What's up: Barry Keegan

Creator owned day was yesterday and we were all blessed with a rich selection of creator owned art. One in particular stood out for me. It was Barry “League of Volunteers” Keegan’s piece. Not least because he made me aware of it, which is something that I really want to encourage you all to do. I can’t keep track of you all and unless you tell me what you are up too, chances are I won’t know.
So, anyway, ramble over. Back to point.
After the initial contact with Keegan, I managed to pry some further details out of him about the project.
“The story is set on a dying earth, the reason it’s dying is unknown and unimportant for now as the story is focusing on the few people left. If I ever get there, further stories will address the origins of why the earth is dying(it’s not global warming, something more Sci-Fi) All the stories will be focused in Ireland and the people struggling to survive there.”

All the stories will be focused in Ireland
and the people struggling to survive there.

I really love that people are starting to use Ireland as their story settings more and more. I guess it’s just seen as easier and cooler to set them in the States or in some fictional setting but recent years have shown that Ireland is as good a setting as anywhere for your comic.
It’s still, however, early stages for Keegan:
“Actually, I hadn’t planned on putting anything out this early as I prefer seeing pages of an upcoming book rather than concepts. I’m sure everyone agrees that it is like the Veg without the meat for the carnivors. Or maybe it’s like the veg without the Chick Peas for the vegetarians! Anyway, the creatorOwnedDay kind of spurred me on to throw something out there as a tease on what I’m working on. I told myself I wouldn’t jump the gun, but, got sucked in in the end!.”
Although work has started proper on the comic, Keegan, like most artists, is finding it hard to get closure on the completed pages.
“I have three pages inked so far. Part of me [already] wants to redo panels on the pages, so I still have work to be done to get them out there.”
“Also, the turnaround of pages will be very slow, but I plan on releasing each page as it’s done, so as to motivate myself and obviously get more eyes onto it. I want to exclude the word balloons for now in the hopes that it’ll give readers a second chance to hopefully enjoy it at the end.”
Final thoughts?
“No, that’s really all I have to say on it so far, I hope the pages will do more of the talking!”
You can follow Keegan’s new comic as it develops over on his blogspot: http://the-adventures-of.blogspot.ie