I’m starting a series going deeper into the world of Spectra. First up, Isara. corywesterfield.substack.com/p/people-isa...
People: ISARA
Born of two forces that were never meant to agree.
corywesterfield.substack.com
The first 10 pages of SPECTRA, a science-fantasy story I've been world-building for two years, are live and free to read! spectracomics.com/read Art by @sebastianpiriz.bsky.social, lettering by @matiaszanetti.bsky.social. Super proud of the team for getting this out. 20 more pages on the way!
Read the Spectra Preview — Issue One
Read the first ten preview pages of Spectra, Issue One, in a distraction-free comic reader.
spectracomics.com
It's wild to me when ideas resurface after a super long time. About 18 months ago, I had this idea of a character, but I really couldn't place her at all. So I put the idea on the shelf. But when I was brainstorming the other day, I realized all the ideas pouring out of me were related to her.
Spectra book 2 outline almost figured out. Ever since I finished the script for book 1 and got in artwork, more ideas have been flowing out of me.
The first pages of artwork for Spectra are coming in. It's exciting to see the world I've built in my head coming to life on the page.
To sum up Spectra, it's about three strangers inheriting powers from a dead god and outrunning an ancient entity trying to reclaim it and reshape reality.
Spectra came to me after I couldn't sleep on a long flight back home from London. I seriously sat on the plane with my iPhone's note app open and asked, "What would a magic system based on quantum particle physics be like?" The rest slowly came after I answered that.
First draft of story synopsis finished for a pitch package.
Moving Spectra from in development to in production. I never imagined I'd get to this point when I started thinking of this world, characters, and story.
There comes a point where you need to set the script down for a bit. After I take big passes at things, I take a week or so off to let things go. Working on other ideas for that time also really helps me return stronger.
Writing dialogue was much harder when I was doing it within the script. Now I just open up a blank notepad and write the name of the character and what they're saying to each other. Less constraint. More room for ideas.
Even after putting together my story for over a year, I keep finding new things about the characters I created. It's honestly magical.
Got notes back from my mentor. Now it's time for another pass at Issue 1.
Funny how an entire weekend can be focused on changing one three page scene.
I've been working on Spectra for almost 14 months now. Currently on my fifth draft. It's been an amazing process. Next step for me is hiring an artist to produce the first 10-15 pages.