Cyberpunk

A science-fiction subgenre characterized by countercultural antiheroes trapped in a dehumanized, high-tech future.
-Encyclopedia Britannica

Dear readers, welcome to leveL, an online comic by Nate Swinehart. I am the proverbial Nate and this site is where you can read leveL and see some of my other random work. Nifty, huh? Just click on the comic button above to read leveL itself, but here you can get some basic info on the whole operation if curiosity serves you as such.

"leveL is an epic science fiction/action saga. It tells the story of Cael Dalton, a quiet teenage boy who lives in the sprawling capital megacity known as Level. Heavily medicated and haunted by a dream he himself doesn't understand, he suddenly finds himself thrown in the middle of an whirlwind adventure that just might lead him to the truth he's been searching for."

That's the original summary of leveL, and it�s sadly about all you can get out of me about the story outside of reading it yourself.... It may seem strange but I think that the whole fun of reading stories is trying to figure them out as you go along, and leveL is full of mysteries and secrets, thus it is meant to be explored deeply! One of the key elements of Cyberpunk stories is a bombardment of information crammed tightly into each page, and I try to follow that model. I put lots of time and effort into each page and I pack them as full of information as my little left hand can muster. More of the plot is revealed than you think, it takes a careful eye to piece together what�s going on in this world, so read carefully!

leveL is on the verge of reaching a decade in production. It's a horrifically scary thought that I've been doing this for so long, but at least it's a testiment to my commitment to the project, be that good or bad. I return after a very long absence (some feared I had actually died (no, seriously)). We'll get to exactly what happened in a moment, but for now continue on... To help new and old readers alike, I've decided to put together a little FAQ for the comic and the site in general. Enjoy!

Q. OK, first things first, where the HECK have you been for the past year plus??

Ahhhh, yeah let's go ahead and clear this up. leveL has, for about 2 years now, entered a state of dormancy that some attributed to the death of the comic. I was kind of shocked not just by the initial response from readers wanting to know what's up, but that even after a year of no updates I continued to recieve mail from new and old readers, wanting to know if leveL truely was dead. Well, I am here to assure you it's not. What has happened is that in the past three years I've re-entered school....Art School. I started working on a second Bachelor's in Illustration, then transfered to a Master's program in Animation. The result of this has been a serious blow to my freetime and creative energy outside of the classroom, thus leveL pretty much went on life support. I return to the comic while still in school for one more year...what this means is that updates are going to be hugely influenced by my school workload and schedule, so I really can't say how often and what amount I'll be able to update.

Q. Well then why bother coming back at all? Why not just put the comic on permanent hiatus or let it die a noble death?

Fair question. Thing is, with leveL I've always wanted to give it 100% of my attention, which I feel it deserves. When my schedule started making me not have time for that, I kind of reacted by just ignoring the comic until I had a break or chunck of time to completely devote myself to it. Now, it's been pointed out to me of late that as opposed to just abstaining from working on the comic due to lack of time, it would be better to consistently work on it, no matter how little that work is. People above all want the comic active, moreso than they care if I'm putting out exactly 5 pages every Thursday by 8PM. So, that is the mentality I'm taking up whilst I am still in school and limited time-wise.

Q. So you aren't going to dissapear again?

No.

Q. Promise?

Promise :)

Q. OK, cool. Well, on to more humdrum stuff, how long have you been writing leveL?

Though I technically began drawing the comic in the summer of 2001, a lot of the ideas and characters have been running around in my head for much longer than that. leveL is a big composite of ideas and characters from many different stories and sketchbooks, and they all have a found a semi-happy home here for your reading enjoyment!

Q. So in the wake of all this hiatus stuff, what exactly is the update schedule now?

As long as school is in session, the schedule is 'as much as I can with the time I have'. If you need some idea of what that will be, I would love to be able to do something like a page every week. Once I'm off school, however, all bets are off and I hope to blow through a lot of pages. Stay tuned to the News page for more current estimations.

Q. DUDE! No schedule at all....I don't want to wait unknowingly for these updates, is there any way I can see a preview of the new pages???

Actually, there is! When the Status Bar reaches the "SKETCHED" and "INKED" marks, I post up a preview (with no dialogue) on the voting pages. Just click the vote buttons on the index and you can see how things are shaping up, plus you'll be supporting the comic as well...aren't I sneaky??

Q. Uh, what's up with the art style, btw? It starts out very crappy quality-wise

Like I said, leveL was started almost 10 years ago. My original intention for it was to tell this story that I could see really clearly in my head, but I lacked any real ability to draw since I only ever did it for fun. The comic was both a means to tell the story and a method to teach myself how to draw...therefore the art at the begining, as you so poetically put it, blows.

