The Murder Club – details of new graphic novel project

Oh yes, it looks like I didn’t learn anything at all from spending 6 months making a 24-page colour comic, so I am now making a 100+ page black and white graphic novel as well!

The Murder Club (official website) stars two seventeen-year-olds, who decide that the only true test of their intellect is to murder someone, then try and get away with it. It’s a story about psychopathy, manipulation and control, and I don’t intend to shy away from the disturbing side of any of those elements.

The idea came to me after watching far too many episodes of Hannibal. I wanted to create something with a similarly dark and psychological feel (minus the cannibalism, obviously). And there was something else stuck in my head at the time, I think from a news article,  about exceptionally bright young schoolkids becoming easily bored with lessons that are far too easy for them – and the two thoughts just coalesced.

At the moment I am working on the rough layouts – up to page 66 of somewhere around 115 or so pages – at the same time as finalising the first draft of the script. Once I’m happy with the layouts, it will be onto the full line art, inking and tone shading.

I’m taking a bit of a leap into this, and planning for several volumes (would work out at roughly one a year) because I’m excited by the idea and the one thing most people say about creative work is that you should make things you would read and/or buy for yourself. So here’s hoping other people like it too, but until then keep an eye out for regular updates and teasers!

Tony.