CREATOR UPDATE: 3/27/2025 - FUTURE
- Deputy Rust
- Mar 27
- 4 min read
Hey there everybody, time for a proper creator update after tons of reuploads.
ON UNBREAKABLE IRON RANGER:
First off, I do hope y'all have enjoyed UIR, 7 years of working on it's current form, and 10 years total with the project and its finally done. Will say its nice to finally have the series no longer be vertical only. I'll keep the vertical only for Webtoons, but truthfully I want to keep it to the traditional page format so future comics will first be in print form. I may come back to do vertical stuff but with how hard it is for comics like UIR (that being, action/adventure comics) being on Webtoons, frankly I'm not sure.
If folks with to make fanart I do wanna showcase that thru here, and if you're interested in doing fan dubs of the comic I'm totally down for that. I have plans for an official dub, but I always encourage folks to dub any of my comics. So yeah, full permission granted.
Right now, I'll be focusing on the next thing involving this world, but some remaining UIR stuff...
UIR Official Dub/Motion comic being planned
UIR Volume 3 Indiegogo for the summer/fall.
Reprints of Volumes 1 and 3
Speaking of which, I'll provide more updates on UIR's third volume soon, currently planning out stuff like guest cover artists, coloring for Episodes 13, 14 and 16. Not sure if I'll do an open call for this round, or just seek out specific artists.
ON CRYPTS AND COWBOYS:
Now then, I am getting back to this project now that UIR is done. You may have heard me talk about this, seen the Episodes I did work on on Medibang, etc, but may not know what it is exactly, so time to break it down.
Crypts and Cowboys is a project meant to explore the world of UIR, while I was focusing on Ben's story. It was to be a way to do new stories in the world UIR takes place in (our world, but cryptids exist too), while working on UIR at the same time. As you can imagine, not the best idea to juggle both of these projects especially if both were long form (which they were). Unfortunately I took on too much and tried to do both, I wanted to do everything and try to tell stories of the other characters while also continuing Ben's story, and I caved under it and hit a struggle just trying to finish the original project that started all of this.
With UIR completed, now I want to get back into this project proper and let this be the focus. Hindsight is 20:20, this should've waited till UIR was done anyways. But, ah well.
Anyway, here's some of the current plans for it.
(click to expand)
Right now, this is a general plan, gonna focus on a "tankōbon" approach, roughly 200 paged manga volumes, still debating on if it'll be color or black and white, more likely the latter with some colored pages and potentially colored editions with some help from colorists.
To give you an idea of what's going on and the story telling approach, Crypts and Cowboys will follow the UIR cast and other characters, an ensemble cast that will rotate and switch focus on characters to let them be the lead. Ben Young, the titular Unbreakable Iron Ranger, will still be a constant but will not be the main focus, but one of many since he's had enough development for the time being (don't worry, his story is far from over). Now then, not every character featured has some grand epic character arc to go on, some are simple and in some ways, static, but the point is to be flexible and creative with different characters. To keep things simple, only four characters will have lead roles, Ben Young and three others. Tomako Sawyer, Haze, and sure to be surprising to many, Cherry!
The first four Episodes will be the introduction arc, showing off some of the major players, and then will follow four mini arcs that will be going back and forth between, Hidden Holler Arc, Hatchet Hunt Arc, Rous Race Arc, and Orphans Recovery Arc. These mini arcs will be 4-6 chapters/episodes long, for now the first volume will have that introduction arc, and the starts of each mini arc. Following this, there will be a more focused arc with the current cast in Louisiana. That arc will focus on characters like Uriah, Abba and newcomer Ruger as the main leads, however, that's all I can say for now.
For now, I'll be focusing on these eight Episodes, and once those have entered a good state of production I'll be getting the ball rolling more on the Louisiana arc a bit better. Ideas are there, just need more time baking and forming.
ON MINI COMICS:
You've probably noticed the mini comic posted to the site, you can expect to see more. While I work on Crypts and Cowboys I'll be making more mini comics while I work on this big project, tease the series while keeping folks in the know about it. I already made some, which will be posted up here soon and reposted on respective socials. But yeah, expect those in the mean time and while I'm working on the main comic.
That should be it for now, for now, I'll leave you with this!
God Bless!