Welcome back, ACTION FIGURE KINGDOM Fans. – Once again, too much time has passed between AFK updates — over a full year – Yikes!
UNPLANNED HIATUS…
You see… When I completed work on the most recent issue of ACTION FIGURE KINGDOM (AFK#13 – back in February 2021), I had this feeling I had reached the end of a “phase” of AFK work. — I had been going pretty strong for a while — with 13 issues, 4 storylines, 21 characters, and over 300 pages of sequential art under my belt — and, although I have a reservoir of new AFK stories I would like to tell, no particular idea was jumping out at me as “the one” this time. This indecision — combined with being overwhelmingly busy in other areas (in particular, owning and managing a comic book shop — FUNNYBOOKS — during a pandemic, and also my seasonal job of coaching the local high school boys’ lacrosse team) resulted in an unplanned hiatus from writing and drawing comics through most of the rest of 2021.
THE WHEEL OF IDEAS…
Of course, even while on hiatus I was still thinking a lot about ACROBOT and SPARKINATOR, and which adventure I would take them on next (or is it THEM taking ME on adventures?). Several ideas would come around on the “AFK storyline Lazy Susan.” There’s the much requested origin story of how ACROBOT and SPARKINATOR first met and became “THE GOOD GUYS” (unfortunately, that one is not quite ready yet), the return the lacrosse-inspired LAMBASTER (this time with the rest of the team), the bring-back of MISTER BLAST (a very intricately woven story which is mostly written and I’m almost ready to tackle), and more stories involving the recently introduced AFK Teen Team, “THE ACRONATORS.” — Oh yeah… there was also this other idea which would pop into my head from time to time, about Tommy getting cheap, knock-off versions of ACROBOT and SPARKINATOR.
RETURN TO SOCIETY…
In the fall of 2021, with the pandemic settling down a little (before Delta and Omicron), comic book conventions began to make their return, and my pal Ziggy and I decided to attend the Baltimore Comic Con (one of our annual favorites). Maybe it was the con that stimulated my creative process, because immediately upon my return home, I had a clear direction for the next AFK storyline. — I was going with the “Knock-Off” thing.
Set-up for the 2021 Baltimore Comic Con
INTRODUCING THE KNOCK-OFFS!
Once I decided on the “Knock-Offs” story, (which would feature evil versions of ACROBOT and SPARKINATOR, looking to defeat and replace our two heroes — mostly (apparently) so they could use the amenities of their headquarters), I was immediately consumed with it. I spent about two weeks writing and re-writing the script, having some great creative break-throughs along the way (including bringing in a couple of characters AFK fans haven’t seen in a while). I was also lucky enough to stumble upon a number of humorous situations for ACROBOT, SPARKINATOR, and their two idiotic knock-offs, GOODROBOT and SHOCKINATOR, who I may have unconsciously (then consciously) patterned after the Three Stooges.
THE NEW 52
I’ve been working hard on “The Knock-Offs” ever since. — I broke the script down into two issues, the 24-page AFK#14, and the 28-page AFK#15. All fifty-two pages, and both covers, have been sketched-out and lettered, and I’m almost done with the finished pencils for AFK#14. — Look for ACTION FIGURE KINGDOM #14 soon, (hopefully — and very much depending on finding a new printer), followed by ACTION FIGURE KINGDOM #15 this fall.
The covers for the upcoming AFK#14 and AFK#15 (Work in Progress – the covers images will most likely be switched)
READ THE FIRST SEVEN PAGES OF AFK #14 FOR FREE!
Last week was Free Comic Book Day 2022, and once again, our affiliated Comic Book Shop, FUNNYBOOKS in Lake Hiawatha, NJ (celebrating 30 years of business just about a month from now) and ACTION FIGURE KINGDOM, teamed-up to produce an exclusive Free Comic for the annual event. The ACTION FIGURE KINGDOM #14 PREVIEW MINI-COMIC features the first 7 pages of AFK#14, which set the stage for all the action and humor that follows! – You can now read the AFK#14 FCBD Mini-Comic (along with previous FUNNYBOOKS’ FCBD exclusives) right here at actionfigurekingdom.com in our “FREE READS” section (if it’s not up there now, It will be posted shortly).
Time to get back to the drawing board — literally. — Thanks for Reading! – Action Steve