What lies between history and myth? Join the us for a few beers and find out on June 29 at 7:00 p.m. at The Bell House in Brooklyn.

The Brooklyn-based blog, F’ed in Park Slope, along with comic creators, Justin Rivers and Courtney Zell, invite you to celebrate the release of the first volume of their self-published graphic novel, The Wonder City: The Great Whale of Coney Island, a series that intertwines the secret mythology of New York City with a centuries old mystery. A work in progress for 5 years, The Wonder City is a successfully-funded Kickstarter project, and Justin and Courtney would like to say thank you in person for making the book a reality!!

Meet-up with other comic creators and pick up your very own copy of The Wonder City! There will be a chance to win amazing door prizes: a custom-made bike rack from Brooklyn-based Gowanus Furniture Company and other great prizes!

Visit www.thewondercity.com for more information!

Party Details:
Wednesday, June 29, 7:00 p.m
The Bell House, 149 7th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues), Brooklyn
F/G to 4th Avenue

Dear Kickstarter Backers,

I'm sure by now most of you have heard that the first volume of The Wonder City, The Great Whale of Coney Island, but as of today they're officially for sale!

Financially, this is largely in part to your generosity and your belief in our work. And since we feel we haven't said it enough, THANK YOU! 5 years ago if you were to tell me on June 1, 2011, Courtney and I would be selling an entire graphic novel I would've told you it was wishing thinking. Instead you helped make it a reality.

So, with that, our book is available through our website on amazon and etsy! Within a week or two there will also be an ipad version available through a company called Lush Comics. Coming soon will also be an android and iphone app as well, which we are very excited about.

Also, save the date: on June 29th at 7PM in Brooklyn, we are having our official launch party at The Bell House in Brooklyn, but we'll save that for another email.

We sincerely hope you enjoy it. And please, any and all honest feedback is greatly appreciated.

We have one more request: If you enjoy the book and think it's worth the read please spread the word. Tell all your friends and family. Our continued success now depends on word-of-mouth and yes, sales. The book can be easily purchased through amazon from our website at www.thewondercity.com. Also, be sure to check the blog through our website from time to time. Starting next week I'm going to be putting up some fun supplemental material that will give clues to what happens in the next book.

Thank you for keeping us company along the way and, most importantly, thanks for visiting The Wonder City. 

With gratitude,

It’s actually on Friday this week. This is progress.

Almost there...

No page today for all you first lookers. This week we are featuring our brand new website. Go on over and take a look:

www.thewondercity.com

Many thanks to Jo Tsai who put her time, effort and incredible talents into putting together the website for us.

And this Monday I will be rebooting The Case Files of Tobias Finch. This is the story of how Velma, shadowing an aging gumshoe, really becomes the Velma we come to know in The Wonder City. So stay tuned for that. I promise it will be a fun read.

Our website is just about ready to go (it's already live) and I have a feeling by the end of the week we'll be ready to feature it, so stayed tuned.

Since we've been heavily featuring Dottie in this scene, I thought I would add a little more on her background by including one of Velma's journal entries. She's quickly becoming one of my favorites and I think it's easy to see why. This excerpt from Velma's journal not only features Dottie's tough-as-nails persona, but also serves as an intro to the bartender Fox and Velma's foray into becoming a whiskey enthusiast. Take note of Velma's staunch and stuffy tone in this entry. She's 19 years old in her first month at Barnard. (NOTE: The page is at the bottom)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SEPTEMBER 20, 1931:

At 9:30 PM when I am usually tucked away in bed with a book, Dottie told me it was time to get ready. She ran down to the showers and washed herself. She flew back into the room in a terry robe and quickly threw on a slim black dress with white trim. Although Dottie has a pale complexion for someone of the Italian persuasion, I still think black washes her out. Of course she feels she can rectify this by over roughing her cheeks and painting her lips cherry red to match her finger nails.

I put on a simple blue dress and over it a trench coat. Of course Dottie had something to say about this. “What are you some shamus or something? You’re going out not solving a crime.”

“I’m investigating.” Was my retort.

Her face grew stern. “Listen to me and listen good, I swear to the holy Lord if you rat on this joint I’ll bust your nose in.” She made a fist to enforce her claim.

“Dottie, I’m only curious to see if my professor is there. I’m not out to ruin anyone’s fun."

She unclenched her fist. “As long as we’re clear. Just cause you’re whacky doesn’t mean the rest of us need to be.”

I kept the trench on since the evening was moist. We walked over to Broadway and traveled a few blocks south from campus. The restaurants and coffee shops were full of life, which amazed me. I would have been asleep for at least an hour on any other night, but here a whole other world went on right outside my door.

