Come on, baby. Do the logo motion.

One of the really enjoyable tasks I've taken on for this book has been to make the world of Basement City seem as established as possible. In a graphic novel, or any other fictitious non-referential narrative, the storyteller gets one shot to really convey everything necessary to convince the reader that (real or not), this world exists in some capacity. And readers believe it based only on what they're handed.

If there's one thing that our world is filled with, it's corporate agenda. It's everywhere. It's in the 3 stripes on my shoes. It's on the styrofoam cup I'm drinking out of. It's in the computer I'm using to type this out right now. Are these things bad? I don't think so; not inherently. Could we survive without them? Yep. We did, at one point. But often times "back to the basics" is too easily equated with "primitive." So, whether we could survive or not is no longer a relevant question. In reality, there is no question at all. We will only ever move forward in corporate growth. It's not a platform to preach about, or against. It's just how it is. Unfortunately, and all too often, power is abused.

That being said, my story may dabble in those themes a little bit - more on the darker side of what can be done when an organized power trumps ethics. Nothing new, but very much relevant to the world we live in. And if you think otherwise, next time you feel like you were screwed over by a mechanic, your internet service provider, or the power company...call them up with all of your heartfelt concerns and see how far it gets you. We've all been there. By the way, big shout out to Sallie Mae! I hope we get to meet some day, so that I can buy you a drink on that dime I borrowed from you...which later became a quarter when you asked for it back.

And that rant brings me to the brief explanation of the above image. What's a corporate world without a couple of corporate logos? This logo is actually very pertinent to a major variable in the story. Without getting too far into it, the company behind this logo (The Skyliner Intiative) is where the novel begins and ultimately ends: with the lining of the sky. "The lining of the sky? What, Brett?" Don't worry, purchasing the book when it's complete will answer everything.