Q. Well OK, but the style gets very anime for awhile, then all the sudden in Episode 5 it changes to some weird style I don't recognize at all...what gives there? Ahhh, well...as time went on, I because less and less interested in the original style i drew leveL. What originally was fun to draw became a hinderance as my style developed into it's own thing....in fact, I started drawing the side comic Wing Ed (you can see some of it in the Art page) as a means of stress relief from having to keep up the character continuity in leveL. So, as I return to the comic, I've decided to screw that. I completely redesigned all the characters in a more personal style, and they will remain as such for the rest of the comic. Now, I am still developing these designs and styles, so don't be surprised if they evolve further as the comic goes...that's art! :D

Q. Fair enough, but then you ever going to go back and re-draw the earlier comics so everything matches stylsitically? And what's this Redux thing?

My plan for the new style is this: I will continue straight on and finish Episode 5 with the new designs, then go back and redraw the first 20-or-so pages with the new designs afterward, leaving Episodes 4 and 3 as they are. Oh, and the Redux will also showcase the new style :D

Q. Redux? Whut that be? Over the years as the comic has gotten more serious, the first two episodes have irked me more and more. Not only the drawings, but it's not the best setup for the story...i think there was a lot of opportunity to show the world and characters at the begining of leveL and it was largely missed. Thus, the Redux is a retelling of the first and second episodes of leveL, combined into one long chapter. While there are some significant differences in events between the Redux and the chapters its replacing, both are considered canon. Neither will contradict anything from Episode 3 onward....thus its sort of up to the reader if he/she wants to read the story as originally told, or with my spruced up visuals and narrative.

Q. So are you an art student or anything?

Yes and no. Up until Episode 5 I was simply doing this as a hobby, no formal art training. However, by that point in time it was clear this was something i wanted to pursue professionally, so i went back to school and started studying a second Bachelor's in Illustration...that led to me switching gears to studying an Animation Master's degree, of which I have one year left in the program.

Q. Oooooh, does that mean leveL is going to be animated??? Stay tuned :)

Q. Wow, so what tools/processes when drawing leveL?

Up until page 22 of Episode 4, leveL was sketched on Strathmore Drawing pad with mechanical pencils, inked with Staedtler pigment liners, scanned into Photoshop CS in B&W at 300 dpi, and colored and shaded therein. Since then, it's been a strictly digital affair. The entire comic is now sketched, inked, and colored all in Photoshop...gives me a lot more freedom and is MUCH faster, which is a blessing to us all. I pretty much only use Photoshop for the leveL pages, everything else I do with either openCanvas or Painter.

Q. WHOA! There's cussing and people dying in this comic! What gives??

If leveL were a movie, it would probably be rated PG-13. There is nothing so SCANDALOUS that the Campus Crusade for Christ would be knocking on my door (oh if only *cracks knuckles*), but some of the characters do cuss, there will be a tad bit of violence and dealing with "mature" themes and yes, a lot of characters are going to die in the process.

Q. Wait...you don't mean the MAIN characters could die, do you?

I do.

Q. WAUGH! Well in that case, do you have any other comics?

Actually, yes. An irreverent litle sidecomic called Wing Ed lives in the art gallery here. It's a black-and-white digi-ink comic. Something more humourous and less epic than leveL, more for stress relief than anything else. Mayhaps one day it'll get itself a sister site...

Q. So do you get paid for any of this?

Absolutely not! leveL is strictly a labor of love, I do this cause I enjoy it and I like having people read it. Maybe one day I'll try and make a profit from it, for now it's just recreation. HOWEVER, if you want to support leveL, please see the Extras section where you can buy prints and make donations. PLEASE, I am so poor! :D

Q. OMG, so like, Mary and I were talking and we totally think that this character is waaay in love with that character, is it true??? Oh, and are these two related???1? ARGH, Tell me, I MUST KNOW!!

Please no questions like this. As I said, I think half the fun of the story is reading it and figuring this stuff out yourself. This whole comic is made for personal interpritation, everyone will get something different out of it. THAT BEING SAID, if you would like to discuss your theories or ideas about what's going on, I am 100% all about that. Drop by the Forum to discuss or just send me an e-mail! I love hearing what people think, just please don't ask me to give away plot points or anything like that. Also, if you are confused about what's going on or who is who, please don't hesitate to ask, I'll be happy to help.

Q. Can I link to leveL?

Absolutely! leveL is link free and there will soon be banners in the Links section, so go to town! Also if you wanna make your own banner, feel free! Just let me know before you post it so's I can approve (and possibly ask to put it on the main site, lol)

Q. Will you draw a picture for me?

Uhhh, depends on how much time I have at the moment. You are welcome to ask, but offering an art trade would probably be better incentive ;)

If I missed anything or for any other information, feel free to e-mail me any questions and I will reply! I love getting e-mail, so don�t be shy!

NOTE: All of the characters, pictures and story lines were created solely by me. No matter how crappy they are, please don't take or copy them. If you want to use something I've done for some reason, e-mail me asking permission before you do so! (However, gifts are OK and I will gladly and happily accept them) Thanks!