chapter 3 of the graphic noiz manga is live.
Read it for free at: graphic noiz manga – chapter 3: working late
chapter 3 summary: Noiz is confronted by Shawn as they continue work on the Fissure manga while Shiro meets his agent Keita at a coffee shop only to learn that he is being asked to sign an artist contract so they can shop the Fissure manga to serial magazines. Shiro wants nothing to do with another contract but Keita insists.
graphic noiz trivia 2
Q: What is Keita’s favorite beer?
A: Keita likes Sapporo and Asahi beer. He takes Shiro out most nights on pub crawls. Shiro usually has to put Keita in a taxi to send him home drunk and nearly passed out every night. There will be a scene in book 4 of them out drinking on the town which was not possible in the previous books due to the tight storyline and page count.
Q: Does Shiro own a car and where does he park it in Manhattan? Isn’t parking in the City expensive?
A: As Manhattan has a thriving subway system and transit system with busses and taxis there is no real reason for Shiro to own a car as parking is usually expensive in New York City and requires a space to keep the car in a garage. In book 4 we will have Shiro take Noiz to Scarsdale which is an upscale high class suburb of New York City about 45 minutes away by train. Shiro has a car stashed at Julia’s summer house in Scarsdale that he can access to. I think the car is a black newly leased BMW with low mileage. He would want an immaculate classy car that he could have at his disposal and a lease would allow him to keep the car in the best condition. Parking in the City can be exhorbitant and requires paying a parking attendant a holiday bonus at the end of the year which is usually expected unless you are cheap.
Q: Where is Shiro’s apartment/condo in New York City?
A: Shiro’s apartment is near Central Park South at the south end of the park. It is a 5 story old style building with expensive lavish condos. His large floor to ceiling living room window faces the park which is across the street and it is described in the book that he watches the traffic at times from the view. He can get to the apartment from the N/R subway line but Shiro opts to take a taxi rather than take the subway. We actually see Shiro out of character take the subway in manga 2 when he is roaming the streets for the week he gets lost and runs away.
Q:Where is Noiz’ studio in New York City?
A: Noiz’ studio is near the N/R train at the 34th Street/Herald Square subway stop. The exact address is 1234 Broadway but the building it at 34th Street and Broadway near the corner so it has two actual addresses. The building is zoned in a strange manner and has businesses and residences on the same floors. Keita was able to procure the location from a shady real estate broker and had to pay a $5000 deposit to hold the place. The studio s named “Studio Omni” which is a name that Noiz picked out. There is a placard on the wall outside the door with the studio name which is seen in the manga. This is an exact location that I visited in New York City when I lived in Manhattan.
Q: Where is the literary agency that Keita works at and the publisher where Megumi works?
A: The publisher and the literary agency are near the Lincoln Center subway stop on the 1/9 subway line. This is the arts district with theatres and there are many dancers in the area and musicians working. Many of the locations in graphic noiz are actual places that exist in Manhattan based on the time that I spent and lived in the City.
Q: Where does Noiz work in the City when he is not at the art studio?
A: Noiz works at an office supply shop north of the Financial District. There is actually a CVS at the Fulton Street location that I used to work at which is where I put the office supply store in the story. The office supply store Noiz works at is modeled after an actual Office Max store that I get the graphic noiz manuscripts printed when I am proofreading them before publishing.
Q: Where does Noiz live in Jersey?
A: Noiz lives in Jersey City which is off the Path train which has a stop in the City at the World Trade Center. In the first graphic noiz book we have Noiz live at Journal Square Path train stop but in book 2 we edited out that he lived near the Exchange Place stop. I have the pre-published manuscript printed and I would have to check out the ebook to see if that survived the cutting room floor. The Journal Square stop is smack in the middle of Jersey City. Noiz has to walk through a park to get to his apartment which I think is on the third floor of a five story walk up. The area is run down and there is crime so where Noiz lives is cheap. In book 2 Shiro visits Noiz in Jersey where he had previously told Keita he never wanted to visit, even turning down a book signing opportunity because he “didn’t go to Jersey.” Shiro tells Jade that Noiz lives in a “dive shit hole” when he described his apartment.
update on graphic noiz manga 2
Work continues on lineart for graphic noiz manga 2. We have 34 pages of lineart to complete this version. Inking will come next and then reducing and copying. Once reducing is done we will start the greyscale toning process. graphic noiz is drawn and coloured traditionally. I am still learning how to use copic markers so bear with me as we go through the learning process. I am practicing so I hope you can tolerate my artwork as you take in and experience a good story. I pride myself on being a writer who can draw, not an artist who writes. I will do my best. Wish me luck.
