August 6, 2003
Today's the mark of two years of Directions of Destiny. It has experienced its ups and downs (i.e. a one-year hiatus inbetween, so is this two-year anniversary even valid?), but from this point, I foresee that it'll only continue on up.
Yes, two years ago, when Hans was a wee lil' boy, he put his mind to work on the first and only long-term project he has undertaken: a graphic novel. Two years ago, however, Hans had no previous experience with creating comics, manga, graphic novels, or whatever other affiliation you prefer. This being so, the first chapter, and parts of the other earlier chapters, are, in fact, not good. When he came upon this conclusion, like the mildly obsessive-compulsive perfectionist that Hans is, he set off to work on revising the old chapters to a point where he may safely look back on it and pat himself on the back for a job not-screwed.
Today, on this two-year milestone, this revision, this Redirection, is unveiled. However, being the malevolent bloke that he is, Hans has decided to take away the following chapters after the revised portion in order to ensure that everybody is forced gets the opportunity to read through this revision, because he's a cruel and oppressive dictator and can do such things.
(When did I suddenly decide it was a good idea to write in third-person?)
Fear not, citizens, for this will only be temporary. Temporary, as in, two months. That's right, each week, for the next two months, a new revised chapter of Directions of Destiny will be released unto thee, save for this first chapter, which will be released over two weeks. Some chapters will contain massive improvements or changes, while others..not so much. However, I feel that this option comes packaged with several benefits:
For one, regular readers will be given a chance to read over this first unit of Directions of Destiny in a glory not formerly present. Also, new readers will hopefully be given a better first impression of the graphic novel, seeing as the first chapters will now reflect the experience I've gained over the past two years, rather than the amateurish scribbles of my past self.
Another benefit comes from the fact that it will be updated with not only a few pages a week, but a full chapter. This will give readers a far better sense of the movement of the story, akin to authentic Japanese manga which are put out in weekly publications.
Not only will this schedule benefit you, the readers, but it will also benefit myself. As you might know, I've signed a contract with TokyoPop to illustrate a volume of a graphic novel for them. The schedule is tight and will continue on two months into my senior year of high school. That being the case, this weekly release of revised chapters will actually allow me more time to work on the TokyoPop project seeing as not every chapter will contain a great deal of changes.
It's been a laborious two years working on this manga, but just because effort is put into something doesn't mean it will always come out to a satiable quality. I want Directions of Destiny to be something that I can be wholeheartedly proud of, from the first page to the last. Not only that, I'm hoping that some day in the near future it will be published and widely distributed, but in order for it to have a chance in professional industry, I must work to make it something more.
Two years have passed but the churning needle of the compass of fate is only now being felt.