Dottie stopped in front of a dark bakery. She looked both ways. In the dark sliver of space between the bakery and the building next to it was a red metal door with high grate climbing above it. She tapped on the door lightly and whispered, “Sticky buns.” With that the door opened to a crack and we were permitted to enter. Behind the door was a slim dark-haired gentlemen who whispered, “Hiya Dottie.” He looked over me. “This a friend?”

“My roommate, Velma. Don’t mind the jacket. This is her first time out.”

He tipped his black hat, “Nice makin’ your acquaintance, Velma.”

I cracked a smile through my fear, “You as well.”

“Howie’s inside waitin’ for ya,” he said to Dottie.

“Thanks Rick. Come on, Velma.” She took me by the arm and led me through the alley. “That’s Rick. Sweet kid.”

“He seems it.” I was trying to mask my throbbing nerves but the shady alley lit by one naked bulb and the secret passwords were not helping.

She stopped in front of a smaller green door and tapped again four times. The door opened cautiously and we entered. The man behind this door looked exactly like Rick at the first door. “Hey, Dottie.”

“Hiya Mick.” She looked at me. “They’re twins.”

“Oh,” I said. Mick and Rick sounded like the Vaudeville.

“This ya friend?” He asked.

“My roommate, Velma. Don’t mind the jacket. This is her first time out.”

“Nice to meet ya, Velma,” he said tipping his black hat.

“And you as well,” I said nodding my head.

Dottie rolled her eyes at me. “She’s from upstate so that’s why she’s all formal-like.”

Mick smiled, “A formal dame ain’t something I’m used to here…. Howie’s inside.”

“Got it. Thanks, Mick.” Dottie put her arm out and with her hand clutched the air and drew it to the side not only to reveal a room spotted with candles and hanging lanterns, but the noise of the seventy or so patrons drinking and conversing. The black velvet curtain blocked out all sound and light from escaping.

We stepped down a short staircase into the main room. “We call it the Bakery seeing as it’s behind a bakery.”

“Very clever,” I said; my heart racing. The smell of cheap liquor and the clouds of cigarette smoke made me immediately dizzy.

“The air’s not so great. You might want to lose the jacket.”

She was right I was beginning to sweat. “No I’m fine.”

“Suit yourself, honey.”

Out of thin air a man in a cheap blue suit came from behind Dottie, wrapped his arms around her waist and swung her off the ground. She yelped out with a smile, “HOWIE!”

I was frozen with fear.

He turned her around and kissed her on the lips. “Your sucha nut,” she said laughing.

“I know it, but I’m your nut, doll face.” His eyes were light with an angular creamy face and the distinct trace of freckles on his cheeks.

“Howie, this is Velma.”

“Nice to meet ya. Dottie says awful things about ya,” he starts laughing. I hoped he was joking.

She slapped him across the cheek playfully, “Howie’s an idiot who says the first thing that comes across his pea brain, but we keep him around for fun.”

“And Dottie’s the dame who can hustle any of these guys at pool,” he said proudly.

“And Velma’s the one who can speak eight languages. Now that we know each other’s talents, let’s get a drink,” Dottie heading toward the back of the establishment.

“Nice meeting you Howie,” I said. “But I can only speak three languages although I can understand five.”

“Alright, enough,” Dottie said as the three of us walked over to the long bar. “What ya got tonight, Fox?”

Fox seemed to be the short older gentlemen with not a trace of hair on his head and a round pug face. His white apron was impressively spotless. He replied tersely, “Gin or whiskey.”

“What’s homemade?” Dottie asked.

Howie chimed in, “The gin and you can taste it.”

“Ok, three whiskies and put ‘em on the rocks in honor of our new friend, Velma.”

“Dottie, I’m not drinking,” I urgently reminded her.

The man called Fox poured the drinks into ice-filled glasses. “Yeah you are. It’s on me.”

“No, I’m not,” I insisted.

Dottie pushed Howie out of the way and put my arm into a vice grip. “Listen sister if you walk around in a joint like this in a jacket like that and you don’t drink, kids are gonna start thinking you’re the fuzz and it won’t be pretty for any of us—”

“Ladies, ladies,” Howie started seeing the fear in my eyes, I’m sure.

“—so drink the damn drink.” She let my arm go and smiled. “Besides, you might like it.”

“You're a beast,” Howie said to Dottie with wild excitement in his eyes.

“Remember that when some pretty dame walks in front of ya.”

“I will,” Howie said with a grin. Dottie picked up a glass and handed it to me. Then one to Howie and she took the last for herself. She raised her glass, “To breaking the law,” she took a large sip and placed the glass on the bar. Howie took a reasonable sip.

