"There are a lot of themes in Progressions, but the main one (which should become more apparent
over time than it is with the sampling available now) is that of making progress, of breaking through barriers,
opening doors and moving forward." -Jeff Coleman.
a
comic book written and drawn by Stephen
Greenwood-Hyde and Jeff Coleman.
Set in the future on a planet
between
Mars and Jupiter in our solar system called Minerva, one of the things that sets this comic apart is the fact that the main character of Progressions is the only settlement on that planet, Minerva
City. Through
a rotating cast of characters, each issue explores different
aspects of people's lives on Minerva City...their love affairs, their
conflicts, their pop music and their kung fu. Get to know the different
neighborhoods and eras of Minerva's history, and meet the people who
shape Minerva's pop culture and who craft its future.Some of the characters include:
PAM SAGE, a hip, lusty young designer who hobnobs with pop stars and
frequently makes
unfortunate romantic choices. Her passion for her life
and her work gets her into some hard places, but she always manages to
pull through.
HENRY ANTON, Pam's best friend since high school, is a young slacker
with an uncontrollable curiosity and a tendency to go places he
shouldn't.
He knows the city like the back of his hand, but that
usually just gets him into trouble.
THE PSYCHOBABES, a
teenage guitar-group made up of four girls, two of
them sisters. They're paying their dues, playing gigs wherever they can
get them--but fate seems to be against them, and whether it's the
quality of their playing or just a spiteful fate, every show they play
ends in a riot.
JANE CUTLER, a government
employee with a great job whose mastery of martial arts causes her more
trouble in her social life than it does her good on the streets; and
CHOW SING SING, a crackpot
wannabe gangster who'll take on any
assignment, even if it means impersonating the lunatic grandson of a
fierce gangboss!
When asked to describe the feel of Progressions, Coleman says, "It's '
Once upon a time in China' meets '
Friends'. 'Maison Ikkoku' meets '
Fist Of Fury'. 'The Road to Morocco' crossed with '
The Avengers' plus 'All The President's Men'."
Each issue is black and white photocopied, with cardstock covers. Issues one through six contain twelve pages of story plus a Minervan pop culture pinup and two pages of Minevan music news and reviews. Issue seven features sixteen pages of story, plus pinup and music news. Issue eight will be available at the end of October with two new six-page stories, and Issue nine will be out the end of November. Each issue is priced at a dollar-fifty.
Once a native Texan, Jeff Coleman is now a cartoonist, web designer, guitarist, songwriter, and sophisticate of New York. He is responsible for the art of Progressions. Stephen Greenwood-Hyde, the comics writer, is a pulp-writer, singer, songwriter, rapper, and artist born in London. He has since moved to Derby, where he supports an ex-wife, a daughter, and "
several rastafarians in BMWs." The two met in Paris in 1989, and have collaborated on many comic and music projects. The art of Progressions is digital in origin. Coleman creates the dynamic art using a
Wacom Tablet and
Corel Painter 7.
The actual order and procedure in which each issue is created changes by each issue. "We work out plotlines for each character, and talk over the main points of the upcoming stories." Says Coleman, "Then in some cases, I'll draw out the story in rough form and mail copies to Stephen. He comments on it, offers suggestions, and writes the dialogue which I letter as I'm drawing the fineshed art. Other times Stephen writes out full scripts, which I draw and letter from."
Progressions has also debuted its first full-color story, a twentyfive page
tale called 'Spark-Tower Wilson's Silent Song', exclusively on the web at http://www.evolution-comics.com
Every issue of Progressions is readable entirely on the web at http://www.progressions.org where you can also find ordering information and prices.