Hologram has been a fascinating ride since I chose to resurrect the character. In the same vein as Patriot, I’m trying to create the 30+ year history of a character that we haven’t seen since 1988.
With Patriot, I crafted a long (31 pages, I think) script that covers all the bases. What happened then, what that means now, where things could go. It’s a big project, and Tony Lorenz is going to make it look great. Thing is, it will take a while. We’re all hobbyists here, so a full-size (plus) comic doesn’t just get created and printed in a month like your Marvels or DCs. And that’s fine with me. Tony is good, and I think the story is reasonably well constructed, so I’m more than happy to be patient. It will be worth it.
I’m trying a different approach with Hologram for a couple of reasons. One, I would like to put some new content into circulation sooner than later, so that means I have to employ a different publishing strategy. One big book isn’t the right choice for Hologram.
In addition, Hologram is a harder character for me to write. With Patriot, my history/political roots made the subject a breeze. I knew the major historical touchpoints that I wanted to utilize, so it was only a matter of internet sleuthing to grab the right pieces of image reference to insert into the script. Hologram, by contrast, is a blue water strategy. I don’t have the background here, but I DO have a general idea of where I want to go…and it’s at least three major acts.
So here’s what I’m going to try: A (hopefully monthly) series of 1/4-page minicomics as chapters of a larger (hopefully annual) book. One or more books will comprise each of those three acts. Put it all together, and your have the whole tale.
I’ve scripted and laid out the first chapter of the first book for Hologram, “Counting the Days.” I’m deep into negotiations with an artist – a talent swap, actually, where I would script some work for him while he draws for me! I’ve seen early character sketches and like what I see.
The biggest challenge of taking this “small ball” approach is that, unlike Patriot, I can’t paint with a broad brush. I can’t jump years and decades just because. Nope, gotta get in the weeds. To do so, I am filling a spreadsheet with Hologram’s activities, day by day, for nearly every day between July 1, 1988 (the day that a scientific accident went terribly wrong) to…”today,” which I’m calling December 31, 2021. Sometimes he’s playing super-hero. Sometimes, he’s a scientist. Sometimes, he’s traveling. Sometimes, he’s bored out of his mind. Sometimes, he has an important personal moment. Sometimes, he’s going places that humans have never seen. Taken together, it’s over 30 years of this man’s life.
Start to finish, it’s 12,236 days.
And yes, I’m counting just like our hero, Joe Peters.
And yes, that’s a LOT of story.
But you’ll get to see the beginning of that story soon if all works out. I look forward to “Counting the Days” with you.
P.S. I’m also excited to report that original Hologram and Accelerator artist Scott McClung has submitted a pinup piece of our creations for a forthcoming re-presentation of our original works! More on that in the not-too-distant future.
Phoenix Productions 