I looked at the full glass and just wanting to be done with the whole thing, I took a breath and drank the entirety of the amber liquid. In an instant the combination of heat, smoke, body stench, and poison hit me and all went black.

So really, what makes a Friday different from a Saturday anyway?

Oh and Velma's still throwing 'em back with her friends Dottie and Fox.

GOOD NEWS! Courtney is officially done inking and we have officially entered the post-production phase of the book! So now all we have to do is clean up the pages you've been looking at. It's going to be a couple months of full-blown Photoshop.

WOOHOO!

Thanks for hanging in there with us.

Here are some things to look forward to from THE WONDER CITY in 2011 (besides Velma downing whiskey in a dive bar).

* Our twitter feed: @thewondercity will feature headlines from everyday in 1942 as a count down to the beginning of our first book which starts in, you guessed it, 1942.

* The return of Tobias Finch, Private Eye featuring our very own, Velma Graydon (this week).

* A brandy new website designed by the amazing, Jo Tsai.

And most importantly:

* THE WONDER CITY: Volume 1 The Great Whale of Coney Island!!!

Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2011!

So we're jumping around here with the page order. This is one of my favorites so far and it's not hard to see why. We're back before Velma goes down to her office.

Next week: Ring in the holidays with Velma at her favorite neighborhood gin joint.

After reading a part of a prophecy in the Tovernboak, Velma comes to one of the most important realizations here. It's actually one that will change the course of the entire book. Of course, I'm not telling you what it is. You'll just have to find out when the book is finished.

Note the staircase from Velma's office. It made a guest appearance in a blog entry last spring:

Velma dragged me down the right passageway behind the choir and stopped abruptly at at a black iron gate. It was the gilded entrance to a dark spiral staircase. Velma swung open the gate and darted down into the shadows.
"How do you not kill yourself going down these things?" I was cautiously placing my left foot onto the first stair.
"I count them. You know how many years I've been doing this? Close the gate behind you."
I did as I was told. "No flashlight? Nothing?" I had never been to her office before and I was brimming with anticipation for the opportunity. I just knew it would be a treasure trove of historical artifacts.
"Quit the whining, fancy pants. Just count! There are 28 steps." She was already at the bottom jingling keys.
"Well I don't know which step I'm on now." I honestly didn't get very far. "Now I have to go back up and start all over."
"By the sounds of it, you're on 8." I heard a key click into the lock and then a slow turn was made. It sounded like she was unlocking a massive bank vault.
In my mind I counted from 8 and once I labored to 27 I took one more step and cautiously felt for another, but there was only floor. She was spot-on. The very second my foot made contact she flung open the door and light quickly spilled out onto the staircase. "You couldn't have done that sooner?"
"I wanted you to know how right I was," Velma said smugly.

Velma's a gal who loves her books especially the one she's looking at on this page. It's called the Tovernboak which is an important document handed down from the Dutch New Amsterdam era of the city. It's the primer Velma needs to solve one of New York's greatest mysteries (That's all I'm going to say on that). When I told Courtney the page Velma was looking at was in 17th century Low Dutch, she just rolled her eyes and wondered why she ever got involved with my historical shenanigans.

In other news, Courtney has set to work inking the last 18 pages of the book and I just recently started doing Photoshop work on the pages she's inked. Basically where getting to the "almost done" phase of The Wonder City. Wooohooo!!!

Last but not least, we had a knod in the Kickstarter blog yesterday. Thanks to them and to all our backers for the continued support. You're the best!

http://blog.kickstarter.com/post/2071730953/love-at-first-sight

Velma doing some research in her swank office. For all you history nerds, take note of the Castello Plan map (c.1660) on her wall in the first panel. Courtney's attention to detail is amazing.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Page 42 is still in production. It's a really cool page, but not ready for a preview, so hang tight.

Velma's office in the basement of St. John the Divine is one of my favorite settings in The Wonder City. It's sort of my idea of a dream office and I think Courtney's done a great job with it so far.

Poor Velma is not happy on this page. You'll find out why soon enough.

JR here: Every Friday we're going to let you preview a page in progress. This week's page is 41 (see below).

Courtney is currently in the process of inking the last two chapters of our first volume. This page here is hot off her drafting table. In the next couple of days (fingers crossed) I'll begin to clean these guys up in Photoshop. I'll go into a little more detail about that when I start.

Here we see Velma returning to St. John the Divine where she is based as the cathedral's archivist. She also freelances as a gal Friday for one of New York City's oldest secret societies which plunges her into the action of this first book.