mention that the “half-boot” (the planned reboot of 2023 that got scrapped and re-worked) was not a solo-illustrator project. my girlfriend, aka the love of my life (yes, i’ll be a sap about it) was actually set to be the colorist and background artist for select parts of the series. page 2 to page 3 is an example of her work, which to this day still blows me away with how fun and fluid her character designing is. despite her coloring, linework, and character designs being leagues ahead of where mine were, she did step away from the project due to a mix of conflicting art programs, lack of interest in the project, and the job requirements not matching up with her specific skills as an artist. i still think she did a phenomenal job, and although this version was scrapped, i still hold this specific piece of it near and dear to me. and yes, we were together before i got hyper-fixated on jet set radio, and we are still together, 6 years later.

in short, all the impressive aspects of this half-boot comic are not mine to take credit for. that goes to my girlfriend.

the half-boot is structured almost identically to the original JSRX, at the time i was more focused on slight tweaks and narrative shifts rather than full blown changes to the script. maybe one day i’ll make an update about my process during these changes. maybe even a character design process one might be fun! i know my art has changed a lot during this time period, and i’ll admit this is some of the most growth i’ve seen in my work in such a small amount of time. i can promise that the original JSRX’s loose and barely-legible lines were a result of time constraints and (honestly) a lack of care. i was mainly trying to get the comic out as fast as possible, and it definitely shows. i think my art regressed in 2021/2022 ngl. we don’t talk about 2023 :^C

i hope that was interesting enough! yes, i brought on an esham song for this update, it’s a classic. if you’ve never heard of him i’d HIGHLY recommend his music, Judgement Day and 4 All the Suicidalists especially (i promise, just give judgement day a chance, i know the beginning is off-putting, it makes sense with the context of looking at the album art). i hope to use one of his songs for the next iSSUE, since i think it’ll work with Poison Jam (ooo spoilers) being the main focus. i know this update is a lil soon, but i hope to get this second iSSUE out much faster than the first! thanks again to everyone, and i’ll see y’all in the next update!