The Rockford High Mystery Society (2024)
I'm currently pitching a full-length graphic novel partially inspired by my earlier mini-comic work, The Rockford High Mystery Society. The book follows Dani, a self-loathing transfer student desperate to reinvent her life. The strange disappearances of her classmates lead her to a magnetic teen detective and a paranormal mystery enveloping her Massachusetts town.
The Rockford High Mystery Society is a YA coming-of-age adventure story with comedy and supernatural elements. The target audience is teenagers 12 and up. The book would be approximately 200-250 pages long and in full color. You can find select sample pages below! For further inquiries, contact me at josephbortner@gmail.com
The Boomerang Gang (Webcomic, 2023-)
What goes around, comes around. The Boomerang Gang is a semi-regular series of diary comics that I make tracking moments in my life and in the lives of friends. Sometimes slice-of-life, sometimes slightly embellished; these strips have a heart and humor that I'm proud of. Starting in 2024, I've begun collecting these strips under the banner of "The Boomerang Gang." Issue #1 will release later this year, and will collect the first 32 online strips as well as some new content.
In the meantime, new strips are posted most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on my social media. Members of my Patreon get to see new strips a week early.
The Rockford High Mystery Society (Webcomic, 2022-2023)
In a stunt to get expelled from her new high school, myopic honors student Dani McCallister teams up with Rachel Hoffman-Stewart--Salem, MA's last teen detective. Together, the two might just be able to track down the mysterious "Origami Man" threatening the city--if they can learn to trust each other first.
The Rockford High Mystery Society is a 2-issue webcomic series, which launched digitally on September 26th--it's purchasable on Ko-Fi and on my Patreon! The book debuted in print at the Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo in October, where issue #1 was a recipient of the 2022 MICE mini-grant.
You can also buy physical copies via Radiator Comics!
Jake: Escape From Wizard Island
Jake is a normal teen with the perfect life in Bear City. Bill is a top-of-the-line delivery droid who has lost his priority mail. After getting stranded, the two hatch a plan to escape Wizard Island in this hilarious and heartfelt comedy-adventure.
Buy it here!
Jake: Escape From Wizard Island was co-written by Joe Bortner and Nik Protopapas, with art by Joe Bortner.
