It's true that I've said before that each day I receive several messages...   From either contestants that are entered in the Small Press Idol 2009 contest, or from the Small Press Idol organizers themselves.

And yeah, I still don't consider them spam messages... because there's only 11 Days left for the contestants to get the votes in for their projects!!! 

There were 27 entries that have made it out of Round 1 and are now into Round 2.  Why does this matter and why am I blogging about it again?   Well, in Round 2 it is not only the 3 initial Judges that are doing the voting... it is also registered persons, like YOU or me could be, that are voting in this round!

I have already blogged about a few entries in the SPI contest so far....

Dead Duck is yet another one of the entries that has caught my eyes.  Why?  Well, because I have a fondness for Westerns both in comic book and graphic novel format! The project was submitted by Richard Case from the Muncie, Indiana area. 

The Small Press Idol 2009 has 4 rounds:

Round 1 is already over. It was to present the Basic Concept / Talent.

Round 2 ends on April 30th. It is more about showcasing the characters with illos and background text.

Round 3 goes from May 18th - June 7th.  It is on the 'sequential primers'.

Round 4 goes from July 15 - ??? It is the Origin or the #0 issue.

Below is the Basic Concept shown in Round 1 from the 'Dead Duck' Comic Book project:

"The last thing that I recollect was my pulling myself out of a river just at nightfall. I had not a rag of clothing and knew nothing of my whereabouts, but all that night I traveled, cold and footsore, toward the north. At daybreak I found myself at Canyon Diablo, my destination. The first man that I met was a outlaw named William Briscoe, whom I knew very well. You can fancy his astonishment at seeing me in that condition, and my own at his asking who the devil I was.”

"'Jake Duck,' I answered; 'who should I be?'”

He stared like an owl.

"'You do look it,' he said, and I observed that he drew a little away from me. 'What's up?' he added.

I told him what had happened. He heard me through, still staring; then he said:

"'My dear fellow, if you are The Duck I ought to inform you that I buried you two months ago. I was out with a small scouting party and found your body, full of bullet-holes and newly scalped. Come to town and I'll show you your clothing and some letters that I took from your person.”

And so the Adventure Begins…

Note: This series concept is based on an excerpt from the book Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories, by Ambrose Bierce, 1913. (Which is now in the public domain.)

Round 2 at their web site shows the characters from 'Dead Duck'.  The above illustration at the top left of this post is in pencilled form only at this time and is just a representation of what other pages are at the web site for viewing and reading.

For more on 'Dead Duck' I invite you to check out this entry on the Small Idol Press web site.   After viewing his progress so far, and liking it, Richard would definitely appreciate your vote!  If you are not yet signed up to vote at the Small Press Idol 2009, feel free to do so!

If you have signed up to vote at Small Press Idol, you can vote for 'Dead Duck' at:  http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/forum-t36009.html

To read more about the 'Dead Duck' comic book project go to:    http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/forum-t36009.html 

If you haven't signed up yet for Small Press Idol, the 'sign up' page to vote for Dead Duck or any other of the SPI entries is at:   http://www.dimestoreproductions.com/signup.php