For many Scott McCloud is a name that's synonymous with comics -- Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics -- but it's been awhile since the Zot creator has released sequential art that wasn't rooted in education. That changes on February 3 next year with the relase of The Sculptor from First Second, a story McCloud's had in mind for more than two decades and has been actively working on for five years.

The Sculptor will follow a young artist who strikes a bargain with the Grim Reaper. One David Smith gets the ability to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands, but he only gets 200 days to put his abilities through their paces before Death comes calling. Complicating matters further is a case of creator's block, plus David unexpectedly falling in love.

“I've wanted to tell the story of The Sculptor since before writing 'Understanding Comics,' and the book's creation has turned into an incredible learning experience for me and, I hope, an exciting READING experience for comics-lovers. It took me five years to write and draw, and I promise I used every single minute to make it the best book I can,” said Scott McCloud in an official press release.

The New York Times previewed two pages form the upcoming original graphic novel, which indicate that the book will be in black and white with gray tones. According to McCloud's Twitter account, the OGN will clock in at nearly 500 pages. Back in 2010, McCloud posted a very tiny image of 466 pages of his rough draft layouts from the project, noting its working title at the time was The Sculptor. It seems he's sticking to it.

 

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[Via NYT]

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